The Lakers clearly didn’t put a great amount of emphasis on the preseason this year. Only a single contest, and the final one at that, featured the team’s full projected rotation.

However, there was still plenty learned, even if it was more individual takeaways than anything else. So, let’s just dive right in and look at the biggest takeaways from the preseason for the Lakers.

Luka Dončić is ready to go

It took quite some time before Luka finally stepped on the floor for a game, but it was immediately evident that his form from EuroBasket carried over to the preseason. In 55 minutes across two games, he scored 56 points, shot 48.4% from the field and hit 10 of his 19 3-point attempts.

He was dominant, efficient and looked ready to shoulder the extra offensive burden that will come with LeBron James’ absence. With the caveat of it only being the preseason — something to keep in mind throughout this article — Luka looked like a man who rededicated himself this summer and is primed for a potential career year.

Healthy Jarred Vanderbilt is finally back

Once a starter for a team that made a deep playoff run, a lot has transpired over the last two seasons for Vando. However, this preseason served as a reminder of just how impactful he can be.

Vando looked like his old self defensively. He was flying around screens, jumping passing lanes and using his unique skillset to be a disruptive force.

In even better news, he looked better than his old self offensively, too. While much of the talk in the preseason was about his 3-point shot that didn’t materialize at all, the real improvements were around the rim. Vando flashed an improved ability to finish in the paint, which could increase his playing time.

If he can find a way to be even just neutral offensively paired with his defensive impact, it could be a huge season for him.

Deandre Ayton is walking the walk…so far

Through the offseason and media day, Ayton said all the right things about sacrificing, knowing his role and understanding the stakes of his situation. If he fails in LA, it’s not hyperbole to say this could be the end of his career. At the very least, it’ll be the last time any team will invest in him in any meaningful way.

So, it’s been encouraging to see him back up all that talk by walking the walk. He has dedicated himself defensively, is committed to be a roll man and lob threat and understands what his role will be in the offense.

You could hardly expect more out of him in the preseason.

Austin Reaves is ready to step up again

Reaves’ career has been defined by him continuously stepping up whenever he’s asked to do so. This season, with LeBron out to start the year, Austin will need to be the second star from the jump alongside Luka.

If there’s anything the preseason showed us, it’s that Austin is ready for that role. In four games, Austin led the Lakers in points and shot 46.2% from the field. While his 3-point shot wasn’t great in the small sample size of four games, his did average nearly four assists per game as well.

There’s a lot Austin is going to have to prove this year in terms of being a backcourt mate with Luka. Early on, he looks ready to step up to that challenge once again.

JJ Redick is showing signs of improvement

As great as Redick was last season, his rookie season will likely always be defined by how poorly things went in the playoffs.

Redick spoke of self-reflection he did during the offseason and acknowledged at media day that he would have done things differently in that Wolves series in hindsight. That was a good first step, but he’s also shown some other changes, too.

Steve Jones of Yahoo Sports broke down some of the changes in Redick’s approach on both ends of the floor recently.

The Lakers have experimented with more drop defense from their bigs, working to trust their defense to send ball-handlers a certain direction or even slide under. If they can navigate and stay out of rotation, it could give them a stronger base. It’s a positive to see more elbow action and pindowns to create movement in the half-court.

Last season, the Lakers were a switch-heavy defense throughout the year and especially after the Luka trade. With a more complete roster, he’s showing an ability to adapt to his roster.

Offensively, the changes have been a bit more noticeable. The team looks more active offensively off the ball, a byproduct of familiarity with Redick’s system and having a training camp to implement more things.

There’s obviously a lot of talk of players improving during the offseason, but if Redick continues to show improvements, that will be a big positive for the Lakers, too.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on BlueSky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.