A large part of rising to the top of the NBA ladder is knowing which teams are threats in the coming season. Scouting then becomes an important part of a team's organization if it hopes to even come close to the Larry O'Brien trophy. Coach JJ Redick holds a more internal belief. When asked about championship hopefuls like the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers head coach gave a simple but snarky answer.
Lakers' Redick shades Spurs, Thunder, and Knicks NBA title hopes
Usually, there are the three main squads that everyone should look out for when entering a new NBA season. The first is the squad that just won it all the prior season. Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks hold that distinction after hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy in just five games. Second is the squad with the most and biggest chips on their shoulders. Typically, these are scary squads that have revamped and grown stronger throughout the offseason. Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs are clearly the team to look out for in this category. They are hungry and ambitious. Last but not least, the squad that wants to reclaim their lost glory. After losing the Western Conference Finals in seven games to the eventual NBA Finals runners-up, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder want their lick back.
Every NBA fan and coach cares about what these teams will do during the 2026-27 NBA season. One person does not share that sentiment. Coach JJ Redick posits that he is not at all concerned with how the Spurs, Thunder, and Knicks carry out their 82-game regular-season campaign, via Sam Amick of The Athletic.
"You’ve got to get things out in the open. We look at this every day. I don’t sugarcoat it. Those teams (like New York, San Antonio and Oklahoma City) deserve to be perceived that way, but I don’t care. It doesn’t matter — the perception of us. We’re on our own path. We are on our journey. That’s exciting to me," the Lakers head coach said.
See, Coach Redick and the Lakers also view themselves as threats to win the Larry O'Brien trophy. They now have an offense fully built around Luka Doncic and a roster around him that complements his game. Their rebounding and defensive woes also seem solved after the Walker Kessler trade. All of which may make the Thunder, Spurs, and Knicks see them as part of that title-contending tier.
Obviously, Coach Redick and the Lakers still have a lot to prove.
The Spurs are not just aiming for an NBA championship. Everyone on Coach Mitch Johnson's team wants to win an individual accolade, from Dylan Harper to Devin Vassell. Wembanyama wants to exert his dominance through snagging a second Defensive Player of the Year and his first NBA Most Valuable Player. The Knicks are taking pay cuts to keep their championship-winning core intact. Gilgeous-Alexander is also out to prove that he belongs within the same tier as guards like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant by winning more trophies. All of these aforementioned teams are threats from every angle that any NBA fan looks.
However, this internal focus by Coach Redick may just be the difference-maker. The Lakers can just focus on executing the Doncic-led offense well every game while Kessler anchors the interior. If this view of the NBA holds, Los Angeles might just end up as the favorite to win it all before the holidays.
