The Lakers lose to the very shorthanded Dallas Mavericks, who were missing a few key players because of injury.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been on the search for center depth virtually all season. Head coach JJ Redick, at times, has had only Anthony Davis and two-way center Christian Koloko to turn to, leading the team to play mostly small-ball.

After a poor first half defensively, Lakers are challenged by JJ Redick to play harder and they rally past Miami to win.

It’s debatable whether the Los Angeles Lakers are better, worse, or the same as last year. While it is evident that JJ Redick’s team plays differently in some aspects under his rule, other aspects look eerily similar to those under Darvin Ham.