The Lakers were pleased with their process even in loss to Phoenix
Every game won’t be a win for the Lakers, but the process, even in defeat, was where the team wanted it to be against the Suns.
Building a culture and an identity is tough in any organization and professional sports are no different. JJ Redick is beginning that process during his first year as Lakers coach and has appeared optimistic about the team's progress.
During the preseason, he mentioned being "highly encouraged" by the Lakers' offensive process after a loss to the Warriors.
With the season underway, Redick continues to speak fondly of his guys and discussed loving the process overall even in a defeat against the Suns during the start of their first road trip of the year.
"We said we wanted to be a process team," Redick said postgame. "I liked our process tonight. I liked the way we started the game. We talked about getting off to a great start similar to how they played us Friday in LA. We did that. I liked our level of competition and compete on the defensive end.
“They put you in a lot of tough spots and they have some elite individual shot makers. I have to go watch it, but it felt like, in some ways, we lost to Kevin Durant and Devin Booker's ability to make tough twos. I thought our execution down the stretch was phenomenal."
There's no denying that Los Angeles' start against Phoenix was superb. Midway through the opening quarter, the score was 26-8 Lakers. But with so much basketball to play, that lead was not safe.
Suns stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker scored a combined 63 points and afterwards, Redick took responsibility for the loss.
That response from Redick is commendable. Although it doesn't change the result, it's part of building a culture of accountability and no double standards.
In his postgame availability, LeBron James echoed Redick's statements on loving the process and recognizing where there is room for improvement.
"Wins and losses is inevitable in this league" James said. "But how you play and how you continue to play each and every week, each and every game is what will define what type of team you want to be. Even with the loss tonight, we still did some great things.
“There's some things we could have been better at, obviously: that 14-point second quarter that got them back in the game, when we start the fourth quarter up seven and we let them right back into the game so we can be a lot better there. But we did a lot of good things as well."
As usual, LeBron is right. Sure, the Lakers gave up the lead, but they stayed in the game and were in contention the entire time.
No one wants to lose, but you can see all the attributes you want in a winner: never quitting, playing hard regardless of individual performance and after the loss, accountability and a desire to be better.
However you slice it, the Lakers have started well. They are 3-1, have had multiple second-half comebacks and pushed the Suns to the brink in their only defeat.
Everyone is on the same page, understanding where they fell short and determined to make the appropriate adjustments moving forward.
If they stick to the process and stay united, the results will match their good intentions during these early games of the season.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.