The playoffs are so desperate that 5 players play the full half 😢Analysis of what lineup should the Lakers give Redick

Translator's note: This article was originally published from SB Nation, and the author is Raj Chipalu. The data in the article are as of the original article as of June 4th local time. The views in the article have nothing to do with the translator and the platform.

In his debut season as Lakers head coach, JJ Redick clearly demonstrated his basketball philosophy and the type of player he tends to give playing time.

The playoffs have always had the power to reveal all the truth, especially when the fate of the season is hanging on the front line. Not only will they bring players back to their usual way of playing, they will also affect the head coach in the same way. For Lakers' rookie coach JJ Redick, the playoffs highlighted which players and skill sets he trusted at the most critical moments, and also provided insights into the Lakers' team building ideas this summer.

No matter how prominent the background, every NBA rookie head coach will experience ups and downs during the season, and Reddick is no exception. He led the team to 50 wins in his first season, but lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five playoff games and stopped in the first round. One of the concepts that Redick upholds is the five-in-one space system. As the importance of the final game of the regular season has increased, Reddick uses more centerless lineups and often presses the team's only available center Jaxson Hayes on the bench.

Even before completing the trade and getting Luca Doncic's heavy operation, the Lakers had already completed an important lineup adjustment by trading defender Russell as forward Finney Smith. This provides a key puzzle for Redick to unlock the small ball lineup.

These lineups prioritize space rather than body size: as Doncic dribbles in a semi-conversion offense, each player runs to a designated position outside the three-point line. Pay attention to the spatial distribution - no player occupies the "dunk point" area near the basket.

Finney Smith took the ball and landed on the wing and hit a three-pointer. This strategy of exchanging size for space is unbalanced in the playoffs: the Lakers are completely suppressed in paint areas and rebounds, and lack the athletic ability required to compete with the Timberwolves.

This team-building idea coincides with the philosophy of Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazula, who often uses space-wide five-in-one lineups to help the team win the championship last season. The difference is that the Celtics will let big men such as Horford and Porzingis rotate in this position, while the Lakers' lineup construction tends to let the forwards take on this role. The concept of

will become the focus of debate among the Lakers this summer. When players enter the available range through trade or free agent market, their ability to adapt to the five-for-five system will affect the Lakers' willingness to pursue it.

Development League is a platform for player training, and top teams will use it to discover hidden treasures of rotation players. The Lakers discovered Jordan Goodwin, who had been in many teams, and he had been in three teams in the four years before joining the South Bay Lakers.

Goodwin was drafted and ended up not only receiving a standard contract, but also winning playing time in Redick's regular season and playoff rotation. The skill set he showed was clearly what Reddick knew clearly what the team needed, although he might hope that such players would not have to come from a two-way contract lineup.

As a fierce defender with outstanding arm-show and excellent timing in breaking passes and rebounding, Goodwin's style of play incorporates Redick's favored defensive style—that is, a large number of defense swap strategies. All players become interchangeable in defensive responsibilities.

As shown in the picture below, Goodwin switched to Kelden Johnson, who was originally defended by Jared Vanderbilt.

Goodwin is one of the few Lakers players who can not only create chaos on the outside but also avoid being forced to be eaten at low posts with a low center of gravity. Even with a protective mask to prevent a face hit, he was not afraid to compete with the inside player for rebounds at low posts.

It's a great story and discovery, but Goodwin gets the opportunity beyond those Lakers who sign high contracts, highlighting the need for such a skill set - something the team needs to solve for the head coach next season.

Finally, without the need for more shooting abilities, it is not Redick's team. The Lakers selected Kneckett with the 17th pick. It is reported that Redick had designed the tactics for the young defender before he stepped onto the NBA arena.

Kneckett not only entered the Lakers' rotation lineup early, but even started from November to early December. It is not surprising that Redick prefers to shoot, but Knecht is also a necessary puzzle for the team to win early.

He showed explosive power at the three-point line and scored 27 points and 37 points to help the Lakers win. He provides the Lakers with a move-shooter option with a certain dribbling and autonomous offensive ability.

In short, he opened Redick's tactical manual. As shown in the picture below, he completed the emergency stop jump shot with the help of two screens.

However, Kneckett also reflects many problems with the Lakers, and he can only be a single player on the court. When the opponent continues to target him on the defensive end, his offense often fails to make up for the defensive shortcomings.

As the season deepens and the importance of the game increases, his playing time has been greatly reduced. It is not clear whether this is entirely due to defensive issues or still affected by the cancelled Mark Williams trade, but his skill shortcomings are undoubtedly exposed in the playoffs - the sharpshooter played for only 4 minutes in five playoff games and was completely excluded from the rotation.

The Lakers don't need every player to fit the basketball philosophy that Reddick imagines, but walking in the same direction as the coach is crucial to the success of any team.

The Lakers decided to hire Redick just a few days before the NBA draft a year ago. They have more time to consider this summer, and the Lakers and Redick should reach more consensus on building the lineup next season.