The Los Angeles Lakers were searching for answers as they struggled on both ends of the court in their disappointing loss to the Detroit Pistons. As such, head coach JJ Redick turned to a players who hadn’t seen any real minutes so far this season, but someone who played a big role for the Lakers much of last year in Cam Reddish.
With Max Christie continuing to struggle, Reddish got the call in the second half and provided a boost for the Lakers despite not taking a shot. He was a team-high plus-10 in his 14 minutes and totaled five rebounds and one steal while playing with an energy and edge the team sorely needed.
His performance stood out to Austin Reaves, who called Reddish the lone bright spot for the Lakers in the game and believes he could be a serious contributor for the team going forward, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“I think Cam could be a major piece for us. That’s someone that I’ve got real close with over this past year and a half since he’s been on the team. Genuine dude. Cares about all the right things. And when you see a guy like that get an opportunity to go out there and show what he can do, and do that, it means a lot to the group. Because like I said, I think he can do a lot for us, not just on the defensive side of the ball, but I think everyone forgets how talented he is. Coming out of high school he was one of the best players, coming out of college he was one of the best players and that’s still there, we gotta empower him to be himself. I think if there was any positive from tonight, he would be the lone bright spot with the way he came in and competed.”
Last season, Reddish played in 48 games for the Lakers, starting 26 of them, though injuries hampered him throughout the year as well. Though his offense was hit-and-miss, he did show his abilities as a perimeter defender with his size, length and athleticism giving the opposition problems.
The Lakers’ bench has not given the team much of anything so far this season and Reddish has proven in the past that he can make a difference. Reaves certainly believes in him as do many of his other teammates and at this point it couldn’t hurt to give him another look to see if he can give the Lakers a sorely-needed spark off the bench.
Lakers coach JJ Redick says Cam Reddish has earned ‘some trust’
Head coach JJ Redick also had praise for Cam Reddish following the Lakers loss to the Pistons, saying he gave the team a defensive presence and fight when he was on the court.
Redick wasn’t willing to say Reddish would definitely be in the rotation going forward, but the coach did say the Lakers wing has earned ‘some trust’ with his performance in Detroit.
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