The Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Phoenix Suns on Friday. Both teams have two things in common. A new coach and both the Pacific Division sides have drawn first blood. Either side has all-star heavyweights on their roster, apart from the players themselves!

JJ Redick’s offseason hiring, after his media stint, sparked a surprise. The key decision for the Lakers was bringing back 13 of 15 players from last season. Redick’s staff have consistently made the right moves since training camp began. There is one stat, though, that the Purple and Gold outfits fear. No two straight wins at the beginning of the season since 2010-11.

“The game plan, the schemes that he has on both sides of the floor, he trusts us and we trust him,” Anthony Davis had said of JJ Redick after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves. “It’s our job to go out and execute it. … Our game plan was elite.” 

Mike Budenholzer, on the other hand, used an 11-man rotation, experimenting with 29 different combinations. Much of the reasoning behind this was to spark an offense that, despite showing flashes, never quite caught fire for any significant stretch in the opener.

LA Lakers struggle with 3-point shooting, amidst high-profile LeBron-Bronny union; newest injury updates

Redick, in his first year as head coach, has opted for continuity rather than making any splashy signings. Instead of overhauling the roster, he has chosen to focus on building chemistry and refining the existing core. He has been determined to modernize the Lakers’ offense by prioritizing more 3-point shots. However, their shooting woes persisted at the start of the season, hitting just 5 of 30 attempts from beyond the arc—a number even lower than last season’s 28th-ranked average of 31.5 attempts per game. No player managed to hit more than a single 3-pointer, highlighting the team’s ongoing struggles with outside shooting.

The Lakers have marked second-year guard Jalen Hood-Schifino as ‘doubtful’ because of illness, currently day-to-day, while their center Christian Koloko remains ‘out’ as he works through return-to-play conditioning following blood clots. Additionally, Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) and Christian Wood (knee) are sidelined as they recover from their respective surgeries.

While Bronny James got to play 3 minutes in the first game, nothing is certain about him being on the floor in this matchup. A popular television personality, Chris Russo, did not hold back when he said, “This might be fun for LeBron. Nobody in America cares that Bronny James played three minutes and grabbed one rebound at 11 o’clock at night in the opener and this is supposed to be a moment that America is gonna resonate with?” So, if Bronny gets some minutes, can he shut the mouths of his critics?

Phoenix Suns have the fire-power to fulfill Mike Budenholzer’s deep shooting plans

Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns are fully embracing Coach Mike Budenholzer’s focus on 3-point shooting to open up the floor and create more scoring chances. In the preseason, Budenholzer’s strategy became clear as the team shot over 40% from beyond the arc, showcasing players like Jusuf Nurkić, who’s improved his outside shooting. New addition, Ryan Dunn demonstrated strong perimeter defense and shooting, further enhancing the Suns’ roster. With Tyus Jones joining the backcourt, they have a more competitive lineup.

“I like it,” Devin Booker said. “Obviously you got to take what the defense gives you but even attempting a 3-point shot, not even making it, stretches out defenses and opens up better looks throughout the game. We have a lot of sharpshooters on this team too so the volume should be up.”

Grayson Allen, who was also doubtful for the last match, but played 21 minutes, is again ‘probable’ for this matchup, day-to-day, recovering from his right Achilles soreness. Bradley Beal shows up on the report with the same status dealing with right shoulder soreness after his solid performance against the Clippers. Josh Okogie remains out with a right hamstring strain as before.

The Suns require their Big Three to lead the offense and carry them. If the Lakers can work out a plan to contain them, then they should be fine. Though Jarred Vanderbilt’s absence will be felt by the Lakers. But they can match the Suns’ heavyweights with their own. JJ Redick’s running the offense plan through AD paid off in the last match. Davis and Bron are the perfect match for the Suns’ superstars. Although they might require help from Rui Hachimura. All in all, this should be a competitive matchup.

Score predictions? Drop ’em below.