For all the drama that surrounded the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, you wouldn’t have known it judging by all the smiles at the podium during media day on Monday, Sept. 28.
The Lakers are coming off a second consecutive 50-win season under head coach JJ Redick and went with a complete roster overhaul in the wake of LeBron James’ exit. President of basketball operations Rob Pelinka swung big, landing Walker Kessler to be their center of the future in a trade that sent two first-round draft picks and two unprotected first-round pick swaps back to the Utah Jazz. That move was followed up by filling out the roster around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves with supporting players who can dribble, pass and shoot. And after an offseason trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia, the new-look Lakers feel bought in.
USA TODAY Sports predicts the Lakers record in 2026-27 at 48-34, in large part due to the uncertainty surrounding so many new faces and the growing pains that are sure to come up at some point. Reaves acknowledged that on Monday.
“We’re a very new team to one another,” Reaves told reporters. “And there’s gonna be some growing periods where things aren’t going the way that we want them to go. But that doesn’t change the goal at the end of the day, and that’s to be as competitive as we can every single night.”
“I think we’re all underrated, if that makes sense, in different aspects,” Collin Sexton added. “We’re competitors. I feel like we added people that are willing to compete and we added guys that don’t back down to anyone. I know for myself, I’m somebody that’s not gonna back down to any challenge. I’m not gonna back down to anyone.
“… We’re here.”
Ziaire Williams took it one step further.
“We have a bunch of great passers on this team, great shooters, great defensive versatility,” he told reporters. “I think we have everything we need to win an NBA championship.”
Here are the five biggest takeaways from Lakers media day on Monday Sept. 28:
Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves ready to take on leadership role
While Dončić pointed out that he’s been in leadership positions for most of his life and career, that role is a new one for Reaves. But as the longest tenured Laker and the unquestioned No. 2 option, the former undrafted free agent from Newark, Arkansas, is embracing the added responsibility. More importantly, Reaves is leading in his own way.
“I’m not someone that’s gonna sit out here and scream at people,” he told reporters. “I like to talk to people one-on-one, have real conversation. That way, people never feel like I’m trying to embarrass them in front of people.”
Instead, Reaves pulls a teammate off to the side whenever there’s a down period in practice to offer his input. He’s a conversationalist, not a drill sergeant.
” …There will be times I need to speak up in group settings, and I’ll do that when the time comes,” he continued. “But I think you just got to be true to yourself and do what’s comfortable for you.”
Reaves is following the challenge JJ Redick laid out for him and Dončić. This is now their team, and they need to find their own way to show leadership.
Dončić has been impressed with Reaves’ growth both in the two years he’s played alongside him. Stepping into the No. 1 role isn’t new for Dončić, but he’s now the guy on the Lakers now that LeBron James is gone. Hearing his name alongside franchise greats like Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Kareem-Abdul Jabbar does add something, he admitted.
“You obviously have all-time great names,” Dončić said. “But it’s like a new challenge. I like challenges. I wouldn’t it feels different, but I would say I feel honored.”
Defense, versatility are priorities
When LeBron James decided to leave the Lakers in free agency this summer, Pelinka and Redick outlined three priorities for the offseason: 1. Re-sign Reaves. 2. Find a franchise-caliber center. 3. Get guys who can dribble, pass and shoot.
They checked all three of those boxes. Reaves was brought back on a five-year, $184 million deal. Walker Kessler has been described as the “perfect fit” next to Dončić and Reaves; he steps in as the Lakers’ best rim protector since Anthony Davis. And they brought in an almost entirely new supporting cast. Quentin Grimes and Ziaire Williams can defend and space the floor, Matisse Thybulle is a lockdown defender who can’t wait to play next to Kessler. The second unit looks solid too, with Collin Sexton expected to run the offense when Dončić and Reaves aren’t on the floor. He’ll pair up nicely with Sandro Mamukelashvili if the latter doesn’t crack the starting five.
Grimes, the Lakers’ second biggest signing, told reporters on Monday that he’s already discussed his role with Redick.
“Being a point-of-attack defender, bringing that intensity, bringing that nastiness,” he said. “OKC and San Antonio, they play really hard defensively. You can get away with a lot more, so we’re really trying to set that tone.”
Thybulle can’t wait to play next to Kessler.
“Just to have someone who can command the paint and protect the rim, it allows me to be more aggressive. And I think a lot of the other guys would speak to that as well,” Thybulle told reporters. “… I just feel like I can fully live up to my defensive potential because of having a rim protector like Walker.”
Redick said last week that two starting spots are up for grabs. It’s clear that they want guys who can space the floor and be aggressive on both sides of the ball.
For the first time in his short career, Bronny James won’t be teammates with his dad. He spent much of his availability on Monday addressing that elephant in the room, but the 21-year-old guard said he’s ready to chart his own path in the NBA.
“Feels like he’s not here,” James said matter of factly. “I don’t really have an opinion on that. That’s my dad, I spent 22 years, almost, with him. Just another experience that I’m gonna be a part of, and I’m excited to see how it’s gonna feel during the season, too. Looking forward to it.”
James has been locked in on becoming the most consistent version of himself this summer, getting in the weight room every day and working on his ballhandling, playmaking and becoming a point-of-attack defender. With an almost entirely new cast of teammates, he’s had to speedrun getting to know them but can already feel that they’ll be a more free-flowing, high-energy offense than they’ve been in his two previous years.
But more than anything, Bronny is just excited for the chance to make his own name.
“It’s just something that I’ve followed my entire life,” James said. “You guys know me as Bronny, my real name is LeBron. I’ve been doing this for however long, so I think it’s a motivating factor for me just getting up every day and trying to prove myself as Bronny instead of LeBron.”
Slovenia trip helped kickstart chemistry
Kessler got his first lob from Dončić during a pickup game in Slovenia.
“I don’t even think he was looking at me,” he told reporters Monday.
But surely enough, Luka threw the ball up and placed it perfectly over Kessler’s head. He went up, caught it, dunked it and high-fived Dončić back on the other end of the floor.
“Yup,” he thought to himself. “I can get used to this.”
The Lakers’ offseason trip to Ljubljana was born out of necessity; Dončić was spending time with his daughters and couldn’t leave the country, so he brought the team to him instead. They played each other not just in pickup games, but also in rowing, golf and bowling, getting to know each other while also building up a healthy competitiveness heading into training camp.
According to Austin Reaves, his team beat Dončić’s in every game.
“But he did host us, so we let him hold the first place trophy for once,” Reaves said.
“I beat him in golf two days ago,” Dončić later retorted. “He didn’t say that, huh?”
The trip was also an opportunity for Dončić to share his home with his teammates. He meticulously planned out everything, showing the Lakers around all his go-to spots from childhood all the way up until now.
“It was an amazing trip,” Luka said. “It was very important for me to show them where I’m from. I think everybody liked it. We had some great time and it was very nice that all of them came, which I know is not easy. But that just shows what kind of group we are.”
The Lakers are healthy
The Lakers limped towards the end of last season, but a full offseason of rest seems to have done the trick.
One of the lowest points for the Lakers during the 2025-26 season was that month-long stretch in January where they were without Austin Reaves due to a grade 2 calf strain. Not only is Reaves feeling 100%, he’s applying what he learned from LeBron James over the past five years on injury prevention and taking care of his body to help him stay on the court for as many games as possible.
“There’s a lot more that goes into it than the casual fan sees,” Reaves told reporters. “You have to do more every single day, especially the older that you get. He’s a perfect example of that. We’ve had a really good summer and put myself in a really good spot going into this year.”
Dončić suffered a grade 2 hamstring at the beginning of April, delivering a huge blow to the Lakers just weeks ahead of the playoffs. He missed the final 15 games of the season, including the entire postseason despite making a trip to Spain to undergo a series of injections in hopes of speeding up his recovery timeline.
But now, Dončić says he’s fully healthy and will have no restrictions going into the season.
“Right now, I feel great,” he told reporters. “I feel rested mentally. I feel great, so I can’t wait for this to start.”
Two of the Lakers’ additions this summer also dealt with significant injuries last season. Kessler played in just five games after undergoing left shoulder surgery. He says his shoulder feels better than it ever has now and is counting on that added confidence to help him play looser once the season starts.
Matisse Thybulle missed 52 games in 2025-26 after he developed tendinopathy in his right knee while rehabbing from surgery on a torn UCL in his left thumb. The year before that, he underwent surgery on his right knee to address inflammation and suffered a severe grade 2 right ankle sprain that included a torn ligament before he could make his return.
He, too, feels ready to go.
“I feel great now,” Thybulle told reporters. “I think this year, from the coaches to the training staff to RP, they all have a good sense of what it is I need to be healthy and available, and I really think that was just the missing piece. Just having the plan around what’s needed for my return to play and just to stay on the court.
“Once we got that going almost immediately when I got here, and things have just been moving in the right direction ever since.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lakers feel they have pieces in place to make NBA Finals run. Can they?
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