The Lakers continue to rely on team building and strong bonding during the fast start

JJ Redick already preached a type of Japanese philosophy, insisting with his team on the concept of “kaizen” to improve every day. Off the field, the coach found inspiration in another Japanese phrase.

Lakers players and coaches have used PechaKucha presentations to facilitate team bonding this season. The introductions, which come from the Japanese word for chatter, could be a key to the team’s strong start as the Lakers (7-2) have won five straight games entering a five-game road campaign that begins Saturday in Atlanta at 5 p.m. PST against the Hawks.

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The Lakers have put together one of the most efficient offenses in the NBA, despite injuries that have kept LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic in and out of the lineup, relying on a strong team bond that has quickly developed through an even faster form of communication.

PechaKucha presentations are traditionally made up of 20 slides, each with a photo. The presenter has 20 seconds to explain each slide for a total presentation time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The Lakers’ version consists of five slides: where you’re from; favorite basketball memory; person, event or thing that has impacted your life; your non-basketball happy place; and the choice of retailer.

“A lot of times the majority of interactions you’re going to have with your teammates are going to be on the basketball court,” forward Jake LaRavia said. “So it’s nice to learn something about them outside of basketball, like hobbies and stuff like that, where they’re from. And that helps you understand who that person is a little better.”

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Read more: Lakers highlights: Luka Doncic’s defense (yes, defense) helps keep the Spurs at bay

Assistant coach Scott Brooks began his presentation with a photo of a walnut, symbolizing the walnut farm where he worked on weekends to help his family make ends meet. LaRavia held up a photo of his driveway as the origin of his basketball journey. Doncic talked about how his daughter Gabriela changed his life.

There is a manager and a player, then each name the next manager or player. With about half the players and coaches remaining, Redick said he’s already seeing holdouts actively planning their introductions ahead of their appointments.

“We constantly encourage and encourage our kids to connect,” Redick said. “I believe if you’re connected off the field, you’re connected on the field. You need the buy-in for that. I’m not trying to take credit from my staff here. It’s the guys on the team, they believe that.”

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Doncic, for example, is not sold. He deadpanned that he doesn’t think the exercise helps.

Just the fact that Doncic made the joke means it’s working.

Settled after last season’s difficult trade, the 26-year-old’s personality has begun to emerge among his teammates. He is a sarcastic prankster who expresses love for his teammates by threading passes to them through pinhole spaces in the defense and then insulting them immediately afterwards.

Doncic’s smiling antics, if he’s trying to sit on Austin Reaves’ lap on the sideline or on half-court shots in a game with Reaves, Maxi Kleber and staff members, demonstrate how connected the superstar feels to the team.

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“Honestly, the feeling is that I’m having a great time, playing with these guys,” Doncic said. “AR [Reaves] I can’t play. We still miss LeBron. So this team has great potential. But everyone who takes the field gives their all, man, everyone. So it’s a lot of fun to play.”

Reaves is on the trip but will miss his third straight game Saturday. The Lakers ruled him out after practice Friday as his right groin injury became a strain after previously being classified simply as soreness.

James didn’t make the trip to Atlanta. He transitioned to on-court basketball activities this week after missing four weeks with sciatica on his right side. He was playing one-on-one with the coaches, Redick said. A stint with the South Bay Lakers is on the table, but no decision has been made.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer has yet to play a single minute for the Lakers. Reaves, averaging 31.1 points and 9.3 assists, has missed the last two victories and Doncic has played only half the games. But the Lakers are still fifth in the NBA’s offensive rating.

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“It shows how professional we are,” guard Marcus Smart said of the team’s chemistry despite constantly changing personnel. “I think a lot of people, especially those who aren’t in the fraternity, forget that you build a relationship with guys, and then a guy or a couple of guys, they get traded and you have to rebuild another one. You don’t understand how hard it is, how much it costs.”

Even as Smart spoke, Doncic appeared behind the group of reporters, applauding loudly. So Doncic made sure to put on the record that he would beat Smart in a team-building competition that night. They both smiled as they walked away.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.