The Lakers have a tall task in front of them.
The Los Angeles Lakers head into their first round playoff series against the Houston Rockets knowing exactly who they want to be on offense, even without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Head coach JJ Redick made that point after Thursday's practice, pushing back on the idea that his team has to rebuild the offense from scratch for Game 1 on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.
"I don't think we necessarily have to change our identity offensively. We had the eighth best half court offense in the league without Luka and AR," Redick said.
Both stars are out indefinitely and will probably miss most of this series, which means the number Redick dropped is actually a meaningful one.
Doncic is dealing with a hamstring strain, while Reaves has a Grade 2 oblique issue that could keep him sidelined into the second round if the Lakers are still playing by then.
Redick Sticks With What Works
The regular season data backs Redick up.
The Lakers finished 53-29 and locked in the fourth seed, while Houston came in at 52-30 as the five.
Los Angeles won the season series two games to one, and both of those wins came after the All-Star break in Houston, so there is a real blueprint to fall back on even without their top two scorers.
Redick also keeps circling back to pace and thrust in the half court, two points he has hammered all spring.
He wants cleaner possessions and better off-ball movement, not a completely new playbook.
That idea has been at the center of the culture he built with this group since taking the job two summers ago.
Who Steps Up Behind LeBron James
This is where the series gets interesting. LeBron James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds across 60 games this year at 41 years old, and he has been carrying most of the weight since the injuries hit.
Los Angeles went 3-0 down the stretch without the pair, giving Redick some confidence that the supporting cast can hold up.
Rui Hachimura has been the obvious name.
He shot 44.3 percent from three during the regular season and dropped 22 points on 12 shots in the Utah finale, a reminder that he has another gear when the touches are there.
Then there is the big man rotation.
Deandre Ayton has been getting more post touches and plays called for him, and Redick pointed to that expanded role weeks ago.
Luke Kennard slid into a starting guard spot once Reaves went down, and his stroke from three gives Los Angeles real spacing.
Marcus Smart brings the defensive bite and the voice.
The Lakers are underdogs and nobody in the building is hiding from that. Smart set the tone this week about what toughness will decide in a matchup against a bigger, deeper Houston roster.
Redick's job is pretty simple.
Keep the identity, ride LeBron, and hope his two stars get healthy fast enough to matter in round two.