Despite writing an infinite number of Lakers stories daily, I still have a hunger for more. Some say that’s a bad thing. People who have been doing it much longer than I warn me of burnout and insist I scale
back if my goal is sustainability and survival in the brutal industry that is sports journalism.
They are wrong.
As Frieza said when he first began fighting Goku
on Namek, “I haven’t even begun to use my real power yet.”This weekly series will give me the opportunity to showcase a bit more of my personality and display it in a Lakers context. By doing so, I’ll scratch an aspect of my creative writing itch, and you’ll hopefully benefit from it. You’ll laugh, cry, be inspired and have a better understanding of what’s going on inside Lakers land.
Let’s get started with the five things I liked and didn’t like from this week.
5 things I liked and didn’t like
1. The Lakers are creating a culture
A couple of years ago, I was talking with a friend who is an East Coast elitist Lakers hater. He ranted about LA being lost once LeBron James left and other weak takes you can see every morning if you turn on any of the talking head shows.
When he saw that none of his lukewarm takes could trigger me, he finally challenged me with a question: “What identity do the Lakers even have?”
I responded, saying, “Winning championships and signing stars,” and the conversation ended there. But it never left me. Sure, historically I was right. From the 1950s, with George Mikan, to the 2020s, with LeBron James, two things have been true: the Lakers have employed superstars and won with them.
However, those days have felt like memories of the past more than an accurate representation of the present. The Lakers missed the postseason for six straight years from 2014 through 2019, the longest drought in franchise history. From 2021 to 2024, LA has had three different head coaches. That’s not exactly screaming stability or success.
Now, in 2025, though, the tides seem to be changing. Head coach JJ Redick signed an extension this summer, and after nine regular season games, a culture is being established.
These Lakers play hard.
Redick is not only empowering his players to take the lead but also spearheading the initiative. He’s been holding everyone accountable and setting the standard for what the non-negotiables are for this team.
Less than a month into the NBA season, Redick and the Lakers can’t think the culture has been set. However, this has been a refreshing start and hopefully, a sign of what’s to come.
2. The Lakers are streaking
The Lakers currently sit at 7-2, good for the second-best record in the highly competitive Western Conference. Perhaps it is not the Lakers who are stuck playing against top opponents every night, but the league that has to dread whenever Los Angeles appears next on the schedule.
And while Sir Issac Newton’s laws of motion suggest that what goes up must go down, hopefully LA will get so high that the fall won’t be bad enough to change their overall trajectory.
Somewhere, my high school science teacher is crying right now.
3. The Lakers are slow
Okay, now for something I haven’t liked.
Can we stop pretending a LeBron James-led Lakers team in 2025 is going to be fast? Over the past two seasons, including this year, the Lakers have been slow when James is out. Sure, Redick has talked about pace picking up, but every coach always talks about picking up the pace.
Here is where the Lakers have ranked in pace throughout LeBron’s tenure in LA.
- 2025-26 – 18th
- 2024-25 – 20th
- 2023-24 – 4th
- 2022-23 – 4th
- 2021-22 – 7th
- 2020-21 – 21st
- 2019-20 – 11th
- 2018-19 – 4th
As LeBron has gotten older, the Lakers have slowed down and he isn’t getting any younger. Similarly, while Luka Dončić can show off his summer bod all he wants, fast isn’t an adjective that fits his playstyle. This team is slow and they will remain as such.
The good news is you can win by being slow. The Lakers are doing it right now. Led by some elite midrange shooting, Los Angeles has found advantages on offense.
Currently, the Lakers have an offensive rating of 117.7, which ranks fifth in the NBA. So, perhaps there are other, more important things to address or obsess over than pace.
4. Some of you owe Rob Pelinka an apology
You’re not going to believe what I say next, but Lakers fans complained all summer about the job Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka did. It’s starting to look like he knows ball.
The Lakers are a top-heavy team and with limited roster spots and resources, they had to win in the margins this past offseason. Well, they’ve done just that.
LaRavia has had some really strong performances. DeAndre is DominAyton as the team’s starting center, and two-way guard Smith Jr. has already won the Lakers a game.
Former NFL coach Bill Ryan once said, “If you listen to the fans, you’ll be sitting up there with them.” I think of that quote often in regard to Pelinka.
Had he listened to fans, he would’ve traded multiple first-round picks and Rui Hachimura for Dejounte Murray. Or for Walker Kessler. And if he did those things, there would’ve been no assets to get Luka Dončić.
Pelinka hasn’t been perfect, but he’s done a lot of good, including this summer.
5. The Lakers have drip
I’m actually digging the team’s Statement Edition Jersey. The colors look great. They really pop and look fantastic in person and on the court.
Yes, I also want the Lakers to go more gold and less yellow. Sure, the City Edition this year is a weak rehash. But the Statement Edition? Me gusta.
Stat of the week
Quick, what’s the most important stat in basketball? Is it offensive rating? Effective field goal percentage? VORP? Nope, it’s your win total.
The point of a basketball game is to score more than your opponent. In seven of their nine games the Lakers have accomplished that goal. By doing so, they’ve made themselves the talk of the league and are emerging as a dangerous team in the West.
Do you know when the last time they were 7-2 was? 2019-20, when they won it all.
If the Lakers can continue to draw 2020 comparisons, that bodes well for this year’s team. The 2019-20 squad had wild stats like going 57-0 when leading entering the fourth quarter.
That 17th title tied them up with the Celtics for the most all-time. The Lakers can tie it up again this year if they win it all. Saying that out loud just a month ago would’ve gotten me laughed out of a room. Now, it doesn’t seem as much of a joke.
Player of the week
Luka is back to not just his All-NBA level, but he’s making a case as the best player in the NBA.
He started the week by scoring 44 in a win over the Grizzlies, had a 29-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double against the Heat and followed that up with 35 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds in a victory against the Spurs.
Those are some guady numbers.
Not to mention his style of play is box office. He’s hitting deep threes and making jaw-dropping passes while grinning ear to ear and joking with teammates.
Play of the Week
I could’ve opted for the Austin Reaves lob to Bronny James. Or Luka crossing over Vince Williams Jr. so bad his shoe fell off. Instead, I decided to go with Smith Jr.’s heat check 3-pointer in the fourth against the Blazers.
It was a combination of the shot, the moment and the player that made it the best play of the week.
The possession starts with Smart rejecting the screen and driving into the paint. Both weakside defenders shade over to help, leaving Rui Hachimura and Smith Jr. open.
Smart could’ve dumped the ball to Rui, who cut to the rim, but instead opted for Smith Jr. on the wing and he didn’t disappoint, converting the basket.
The following play was a classic heat-check. Ayton grabbed a loose ball after an errant lob attempt from Smart and kicked it out to Smith Jr. With no hesitation, he let it fly and swished it.
The Lakers really needed someone to step up with Reaves and Dončić out and Smith Jr. delivered. Back-to-back 3-pointers effectively sealed a win as his teammates celebrated him with such unbridled joy that you couldn’t help but feel it.
Stories of the week
I have a saying I love that annoys my sister, who is also a journalist, that goes “writers read.” I think she hates it cause she feels guilty about not reading.
Reading other people’s work, for me, broadens my horizons. It gives me perspective beyond my own, and when it’s a foreign concept or a topic I’m not too knowledgeable about, it can open up a whole new world.
So, I’ll be sharing a few stories here that I found interesting, both Lakers-related and not.
“How Austin Reaves ascended to superstardom to start the season” – Silver Screen & Roll
I’m not a “my boss rocks guy,” so please don’t think I’m here to gain points. But our editor-in-chief was in his bag. With a player like Reaves, who has been written about a million times, it can be hard to write something new, much less interesting. Rude did it with this one.
What made the moment, and the week, special was not just Reaves’ performances but also the camaraderie the team had built during the stretch. Never was that more apparent than in the celebrations after the game-winner.
“It’s been special,” Reaves said. “In those situations, I don’t remember seeing the ball go in the basket, for some reason. I knew it went in the basket. I kind of probably blacked out a little bit. And then I looked down towards the bench and everybody’s running towards me. It’s a good feeling.”
“7ft 4in (at least) of menace: the Victor Wembanyama Era is already here” – The Guardian
With the Lakers taking on the Spurs this week, I was reading up on Wemby. I saw some great basketball nerd stuff and some interesting features. I really enjoyed Lee Escobedo’s piece for The Guardian on the Wemby era already being here.
Riddle me this: what do you do when he blocks with one hand, rebounds with the other, and is somehow already pushing the ball in transition before the defense can process what happened? What about when he runs the floor like a guard, draws fouls in tight spaces, and forces teams into panic rotations? We don’t judge on how you choose to cope. Especially now that he’s attacking the paint more, initiating from the elbow, curling off pin-downs, and punishing doubles with kick-outs. Prayers up
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
