LOS ANGELES – As Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick took his seat at the post-game podium, his consistently coiffed hair was wet and messy. Water trickled down his face as he shook his head like a dog after a bath.

Redick has often preached process over results, and the Lakers’ season-opening victory (110-103) over the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena was an early confirmation of Redick’s approach. The result was Redick’s first career win — and an ice water soaking in his players.

Nearly four months after the Lakers hired him, Redick helped them snap their seven-game opening night losing streak. Los Angeles is 1-0 with its first opening night win since 2016 – when starting point guard D’Angelo Russell and Timberwolves forward Julius Randle were considered the future of the franchise.

The key difference for a Lakers group that returns 13 of the 15 players from last season’s roster is Redick and his coaching staff, who have seemingly pushed all the right buttons since the start of training camp. From their preseason dinner meeting, which set clear expectations and ground rules, to individual conversations with players daily, to thorough preparation and attention to detail, Redick has immediately earned trust and buy-in from his players in a way that resonates both the field as outside it.

“The game plan, the plans he had on both ends of the floor, he trusts us,” Anthony Davis said. “We trust him, as far as teaching us, what he wants us to do on both ends of the floor and it’s our job to execute that. I think we were well prepared tonight.”

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After just two halves in the preseason, along with their expected rotation, it was unclear how the Lakers would perform to open the season. It’s also one thing to do it in practice or even in preseason; it’s another to do it in a regular-season game against the league’s best defense. This was essentially the dress rehearsal the Lakers never got in exhibition games.

Add in all the attention to LeBron and Bronny James officially playing together for the first time — and the Lakers’ track record of losing in James’ milestone games — and it was easy to see how this matchup could have gone sideways for the Lakers. .

Instead, they pulled off a convincing victory — taking a commanding second-quarter lead that they would never relinquish despite Minnesota’s second-half surge — and reminded the league that they are a legitimate threat in deep Western Conference.

“That’s really encouraging as a coach and for our coaching staff that our guys can pick things up and then execute,” Redick said of the team that quickly mastered preparation for the Minnesota game.

No player better exemplified that mentality than Davis, who finished with 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, one steal and three blocks in 38 minutes. Davis led the Lakers in shot attempts (23) and free throws (15) by wide margins as he took on an offensive role that matched his expanded defensive responsibilities.

In a game that also featured James, Anthony Edwards, Randle and Rudy Gobert, Davis was clearly the best player on the floor.

“AD was phenomenal tonight,” Redick said. “It felt like he attacked the game the right way.”

The Lakers’ primary ballhandlers made it a point to find Davis consistently, rarely throwing more than a few passions without at least touching the ball, or even directly generating a shot for himself or a teammate. For Davis, that meant more touches around the elbows and above the arc, directing the offense as a transfer and screening hub who could also attack off the dribble or with his jumper.

Davis thrived at all three levels and enjoyed his matchup with Gobert, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Davis spoke to Gobert several times after scoring over him or blocking his shot out of bounds, communicating that he was the game’s most dominant player.

“I think this is a good first step to see how (JJ) wants me to play and how he wants me to be that hub and orchestrate the offense in a way,” Davis said.

There has been talk in the past about James eventually passing the torch to Davis, but that has yet to actually happen. But from the moment he was hired, Redick has publicly given Davis the power and said he would like to run more of the offense through him. That became a reality on Tuesday, showing that Redick’s claims were not hollow.

“He is the main focal point for us offensively and defensively,” James said. “And we have to make sure we continue to get him involved. … Our job as ballhandlers is to keep feeding them and finding them.” And AD did what AD is doing tonight. … Only one turnover with all the usage he had tonight. It’s a big time.”

Redick has been adamant about modernizing the Lakers’ shot selection, with a greater emphasis on three-point attempts. The Lakers continued their shooting struggles to start the season, making just five of their 30 three-point attempts (an attempt rate lower than last season’s 28th-ranked average of 31.5 attempts per game). No player made more than one 3.

But that meant a steady diet of shots at the rim and in the paint, with the Lakers scoring 72 paint points (compared to just 40 for Minnesota) and attempting 25 free throws. They also refrained from inefficient two-pointers: Of the Lakers’ 95 shots, only six were outside the paint but inside the three-point arc — the dreaded midrange that Redick is trying to eliminate.

“We were able to make good shots in the paint,” Redick said. “You can want to shoot a lot of threes, but if you get good shots in the paint, that’s good offense for us.”

The Lakers compensated for their lackluster shooting by winning the possession battle – an area they often lost last season. Offensively, their structure and attention to detail led to them turning the ball over just seven times – fewer turnovers against the Timberwolves than any opponent last season.

They also grabbed 15 offensive rebounds – led by four from Austin Reaves – and forced 16 Minnesota turnovers. This allowed the Lakers to make ten more shots than the Timberwolves, which might have been the difference in the game.

“We can offset bad shooting nights from three if we have more possessions,” Redick said.

The Lakers are often left out of national conversations about the next level of Western Conference playoff teams, behind Oklahoma City, Denver, Dallas and Minnesota. But they should rank alongside Phoenix, Memphis, Golden State, New Orleans and Sacramento this season — if not ahead of some or most of those teams. They have the best duo of that group, and perhaps the best starting lineup.

Los Angeles had a top-three offense during the second half of last season, finishing the season 18-6 with its current starting lineup. They had the talent; they just needed more structure and creativity on both sides of the ball. Redick has provided that boost, making the Lakers’ gamble on their first head coach look smart so far.

Redick’s postgame message to his team, after they doused him in water, was to stay even-keeled — not to overreact or forget the level of focus, preparation and effort it took to win the game.

But make no mistake, the Lakers decisively passed their first test of the season, executing Redick’s process-driven vision to near perfection.

“We’ve all bought into what he’s trying to build,” Davis said. “I like him a lot, and I like what he’s trying to build here, what he’s doing. Now it’s our job as players to kind of buy into what he preaches and try to keep it going.”

(Photo of JJ Redick and LeBron James: Adam Pantozzi / NBAE via Getty Images)