The Times Lakers Newsletter: Mapping a New Route

Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where we’re mapping a new route. This week, we’re tracking the early-season discoveries of a team that has started 3-0, finding its identity game by game — much like the cartographers for whom Salt Lake City’s Asher Adams hotel is named.

Coach JJ Redick captured the metaphor perfectly after Sunday’s win over the Utah Jazz. Staying in a repurposed railroad station inspired him to think about mapping: “As the season starts, you’re mapping sort of who you can be. Every new game early in the season, you’re discovering something different, combinations that work, lineups that work, whatever it may be, and that’s exciting.”

Full Steam Ahead

The Lakers welcomed a critical crew member back into the fold this week, and he’s making his presence known immediately. Collin Sexton’s role looks small in a box score ...