Lakers Press Conference: Rob Pelinka & JJ Redick

[0:00] Morning everybody, welcome, appreciate everybody being here. [0:04] The way the NBA season unfolds, like of course last night around 10 o'clock, [0:08] JJ and I didn't know if we'd be here talking to you guys or [0:11] on a plane headed to OKC for game five. [0:13] That's just sort of how the nature of the season goes. [0:18] But we're here and excited to be here to address your questions. [0:21] I think in terms of the season, a lot to be proud of in terms of back to back 50 win [0:28] seasons, but certainly nothing that we're satisfied about. [0:32] This is a market with championship expectations and [0:36] now begins the process for leadership here, JJ, myself, to deconstruct the things [0:43] in the season that went well and then to look at the parts of the season that we [0:48] can elevate and bring to the next level. [0:50] And we're going to be incredibly process oriented about that, [0:54] working closely with the front office staff upstairs, with the coaching staff. [0:58] to deliver a product and a roster next season that our Lakers fans can be [1:03] incredibly excited about and honored by. [1:07] So that work begins now for our partnership. [1:11] Now that JJ's head shifts from trying to beat a team to preparing for the off season. [1:17] Of course, myself, the amazing people that work upstairs, [1:21] this is something we've been working on for months and are excited now to present and [1:24] collaborate with Coach Reddick and his staff around. [1:27] But that process of deconstruction for us starts today after getting through what [1:32] we did last night in terms of the playoffs. [1:36] I think we all know the playoffs are about matchups and about roster fullness. [1:43] We ran into the defending champs. [1:48] I'm very, very proud of how resilient our team was, how hard our guys fought. [1:54] The results of the series, again, is never satisfactory. [1:57] We're here to win and to win in those series. [2:01] Having a less than full roster is never an excuse in this business. [2:08] It's just a circumstance and in this case, an adverse circumstance that came our way. [2:14] But our job as leaders is when we face adverse circumstances is to learn from [2:20] those and get stronger and better. [2:23] And I think there's a lot to be proud of with how JJ and his staff led us through a [2:28] first round series with a couple of our best players not available for most of the series. [2:34] You know, beating the Rockets was great and then having a series with OKC that there were [2:39] moments in every game where you could see the competitive nature of this group and think [2:43] to what it might have been if we were a full roster. [2:45] So that's kind of our recap. [2:49] We are grateful and honored to be here, to be leaders here, to do the work here and to [2:55] share our thoughts today with you guys who also work so hard to cover us and want to [3:00] cover us accurately. [3:01] So here to really take your questions about the season, the off season. [3:05] I'll get on a plane when we're done with player exit meetings today, head to the combine. [3:10] We have the 25th pick. [3:11] And so the work around the draft is starting now, but wanted to meet with you guys first [3:18] before all that began. [3:19] So thank you for being here. [3:20] Hey, Rob. [3:24] But JJ's talked throughout the season just about how there have been almost different stages [3:30] of it where first it's without LeBron and then Luca and Austin both both miss significant [3:34] time, obviously most recently with Luca. [3:36] Is there a through line to what you saw as these are the needs for this team moving forward, [3:42] despite sort of how truncated that was and with obviously with Luca at the centerpiece [3:46] of that as you look to build the roster going into the offseason? [3:49] Yeah. [3:51] I mean, again, I think I use the word deconstruction. [3:53] We're going to be in the process of breaking all that down and learning from it and not rush [3:57] to any judgments. [3:58] I think our team and our roster had three quarterbacks on it in LeBron and Luca and Austin. [4:05] And that's in some sense a luxury that we had different guys that could make plays in [4:08] different parts of the season. [4:12] And it also creates its own set of stuff for JJ to figure out when you have three players [4:17] that can make plays. [4:18] But I think all in all, an amazing job at fitting all of that together. [4:23] And then the response of those players and playing different roles throughout the season [4:28] and having an evolution themselves was incredibly impressive. [4:33] And to me, it was just a sign of the humility of the individuals involved to make sacrifices [4:39] and to play a certain way so that the team could have success and win. [4:44] And then one for JJ, I remember this time last year, you were kind of excited for that first [4:48] offseason, you know, where you had a real offseason to plan to figure things out. [4:53] What what just how would you describe this whole year for you with the growth of it? [4:57] And then now going into year three, like how different that might be from the previous? [5:02] Yeah, I would say that the accumulation of intrinsic knowledge, it can compound. [5:07] And so the first offseason I had as a head coach was not really an offseason. [5:13] It was building my coaching staff, building our systems, building our languages. [5:20] Last offseason, I got to do some work. [5:23] And I think I just said to Rob upstairs, the work that I did and the work that my staff did, [5:28] it prepared us to be better coaches this year. [5:32] And it allowed us, I think, to have a lot of growth. [5:36] And, you know, part of my job is to make sure my players get better and make sure my players [5:42] can perform, but it's also to make sure the 17 people that are up there are getting better, [5:47] too. [5:48] And I think to a person, each one of them got better. [5:50] And we're all excited about getting better this offseason and being in a position when [5:56] next season starts to have another year of growth. [6:00] Rob, you're good morning. [6:02] Your two longest tenured Lakers were arguably your two most important players in game 92 last [6:08] night and LeBron James and Austin Reeves. [6:10] And not to publicly negotiate, but just do you want both those guys back on the team [6:17] next year? [6:19] Yeah. [6:19] Good morning, Dave. [6:21] I'll sort of take them one at a time. [6:23] I think in terms of LeBron, we probably haven't seen a player that has honored the game to the [6:30] extent that he's honored the game. [6:32] He's given so much to his teammates, to this organization. [6:37] And the thing we want to do more than anything else is honor him back. [6:41] And I think the first order of business there is allowing him to spend the time he needs [6:47] to decide what his next step are. [6:48] Does he want to play another year in the NBA? [6:51] And that'll be, as he said to you guys last night, family time, I think time with his inner [6:56] circle. [6:57] And we just want to honor that for him. [7:00] Of course, any team, including ours, would love to have LeBron James on their roster. [7:04] That's a blessing in itself, just with what he does. [7:09] In terms of Austin, Austin Reeves started his NBA odyssey, actually, with the Lakers on [7:18] that court right over there. [7:19] I remember it was a draft workout. [7:21] In fact, I was talking to Austin last night. [7:23] He was having a pregame meal, talking about how drained and exhausted he was by the draft [7:28] workout process, and that somehow he mustered up strength to have a great Lakers workout. [7:33] I remember actually being here with my son on that court, watching that, which is one [7:37] of the turning points of getting him here, just that workout and how he approached it. [7:42] But he started his journey here as a Laker and has made it very clear to us that he wants [7:48] his journey to continue as a Laker. [7:50] And we feel the same way. [7:53] We want his odyssey to continue to unfold in the purple and gold. [7:57] As you know, Dave, there's rules and timing to all of that. [8:00] But I think both sides have made it abundantly clear that we want to work something out where [8:04] he continues his prolific career here. [8:07] And JJ, that 16-2 stretch that you guys had from late February through the end of March, [8:16] and we're juggling the three quarterbacks, I guess, as Rob said, he was clearly able to work. [8:21] How do you feel about that core, getting a chance to coach that again? [8:28] I mean, I'll repeat what Rob said. [8:30] Of course, we'd want that core to be back together. [8:33] And I think Rob used the word humility, and each guy, I think, had to sacrifice at different [8:37] points in the season and at different times. [8:40] I also think for all three of those guys, and it's crazy to say that about LeBron, too, [8:45] but all three of those guys showed a lot of growth this year. [8:47] And I think a lot has been made about Luka's fitness level and his dedication to that. [8:55] And he was great throughout the season. [8:56] He's still in fantastic shape six weeks after an injury. [9:00] But he's also grown as a leader. [9:03] I think that was one of the challenges coming into the season that we presented him with. [9:09] He grew in that regard. [9:11] Austin grew in that regard. [9:12] LeBron, you know, having to, not even having to, but being challenged to, and then volunteering [9:22] to accept a different role in year 23. [9:25] Like, that is incredible growth. [9:27] So, you know, all three of those guys, I think we kind of hit the apex of that in that 16-2 [9:33] stretch. [9:34] And it showed what this group can do. [9:39] Good morning, guys. [9:40] Rob, I feel like I could ask you about eight different free agents on your roster. [9:44] But instead of doing that, I want to ask you about the infrastructure and the ability [9:49] to kind of reshape the front office this summer. [9:53] What is the Lakers front office going to look like next year? [9:57] Where are you guys at in that process? [9:59] And I guess what are some of the, we know you hired Tony Bennett. [10:03] What are some of the other kind of things that we can expect to see? [10:07] Yeah, great question, Dan. [10:08] First, I think JJ and I are just so grateful to work under Jeannie's leadership and Mark Walter [10:13] and just the energy he's brought to us to kind of build this out. [10:18] We have already started that reconstruction and have made hires in our front office [10:24] and continue to develop new technologies and new areas that we've turned on for the draft, [10:30] for free agency. [10:32] So a lot of the infrastructure is being built. [10:34] I'll be headed to the combine. [10:36] We will continue to staff out with assistant general manager positions. [10:40] There's a couple of those that we're currently interviewing for and have done an extensive [10:45] dive in that process. [10:47] So those will be two key pillars that we'll add this offseason. [10:51] And then working with Lon Rosen, who now is our president of business, as you guys saw, [10:57] our G League team is relocating to a brand new beautiful 10,000 seat arena in Coachella Valley. [11:05] So what that does in our building is it opens up all of this space and we have actually a space [11:10] in the back where working in collaboration with some of the Dodgers folks, we're bringing [11:16] in a biomechanics lab, new movement labs, a recovery lab. [11:21] Those things are super expensive to do and super thoughtful, but we're doing the planning [11:25] with Lon and his team around that. [11:27] And that construction is going to happen this offseason. [11:30] They're going to be redoing aspects of the court as well. [11:33] So it's a full rebuild and retool and it's adding to the great things that are already [11:41] here, which have led to success, but elevating it and bringing it to the next level. [11:46] So ongoing process that we'll be doing throughout the offseason, probably hopefully culminating [11:51] in and around the summer league in Vegas. [11:56] My second question for you, Rob. [11:57] JJ, you're off the hook. [11:59] You guys have stuff that you haven't had access to this summer in terms of cap space, in terms [12:06] of multiple draft picks that you can maneuver with. [12:10] How do you feel about the level of optionality? [12:12] I know that's one of your favorite words that you guys have this summer to get better. [12:16] And do you see pathways potentially that if you do return, Austin and LeBron, that you [12:21] guys can still mold the roster in sort of the ways that best fit Luka? [12:27] Yeah, I think that is a really good and the right word to use is optionality in this sort [12:33] of double apron CBA. [12:36] It's almost an effective hard cap. [12:38] I think having the optionality to roster plan and roster build, there's several ways to do [12:42] it. [12:42] There's in the draft. [12:43] There's through trades where some teams are going to be trying to get off good players [12:48] in this harsh system. [12:50] And then there's through free agency. [12:52] And we do, to your point, have the optionality to look at all those different avenues to get [12:58] better. [12:59] And the archetype of the roster that we want is going to be retrofitted around Luka and [13:04] the things he needs. [13:06] And clearly he's that leader and player for the future that we want to build the right way [13:12] around. [13:15] Hello, JJ and Rob. [13:18] When you look at Oklahoma City, how young and dynamic they are, how daunting of a task is [13:24] it to build a team to compete with that? [13:30] Yeah, I think, listen, if you look around the playoffs right now, Brad, I think depth is [13:36] really important. [13:39] Athleticism and youth. [13:40] And I think we have a lot of components of that on our roster, but we need to add to it. [13:45] And I think those are some of the key North Stars that we need to look at. [13:51] I wouldn't, one of the players that they had last night that played really well, AJ Mitchell, [13:55] they got in the second round, right? [13:57] So there's ways to add to your roster if you commit to doing the hard work and commit to [14:03] the process of adding the right pieces. [14:05] And to the point I made with Dan, we'll be doing that through the draft, through free agency, [14:09] through trades. [14:10] And we've got to find a way to have a roster that can compete with any team in the NBA. [14:15] That's just, that's what we do here. [14:17] JJ, just for you, I've often heard about coaches talking about their downtime, reading books, [14:23] going to seminars, talking to other coaches. [14:25] Is there anything that you would do or have done this summer just to decompress and then [14:31] look at reading something that might help you and your staff become better at what you do? [14:36] Yeah, we had a little bit of a book club last summer. [14:38] I'm sure I'll, over the next few days, I'll come up with my reading list. [14:48] My performance coach actually just wrote a book. [14:50] It came out and sent me a copy. [14:51] So I'm on page three. [14:53] We'll figure out some time to do that. [14:55] Honestly, the thing I'm looking for, and I'm not trying to be funny here, the thing I'm [14:58] looking forward to the most is going to bed at 9.30 p.m. and just getting sleep and [15:02] recalibrating my sleep cycle. [15:04] That's what I'm looking forward to over the next week or so. [15:08] Good morning, Rob and JJ. [15:09] I'll start with you, Rob. [15:10] What is that communication process with Luka, knowing that he's kind of the North Star of [15:16] this franchise right now? [15:17] And has he communicated to the front office what he would like the team to look like going [15:21] into next season? [15:23] Yeah, I think the key word is that's an ongoing collaborative process. [15:28] It's not, hey, I want X, Y, and Z. [15:30] So we're in constant communication with him and his team. [15:34] I plan on seeing him before he takes off to go home and spend some time with his daughters. [15:38] We're going to get together, I think, on Friday or Saturday. [15:42] So ongoing dialogue. [15:44] He's an incredible partner. [15:46] His basketball IQ on the court is something we get to see, I think, as fans. [15:51] JJ and I get to see his basketball knowledge in terms of other players in the league and [15:56] the way he wants to play and who he wants to play with. [15:59] His knowledge base is vast. [16:02] And so those dives and collaborations with him are actually really inspirational. [16:08] And he also does it in a way where he wants to do his job great and he wants to let JJ [16:14] do his job great and let me do my job great. [16:17] So they really are productive conversations through that lens. [16:23] JJ, BT just asked a similar question to Rob, but I'm curious for you as a coach when you [16:27] see the depth that Oklahoma City was able to bring to that series, how would you like [16:32] to see a roster constructed? [16:33] Do you want, you know, you kind of stuck to eight, nine man rotations for a lot of the [16:37] year. [16:37] Do you want to be able to extend into a 10th, 11th man where you're comfortable, like [16:41] OKC was able to do? [16:44] It's a great question. [16:45] I think, first of all, I repeat what I said last night. [16:48] I'm just grateful for all the guys that were on this year's team and the work that they [16:51] put in, their commitment to trying to win this year. [16:58] I don't necessarily view depth as a rotation thing, though. [17:04] Whether you play eight, nine, whether you play 11, 12, you need to have depth. [17:11] And that depth typically comes in sort of the roster spots 10 through 15. [17:16] And whether that's internal development, draft, trade, free agency, whatever it is, we need [17:21] to build depth beyond just an eight or nine man rotation because you're naturally going [17:25] to have injuries. [17:29] You know, there were, you sit there and you plan all summer for how your team's supposed [17:33] to play and how your team's supposed to look. [17:35] And maybe five games out of the 90, where we played 92 games, maybe five games out of [17:41] the 92 games, you know, it was something that I had planned over the offseason. [17:47] You know, a lot of times you're in a timeout and you're like looking and you're like, I [17:50] never expected this lineup to be together. [17:52] You know, so it really is about just building that depth. [17:57] You know, we can figure out as coaches, we can figure out what a rotation looks like. [18:01] But you look at OKC's roster, you look at San Antonio's roster, you know, those guys, [18:07] they have 13 high level rotation players minimum. [18:12] And that's a luxury to have in the NBA. [18:14] And it's one of the reasons those teams are really good. [18:18] Morning, guys. [18:19] Rob, you talked about at the trade deadline, like you wanted obviously to be able to see [18:23] Luka, Austin and LeBron together. [18:25] At that time, you hadn't gotten to see a lot. [18:27] Now that the entire season's played out, you had that March that was really successful. [18:32] Like what was your kind of takeaway from that trio together? [18:35] And what does that kind of inform you about the way this roster could be built in the future? [18:43] Yeah, at the trade deadline, you know, obviously we added Luke Kennard. [18:46] We think the spacing that he brought, you know, Rui come on and providing, you know, incredible [18:52] shooting down the stretch and in the playoffs really opened up sort of the way we wanted to [18:56] play and JJ wanted to coach by adding shooting to the lineup. [18:59] And I think that March stretch, to your point, was a powerful and strong data point, proof [19:05] of concept to go 16 and two to play as good as any team in the NBA during that stretch. [19:10] So that window and that period of time will be a part of our deconstruction as we figure [19:16] out how to retrofit things around our primary pieces. [19:20] And JJ, you talked about Luka being a leader. [19:22] We've talked about it many times this season, but now that you're on the back end, [19:26] were there ways that Luka emerged as a leader that maybe surprised you or like what new [19:35] parts of his leadership showed themselves as the season went on? [19:39] I think he made a commitment, you know, very early on, even going back to last offseason [19:44] with just the off-court relationship development part of being a leader and part of getting [19:49] people to play hard with you and play alongside you is developing relationships. [19:54] And he was very committed this year to developing those relationships, both on and off the court. [20:00] I think him being more vocal in-game, in-film sessions, whatever it looked like. [20:07] And I do think, again, going back to last season and the trade and just the disruption that [20:14] that caused. [20:15] And I think in some ways confusion, I don't think we got the best version of Luka the person. [20:21] He was great, but, you know, he was phenomenal this year as a teammate and a leader and obviously [20:28] as a player. [20:29] I mean, the guy had a tier one season relative to the rest of the league. [20:34] Morning, Rob. [20:35] Morning, JJ. [20:36] Rob, you first. [20:37] You mentioned, I think, A.J. Mitchell from OKC about just a player who stood out from [20:42] this past series. [20:44] You mentioned that's a second-round pick. [20:45] OKC's developed. [20:46] They have several guys that they've drafted or signed, undrafted, and developed. [20:51] How do you, I guess, see the player development resources with this franchise? [20:55] And what work, I guess, this offseason do you want to, I guess, invest in that going forward [21:00] over the next few months? [21:01] Yeah, I think in this salary cap system, player development is going to be a huge thing to [21:08] lean into for success, ultimately. [21:10] And we've seen that. [21:12] I think you can look at veteran players that have come here and developed. [21:15] Like, I'll use Rui as an example. [21:17] I think when we traded for him and who he is now, he's a different player. [21:19] And that's a testament to JJ's player development staff. [21:23] I see Coach Bo, you know, sitting here today. [21:25] He's poured in so much there. [21:28] So I think there can be development of veteran players, too, that are still young. [21:31] I think we have Adou Thierro is another example who had some bumps with his health this year. [21:39] But once he got healthy, JJ trusted him enough to put him in a playoff series and get some [21:43] big rebounds and make plays. [21:45] So those are just examples. [21:46] We have to continue to find young talent and develop them. [21:49] In terms of the resources that Jeannie and Mark are providing for us, that's an area that [21:54] they really want us to grow. [21:57] We see that, of course, with our brother-sister organization, with the Dodgers. [22:01] They've invested a lot in player development and have done it so well. [22:05] And so that's a conversation JJ and I are going to start to have in terms of, in addition [22:10] to Dan's question about building out the front office infrastructure, is are there additional [22:15] resources he needs on a coaching staff to lean into player development and that arc and [22:20] what it could mean? [22:21] But your question is a really good one. [22:22] And it's a very important area for us to have Lakers excellence in. [22:27] JJ, for you, we've talked throughout the season about the challenge of having so many guys [22:33] with uncertainty about their future, whether it's free agency, what have you. [22:37] What helped you and your coaching staff navigate those challenges? [22:40] Well, I think it started with just embracing the challenge. [22:48] And part of embracing the challenge is pouring into your players. [22:54] And LeBron talks all the time about living in the moment. [22:58] And, you know, whether you, I used the organism thing last night, we're all cells in that organism. [23:05] And we got to pour in and try to make sure every cell is healthy and thriving. [23:08] And I think that's what my staff did this year with all our guys. [23:13] And so I think in some ways our players responded to that. [23:18] I know I had a great conversation with DA last night after the game about, you know, [23:23] our relationship and his relationship with my staff and how important it was for him [23:27] and how much of a positive experience he had this year with myself and our staff. [23:33] So that's what it was. [23:34] It's just embracing the challenge and pouring into our guys. [23:37] Good morning, Rob and JJ. [23:41] JJ, in what ways do you think you've grown as a coach? [23:45] And, Rob, what observations do you have? [23:49] I think I've grown in a lot of ways. [23:56] But I think it would be unfair for me to just, like, talk about that. [24:04] I mean, you'd probably get a better answer from who's here, St. Gene, J. Rob, Bo, Rob. [24:10] My players that were here last year, I don't know. [24:12] So I will say, like, the confidence level, particularly in-game, of being able to have clarity, [24:27] I think that was a real area of growth this year. [24:31] Believe it or not, although, again, it gets clipped out every time. [24:35] I think my emotional control was better. [24:38] Yeah. [24:39] I don't think I made any snarky comments to you guys all season. [24:42] Maybe one, Dave. [24:43] Maybe one. [24:43] And truthfully, this is why I love coaching, because there's always room for growth. [24:56] And I'm excited. [24:59] You know, I wish the offseason had ended on June 21st or whatever day, you know, the finals is over. [25:05] But I'm excited for another opportunity to grow this offseason and, again, prepare myself for another year of growth as a coach. [25:15] I remember – I think you – did you want me to – I think J.J. and I are similarly wired in that we remember details and conversations. [25:25] I remember one of our first conversations, he brought up this concept of duality. [25:34] There's a great – you talked about books. [25:37] There's a great author, Richard Rohr, who writes on this. [25:40] But J.J. and I were talking about a book. [25:43] And one of the things that's amazing, I think, about his gift set is this concept of duality, [25:49] where on one hand he has this exuberant confidence and swagger and leadership precision. [25:56] But the duality part of it is on the other side, he carries this servant-like humility, genuine quality. [26:06] And that part is what allows him to relate so well to the guys and keep them engaged in the mission. [26:13] And I think it's important to have both. [26:15] If you just go down this road, maybe, you know, you're going to look weak and not a good leader. [26:20] But if you go just down this road, you'll be prideful and arrogant and you'll lose people. [26:24] His ability to strike a court in the middle is truly a special gift. [26:31] Morning, J.J. and Rob. [26:33] One for each of you. [26:35] I'll start with J.J. [26:36] In terms of how you were able to adapt to the team that you had this season looking for, [26:43] like what areas of improvement do you see for the team that you envision coaching for next season? [26:52] Like how can we be better next year? [26:54] Yeah. [26:54] We clearly need to have a better overall season defensively. [27:01] I think we had flashes of that. [27:04] I have said this numerous times. [27:07] I think our improvement defensively is a big credit to our staff, you know, Bob and Greg, [27:13] and the work they did in film and in walkthroughs, playing 48 straight games without a two-day break [27:21] and not being able to practice is insanity. [27:24] And trying to get better in the midst of that is a real challenge. [27:27] And both those guys did a great job. [27:30] But we've got to be better defensively. [27:34] And certainly can talk about personnel, but we're going to assess as a staff what we did well, [27:41] what we did not do well, and figure out ways to be better there. [27:46] And I think, you know, Luke is a great example. [27:48] You know, he's a guy that can dribble, pass, and shoot. [27:54] And, you know, I think because of injuries there were times that we didn't have enough of that. [28:00] We've got to be better being able to dribble, pass, and shoot. [28:03] I know that sounds simple, but that's just the reality. [28:06] Thank you, JJ. [28:07] And for Rob, you mentioned you have a first-round pick, [28:10] and you already have a core of young guys with Adu and Bronny and Chris Mannion, Dalton, Nick Smith. [28:18] Where are you assessing your current youth core? [28:22] And, you know, how are you trying to add, like, what traits are you looking for as far as adding to that youth core? [28:30] That's a great question. [28:31] I mean, I think in terms of traits for our core, we really want that to line up with Coach [28:37] and sort of his vision for the overall roster. [28:39] And I think we've, again, had discussions around the archetype of guy, game processors, [28:45] highly competitive basketball IQ, you know, team-first players. [28:52] So continuing to find young players and develop the mindset is the first thing, [28:58] getting the right players with the right mindset, and then developing the basketball side. [29:02] And I'm excited to get on a plane later this afternoon. [29:05] All of our scouts are in Chicago at the Combine. [29:08] We'll start interviewing 20-some players for that 25th pick and then start bringing them into our building. [29:15] Other members of our front office are already there. [29:18] So that work is going on now in identifying the next player to add to that core. [29:25] Rob, we're here. [29:27] When you look around some of the teams that are either ascending or still in the playoffs, [29:33] Thunder, Spurs, Pistons, they're built a lot through the draft, cost-control players, a longer runway. [29:40] This franchise tends to be much more win-now, immediacy. [29:45] What makes you confident that that approach can still work given the way the landscape may be changing some? [29:50] Yeah. [29:51] I mean, I guess maybe a question about the team. [29:54] So you mentioned Detroit, San Antonio, OKC. [29:58] What did those teams have to go through to build through the draft, in your opinion? [30:06] Yeah, like multiple seasons of losses. [30:09] And that is just not part of our infrastructure here. [30:13] As much as some of us might want it to be that way, it's not the Lakers way. [30:17] We have to find sustained excellence. [30:20] And so it does create, at times, a thread the needle where you've got to find a way to have championship rosters every year. [30:27] I will say that the hardest thing to do to get to that point is to have a young, transformative player that can carry you in the playoffs all the way to a championship. [30:41] That's the hardest thing to get. [30:42] That you can lose five years in a row and get five top five picks and come out of it without that player. [30:49] It's really hard. [30:51] But we were able to get that in Luka. [30:52] So that part of the puzzle is solved. [30:55] And we're grateful for that. [30:56] Now it's just a matter of putting in all the other pieces around that to be able to get to the end. [31:02] Hey, JJ and Rob back here. [31:05] Questions for Rob. [31:08] You mentioned that you would love to have the big three back together again. [31:12] And you also mentioned the need to get younger and faster and deeper. [31:17] Given salary demands and restrictions, do you believe those two goals can be done in conjunction with one another? [31:25] Absolutely. [31:26] I mean, there's 15 roster spots. [31:28] So if you mentioned three players, that leaves you with 12 others to build around. [31:32] There's the three two-way spots. [31:33] And we've seen even two-way players emerge and make a difference in regular season wins. [31:39] And so we have enough tools in our tool chest to build out a team for sure. [31:45] And JJ and I have a lot of confidence in our ability to do that this offseason and to start next fall with a team that we're all super proud of that can get to the end. [32:01] Good morning. [32:02] One is for JJ and Rob. [32:05] And for JJ, Rui has grown as a shooter, as you mentioned. [32:11] But outside of shooting, which area did you see the most growth? [32:18] Well, I think he ended up with a couple assists this year, right, Bo? [32:22] Yeah. [32:22] No, Rui is – I feel like with Rui, he's – the shooting piece is like a transformative – Rob used the word transformative – it's a transformative development for him as a player. [32:40] It allows him to be an uber-efficient scorer. [32:45] It allows him to create gravity for his teammates. [32:48] It's hard to take him off the floor. [32:50] I mentioned, you know, at the end of the season sort of the wind pace we were on in the games that he played. [32:56] His shooting elevates everyone else around him. [33:00] The other areas of growth, you know, finishing – because he came in – he was a mid-range shooter when we got him. [33:08] So, you know, it's finishing. [33:09] It's decision-making. [33:10] It's decisiveness and closeouts. [33:13] I think he made progress in all those areas. [33:15] I think defensively understanding our schemes, it was another year of growth for him as well. [33:19] And for Rob, Rui has shown that he can play in the playoffs, he can rise in the playoffs. [33:28] Did that change your plan for this summer for Rui? [33:36] Incredibly proud of what Rui accomplished for us in the playoffs and what he's done also in playoffs before this year. [33:43] He – in terms of your question about his growth and development here, I'll take the sort of non-basketball court stuff in Rui. [33:52] Just his overall professionalism and his approach, his mindset approach. [33:57] From the time I traded for him when he came from the Wizards, Rui has gotten incredibly comfortable here. [34:05] Comfortable with the coaches and the front office and our systems. [34:10] And what I've seen in that, once Rui gets to a point of trust and comfort, then he grows exponentially with his production on the court. [34:19] And that's what I've noticed most about him is just there's a trust factor and a comfort level that allows him to be the highest version of himself. [34:28] And that's really – that's really important to keep – to keep those pieces. [34:33] And credit to Rui and just how he's grown as a human. [34:38] Thanks. [34:39] Rob, just to follow on Dan's question earlier, you mentioned the hiring process to build out the front office. [34:45] We're aware that Tony Bennett was hired as a draft consultant, I believe. [34:49] Have there been any of the hires that you could share with us? [34:52] And could you also specifically say what positions you're looking to fill? [34:57] Yeah, great question. [34:58] Tony Bennett has been an invaluable addition to sort of our drafts and scouting processes. [35:05] What he built at UVA was really, really special. [35:09] Tony has said he never, ever wants to coach again. [35:12] That chapter in his life is 100% over. [35:15] But having sort of the mind of a builder and a coach in our draft department with our scouts has been incredibly special just to see that interaction. [35:24] So what an addition. [35:26] We have – we don't list and won't start the precedent of listing of all the hires we do within data and strategy and analytics and scouting and medical scouting. [35:38] We've made numerous hires already that just aren't ones that we publicly disclose. [35:44] But there's been a build out going on. [35:46] The two biggest positions that I mentioned in my answer to Dan is we will hire two assistant general managers. [35:52] That's the plan. [35:53] One of those general managers would be over sort of player draft and evaluation processes. [36:00] That's pro scouting, draft scouting, player development. [36:03] The other AGM would be more on the strategy side, which is cap, analytics, and data. [36:08] And, again, it's not that we've had holes in those places. [36:12] We have – we've got a great team of people that works incredibly hard. [36:15] It's just we want to add more to that. [36:18] And for both those AGM positions, we have started a wide search and have begun interviews but haven't hired out either of those. [36:30] Thank you. [36:30] Thank you, guys. [36:31] Thank you.