Lakers coach JJ Redick made the mandate to the team’s crop of wings clear: It’s on them to establish the team’s defensive physicality.

They’re the ones who can set the tone in front of premier rim protector Walker Kessler.

After Tuesday’s practice, the second of the team’s training camp sessions, consider the message heard and fulfilled, to the point where Redick and his coaching staff had to cut a couple of drills and modify the latter third of practice because “these guys were just giving great effort and physicality”.

“It was wonderful,” Redick said.

Redick reiterated it’s been the wings who’ve stood out the most with establishing physicality.

“We talked about a line of confrontation,” the coach said. “Picking the ball up earlier, being disruptive earlier, eating at the shot clock earlier. Our physicality off the ball has been really good. It’s the entire group of wings. Anybody that’s been out there, it’s been really good.”

The stakes for the wings during training camp are clear.

Two of the Lakers’ starting spots alongside Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler are up for grabs. 

As Jake LaRavia put it, the competition for not just those starting spots, but also playing time on the wings in general next to the Lakers star guards is going to come down to “who’s the best 3-and-D player for us.” 

And with multiple Lakers saying defense has been the main priority early in camp, players know that will determine how much court time they’re able to see. 

“It’s been high intensity from the start,” Quentin Grimes said. “We’re trying to set the tone defensively for who we want to be as a team, picking up full court, everybody, all five guys trying to switch one through five. So, just having that intensity the whole practice, JJ could see it, we could all feel it, the coaches could feel it.” 

The intensity comes at a cost, though.

“And then we have a pretty intense practice like that, things get sloppy offensively,” Grimes added. “And so [Redick] probably knew, like, ‘yeah, just shut it down’ because the intensity was getting really high, for sure.” 

The Lakers’ defense has been heavily scrutinized after their offseason reconstruction, with many external observers expecting for them to once again be a subpar defensive unit.  

But Kessler pushed back on that narrative.

“We’re going to be a nasty defensive team, I’m just being honest,” Kessler said. “Just seeing these guys hound the ball on the perimeter. We’re going to be really good defensively. We have a lot of defensive tools.”

Among those tools are Matisse Thybulle’s anticipation and instincts. 

Ziaire Williams’ size, length and athleticism. 

The point-of-attack defensive skills Quentin Grimes showed early in his career. 

Adou Thiero’s strength, size and athleticism. 

The hope is that’ll make life difficult for opponents, not just the Lakers who’ve had the misfortune of going against them the last couple of practices.

“Let me tell you, trying to score on Matisse and Ziaire, especially with Adou out there too, and then Walker on the back line is not easy,” Reaves said. “I had to deal with that all day [Tuesday] and [Wednesday], and it’s not fun. 

“So, defensively, we’re going to be much better. Those guys compete every possession, and then everybody else, fills in their roles and plays the right way. So, yeah, I see how special we can be.”