Goodwin was a pleasant surprise for the Lakers during the 2024-25 season as he joined the organization’s G League team before signing a two-way contact with the parent team. Head coach JJ Redick immediately thrust Goodwin into action off the bench, using him as another perimeter defender and hustle guy on the court.

Goodwin played so well in his limited minutes that Los Angeles rewarded him with a standard NBA contract, guaranteeing his spot on the roster. Redick even made sure to say that the team was very confident in Goodwin following the move, an indication that he could be in line for a bigger role next season.

Although Goodwin has to be happy with how his professional career is starting to pan out, he acknowledged he’s already looking to build on things for next season.

“Me personally, just try to double down and get ready for next year. Had a decent year, personally. So I can’t complain. But just get ready for next year,” Goodwin said in his exit interview when reflecting on the 2024-25 season.

When discussing his offseason plans, Goodwin noted he’s planning on working on his all-around game plus getting in shape.

“Pretty much everything,” he said. “Playmaking, shooting, get in better shape and things like that. That’s what it will take to make a big leap for next year.”

Lastly, Goodwin reflected on his slow start to the season due to injury and how much he’s looking forward to earning his keep with the Lakers.

“Very grateful. I was hurt earlier so God gave me a chance to come back and get back on this stage. I’m just gonna try my best to stay here.”

Goodwin may not ever turn into a quality starter on a championship-level team, but he’s got all the right traits to make for a valuable role player and on this specific Lakers team that’s all he needs to be. The trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves can cover the team offensively, but Goodwin’s got a great opportunity to earn more minutes by focusing on everything else next season.

JJ Redick believes Jordan Goodwin’s impact goes beyond box score

JJ Redick displayed a good feel and understanding of the Lakers roster, especially for players like Jordan Goodwin who don’t contribute much in the scoring column. However, Redick emphasized that Goodwin’s impact goes beyond the box score of games and is a valuable member of the team.

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The Luka Doncic trade shipped out Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks, creating a large void in the front court. To solve for this, Redick leaned on smaller lineups that featured LeBron James, Dorian Finney-Smith and Hachimura playing up a position or two.

While Hachimura performed admirably in this role, even he had to admit that the Lakers need to add more size and rebounding. This was in direct response to the team’s playoff elimination when they lost to a bigger and more physical Minnesota Timberwolves squad.

Although the season ended up in disappointment, Redick praised Hachimura for his contributions and his willingness to accept the role the coaching staff laid out for him.

“I thought Rui had an outstanding season and he was incredibly important to what we were able to do this year,” Redick said. “He was a vital cog on both sides of the ball and the games that he missed, it was apparent to the coaching staff how valuable he was. Particularly in the last two games, I thought he played extremely well in the playoffs. I’m excited to see his growth and I think some of that is paint decision-making, some of that is working on his handles and his closeouts.

“But of all the guys that we laid out what we expect from them, what we’re asking them to do and starring in their role, he’s up there at the top of the list for just embracing that and starring in that role all year.”

Hachimura showed visible strides both as a defender and a rebounder, two areas of focus for Redick despite his reputation as an offensive-minded coach. Hachimura was one of the few players on the roster who could hand with bigger wings and some centers, so he was often tasked with doing the dirty work on the floor.

While Hachimura is still at his best knocking down open shoots from the perimeter, he’s proven he can contribute to winning in meaningful ways. If he takes another leap in these areas, the Lakers could be set up well to make a deeper postseason run next year.

Rui Hachimura to host ‘Black Samurai’ camp in Japan

Rui Hachimura will get a chance to give back to the community in his native Japan when he hosts his ‘Black Samurai’ camp later this summer.

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Los Angeles was never particularly close to advancing, setting up a pivotal offseason where changes to the roster are inevitable.

The Lakers will have an opportunity to add cheap, young talent via the 2025 NBA Draft, though they’ll have to do it in the second round as they don’t own their first-round pick. Following the draft, the front office will need to sort out the roster starting with their star trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

James has yet to decide what he’ll do for next season, though Doncic and Reaves will be extension-eligible later in the offseason. There are also several role players entering the final year of their respective deals, though the front office will need to decide whether they’ll look to extend or trade them.

As is the case every year, the NBA’s offseason calendar will slow down dramatically in August before things ramp up for training camp at some point in September.

Lakers & NBA Key offseason dates

June 25: Day one of NBA draft (first round).

June 26: Day two of NBA draft (second round).

June 29: Last day for decisions on player, team, and early termination options. Last day for teams to make qualifying offers to players eligible for restricted free agency.

June 30: Last official day of the 2024/25 NBA league year. Last day for players eligible for veteran extensions in 2024/25 to sign them. Teams can begin negotiating with free agents from other clubs (3 p.m. PT).

July 1: Official start of the 2025/26 NBA league year. Moratorium period begins. Restricted free agents can sign an offer sheet. Teams can begin signing players to one- or two-year minimum-salary contracts. Teams can begin signing players to two-way contracts. Teams can begin signing first-round picks to rookie scale contracts. Teams can begin signing second-round picks using the second-round pick exception. Teams can begin exercising the third- or fourth-year team options for 2026/27 on rookie scale contracts.

July 6: Moratorium period ends (9:01 a.m. PT). Teams can begin officially signing players, extending players, and completing trades (9:01 a.m. PT). The 24-hour period for matching an RFA offer sheet signed during the moratorium begins (9:01 a.m. PT).

July 5-8: California Classic Summer League.

July 10-20: Las Vegas Summer League.

July 13: Last day for teams to unilaterally withdraw qualifying offers to restricted free agents.

July 31: Players signed using the second-round pick exception begin to count against a team’s cap.

August 5: Last day for teams to issue required tenders to unsigned second-round picks.

August 29: Last day for teams to waive players and apply the stretch provision to their 2025/26 salaries.

Late September (specific dates TBA): Training camps open.

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Reaves entered the year as the third option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but somehow found a way to level up his game even after the team swapped out Davis for Luka Doncic. James and Doncic still dominated the touches offensively, but they trusted Reaves with the basketball to score and make plays and he made good on their faith.

Not only did Reaves’ numbers go up across the board, but he also remained a highly-efficient scorer from every part of the floor. He went from a quality starter on a playoff team to someone who has legitimate All-Star potential.

Reaves’ 2024-25 campaign didn’t go unnoticed by the rest of the basketball world as he finished fifth in voting for the Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award and received some first-place votes, via NBA PR:

A global media panel of 100 voters selected the winner of the 2024-25 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award.

The complete voting results pic.twitter.com/zsUjvLi8f8

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 30, 2025

Atlanta Hawks forward Dyson Daniels ran away with the award with 332 total points, but Reaves earned three first-place votes en route to 39 total points. Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac and Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham finishing second and third, respectively, also made sense as they had excellent seasons themselves.

Reaves is the only undrafted played on the list, which speaks volumes about his skill and work ethic to get to this point in his career. The Lakers must feel fortunate to have someone like Reaves on the roster as he slots in perfectly next to the stars but is more than capable of uplifting a team himself for stretches.

Reaves probably should’ve received more votes for the award, but playing next to James and Doncic might have been considered a knock for some voters. There were arguments that Reaves’ success was due to the defensive attention James and Doncic received, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth given what he did with his opportunities.

Phil Handy saw Austin Reaves’ potential before his rookie season

While Austin Reaves was a relative unknown following the 2022 NBA Draft, the Lakers got a good sense of what they had in the guard. For example, former assistant coach Phil Handy said he saw Reaves’ full potential as a player before his rookie season.

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The Lakers secured the No. 3 seed and will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, an opponent that Doncic is familiar with as he just saw them in the Western Conference Finals last postseason. Doncic led the the Dallas Mavericks to a five-game victory and represented the conference in the 2024 NBA Finals.

This year, Doncic and company are certainly hoping for a better result as the roster has the necessary star power, depth and coaching to make a real run at a championship. Alongside Doncic is LeBron James, who has happily ceded control over the offense to his co-star but remains an integral piece on both sides of the court.

Both Doncic and James are two of the most popular players in the NBA and the pairing finished first and third, respectively, in total jersey sales for the second half of the 2024-25 season, via the NBA:

The NBA's top-selling jerseys list… based on https://t.co/I0ypSvyq5i sales from the second half of the 2024-25 season! pic.twitter.com/yPVq9mfbpB

— NBA (@NBA) April 14, 2025

Doncic being at the top of the list isn’t a surprise as the Lakers are the most popular franchise in the league and adding a global superstar will provide an obvious boost in jersey sales. L.A.’s market isn’t just limited to the states as they’ve got a big global presence and employing an international star like Doncic is the perfect mix.

Meanwhile, James has perennially seen his name amongst the most popular jerseys in the NBA and it’s no surprise to see him so high on the list this late into his career. In between Doncic and James is Stephen Cury at No. 2, with Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brunson, Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic comprising the rest of the top 10.

Doncic is the first international player to top the most popular jerseys list and the first player other than Curry or James to top the list since the 2012-13 regular season. According to the NBA, jersey sales on NBAStore.com are up 21% since the Feb. 6 trade deadline, driven largely by Doncic’s trade to the Lakers.

While leading the league in jersey sales is quite the feat, the most important thing for Doncic is winning his first championship. Although Doncic is still chasing after his first ring, he understands that it will take everyone on the Lakers to win a title.

Sasha Vujacic compares Luka Doncic to Kobe Bryant

Luka Doncic is a generational superstar who has shades of several NBA legends in his game. For example, former Los Angeles Laker Sasha Vujacic compared Doncic to franchise legend Kobe Bryant because of their demeanors on the court.

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