L.A. Lakers 2024-25 Season Preview: Same Superstars, New Coach

LeBron James and Anthony Davis are running it back, and Bronny James is poised to play alongside his father this season.Essentially, these are the same Los Angeles Lakers that were bounced out of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs by the Denver Nuggets.The only significant new addition for the Lakers heading into the 2024-25 season is rookie head coach JJ Redick, who replaced the fired Darvin Ham. Redick has never coached in the NBA even in an assistant role, so his hiring for this historic franchise is no small thing.But he has two of the best players in the NBA in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. And like they have since joining forces in 2019, James and Davis know they must continue to perform at a high level for the Lakers to succeed.The Lakers didn’t sign any free agents over the summer, nor did they make any trades. They drafted the player who is likely the most talked-about second-round pick in NBA history in USC guard Bronny James, LeBron’s elder son. They used their first-round pick on Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht. But no one is counting on these two rookies to play key roles.So, on paper, the central characters remain the same for the Lakers. But according to Davis, their mentality is different, and if they can keep their top contributors healthy, that tells him these Lakers are a different squad.“Last year is last year,” Davis says. “We can’t say, ‘Oh, this is the same team.’ It could be a different result. For us, it’s about coming in with that mindset of getting to work and seeing how it plays out.”Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and forward Anthony Davis celebrate after winning the in-season tournament championship against the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas on Dec. 9, 2023.