After 15 long seasons without a championship, the Boston Celtics finally claimed their 18th NBA title,breaking the tie with their biggest rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, to become the most successful franchise in league history. In that same period, the Lakers had added three championships to their tally.

It’s been two months since the Celtics lifted the trophy, and the basketball world has been buzzing with news: we’ve seen the NBA Draft with Bronny James joining his father on the Lakers, players switching teams, new contracts being signed, WNBA action led by rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, and, of course, Team USA winning Olympic gold in both men’s and women’s basketball.

New Season, New Lakers

As most of you already know, Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, will be playing alongside his father this upcoming season after being selected by the Lakers with the 55th pick in the draft.

This situation has sparked much discussion about his role on the team and how the rotation will be managed by the new, rookie head coach, JJ Redick, who will be the Lakers’ eighth coach since Phil Jackson retired in 2011. Redick may be new to coaching, but after 17 seasons with six different teams, he certainly knows ball.

According to the Los Angeles Times, early impressions from the Lakers’ workouts have shown more live basketball, including one-on-one and three-on-three drills, compared to past summers that focused more on individual, noncompetitive work. This could be part of the player development changes Redick promised when he took the job this summer.

Having only recently retired in 2021, Redick has remained closely connected to the NBA and seems well-equipped to prepare his team for the challenges of the fiercely competitive Western Conference-the wild, wild West.

Lakers Rotation

The Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets for the second consecutive season. As they head into the new season, the team has kept its core intact, including LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell, along with key rotation players Austin Reaves, Cam Reddish, Rui Hachimura and the new kid Bronny James.

The roster looks much the same as last year, as the front office, led by Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss, opted not to make any trades or significant free-agent signings. They should be prepared because they face Anthony Edwards in what will be the second game of the season, a few hours after the New York Knick and Boston Celtics season opener on October 22.