Los Angeles Lakers head coach J.J. Redick began training camp by showing players a video presentation on which team values he saw as "non-negotiables"

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is excited to be part of the Emirates NBA Cup and is focused on winning games.

Redick, who took the helm of the Lakers in June, replaced Darvin Ham after Ham coached Los Angeles to a disappointing first-round exit in the 2023-24 playoffs. Amid widespread doubt over Redick’s ability to lead a team in the NBA, the first-time head coach boasts a stellar report card at the start of the season, per Charania.

Here are three ways the Lakers are dramatically different this year -- and one way they are troublingly the same.

The Los Angeles Lakers field pretty much the same roster as last year, but watching them feels like a completely different team, and credit goes to rookie head coach JJ Redick. For instance, they didn’t stumble out of the gate as in the past couple of seasons,