ATLANTA — JJ Redick already preached one of the types of Japanese philosophy, repeating to his team the concept of “kaizen”, which needs to be improved every day. Off the court, the head coach found inspiration in another Japanese phrase.
Lakers players and coaches have used PechaKucha presentations to promote team bonding this season. Slideshows, which come from the Japanese word for chatter, may be the secret to the team's hot start as Lakers (7-2) have won five games in a row entering a five-game series that begins Saturday in Atlanta at 5:00 pm PT against the Hawks.
The Lakers have pieced together one of the most effective offenses in the NBA despite injuries. LeBron James, Austin Reeves And Luka Doncic in and out of the lineup, relying on a strong team bond that quickly develops thanks to an even faster form of communication.
PechaKucha presentations are traditionally 20 slides, each with a photo. The presenter has 20 seconds to explain each slide, for a total presentation duration of 6 minutes 40 seconds.
The Lakers version consists of five slides: where are you from; favorite basketball memory; a person, event or thing that has affected your life; your non-basketball happy place; and dealer selection.
“Often, most of the communication with teammates happens on the basketball court,” forward Jake LaRavia said. “So it's good to just learn some things about them outside of basketball, like hobbies and things like that, where they're from. And it just helps you understand who that person is a little bit better.”
Assistant coach Scott Brooks began his presentation with a photo of a walnut, symbolizing the walnut farm where he worked on weekends to help his family make ends meet. LaRavia showed a photo of the driveway where his basketball journey began. Doncic spoke about how his daughter Gabriela changed his life.
One coach and one player are present, and then each nominates the next coach or player. With about half of the players and coaches remaining, Redick said he has already noticed holdouts actively planning their presentations before making nominations.
“We just constantly encourage and empower our guys to come together,” Redick said. “I believe that if you're connected off the court, you're connected on the court. You need to be invested in it. I'm not trying to take credit from my staff. These are the guys on the team, they believe in it.”
Doncic, for example, is not sold. He calmly stated that, in his opinion, this exercise did not help.
The fact that Doncic made the joke meant it worked.
Settled after a nasty trade last season, the 26-year-old has begun to emerge among his teammates. He is a sarcastic jokester who expresses his love for his teammates by passing them through tiny gaps in the defense and then talking to them immediately afterwards.
Lakers coach JJ Redick, with injured forward LeBron James at his side, questions a call along with guard Marcus Smart during Wednesday's game against the Spurs.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Doncic's smiling antics, be it he tries to sit on Austin Reeves' lap on the sideline or making powerful shots in the half court against Reeves, Maxi Kleber and the team's staff shows just how connected the superstar is to the team.
“Honestly, I really enjoy playing with these guys,” Doncic said. “AR [Reaves] I can't play. We still miss LeBron. So this team has a lot of potential. But everyone who steps on the court gives their best, man, everyone. So it’s very nice to play.”
Reeves is on the trip but will miss a third straight game on Saturday. The Lakers ruled him out after Friday's practice because his right groin injury developed into a strain after it was previously considered just sore.
James didn't go to Atlanta. He began playing basketball on the court this week after missing four weeks with sciatica on his right side. According to Redick, he played one-on-one with the coaches. A stay with the South Bay Lakers has been discussed, but no decision has been made yet.
The NBA's leading scorer has yet to play a minute for the Lakers. Reaves, who is averaging 31.1 points and 9.3 assists, has missed the last two wins and Doncic has only played in half the games. But the Lakers still have the fifth-best offensive rating in the NBA.
“This shows how professional we are,” security guard Marcus Smart spoke about teamwork in the team, despite the constant change of composition. “I think a lot of people, especially people who aren't in fraternities, forget that you build relationships with guys and then one guy or a couple of guys get traded and you have to rebuild another one. You don't realize how hard it is, how much it takes.”
As Smart spoke, Doncic appeared behind a group of reporters, cheering loudly. Doncic then made sure to announce that he would beat Smart in a team building competition that evening. They both smiled as they left.
