The LA Lakers spent the offseason stressing the importance of building championship habits, communication and conditioning, three cornerstones of JJ Redick’s coaching philosophy for the 2025-26 season.Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Redick emphasized another key area for the team’s growth: developing a “championship defense.” However, he acknowledged that such a standard can’t be achieved overnight, saying the team must first master its fundamental principles.“Building our habits, building our communication, and being in great shape. That’s how you build a great defense,” Redick said. “I could have put ‘championship defense’ up there. What does that mean? It doesn’t mean anything. It literally doesn’t mean anything.“How do you have a championship defense? You’ve got to have great habits. You’ve got to be able to communicate; that builds trust. You’ve got to be in elite shape so you can play harder. It’s that simple.”The Lakers closed preseason with a disappointing 1-5 record, playing most games without Luka Doncic and LeBron James. They finished 24th in defensive rating, far from Redick’s “championship defense” vision, and their offensive rating was even lower at 28th.The Lakers still have the personnel for solid positional defense, with players like Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt, but after trading Anthony Davis for Doncic, they lost the interior defensive anchor that had once defined their playoff identity.After the All-Star break last season, the Lakers ranked 17th in defensive rating, and during the playoffs, they slipped to fifth worst overall.JJ Redick acknowledges defensive shortcomings of Lakers rosterTo address their interior defense issues, the Lakers signed Deandre Ayton, a former No. 1 pick. Still, Redick conceded that the team lacks true defensive stoppers."We are a team defense ... we don't have, again, last year, not going to this year, we don't have lockdown defenders. So, we rely on our help defense, we rely on our shift presentation," the coach said on “Coaches Corner” with Tim Legler.READ: "We don't have lockdown defenders": JJ Redick indirectly makes trade deadline wish clear to Lakers The Lakers will also face early-season adversity with LeBron James expected to miss several weeks due to right-side sciatica.Filling his starting spot alongside Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton will be 6-foot-2 guard Gabe Vincent, making the Lakers’ starting lineup notably undersized.The team still has Jarred Vanderbilt, though his Lakers tenure has been marred by injuries, playing just 91 games in three seasons. Encouragingly, he appeared healthy during the preseason, showcasing his signature defensive intensity and energy.