With the Los Angeles Lakers lacking in overall fight and energy against the Detroit Pistons, head coach JJ Redick turned to someone who has been out of the rotation for a boost. After another disappointing shift from Max Christie, Redick went with Cam Reddish in the second half and the veteran did provide a spark.
Reddish didn’t take a single shot in his 14 minutes on the court, but was a team-high plus-10 in those minutes while contributing five rebounds and a steal. Overall, his energy and fight brought a spark to the Lakers that was sorely needed on a night when the team was, self-admittedly, lacking in that department.
And that is what Redick pointed to when discussing Redick after the game, noting that he brought a defensive presence and fight in his time on the court, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Exactly what Cam does, just a defensive presence and someone who is willing to fight.”
The question now is whether his outing in Detroit has earned him some minutes going forward for the Lakers. Redick wasn’t willing to fully commit to that quite yet, but he did say that Reddish has earned some trust and they will evaluate things going forward:
“He certainly earned some trust tonight. But we’ll obviously evaluate tomorrow and see what Wednesday looks like.”
Throughout training camp, Christie was one of the most talked about players both from teammates and coaches. He seemed to earn his spot in the rotation and looked like someone ready to take a leap. But so far his performance in the regular season has been lackluster, hence why Redick was willing to give Reddish a look against the Pistons.
While Christie’s defense has been solid, his offense has been non-existent while also struggling to take care of the ball at times as well. Reddish understood his role the moment he entered the game in Detroit and just brought an edge that the team needed. The Lakers’ reserves so far have struggled to give the team a boost so if Reddish can give them anything, that would be a big positive off the bench.
JJ Redick says Lakers must start games with more defensive pride
The Lakers did fight hard in the second half against the Pistons, but it simply wasn’t enough to erase the hole they had dug themselves in the first. And starting off the game with that level of effort is something JJ Redick wants to see from his team.
Redick felt the Lakers effort in the second half was great, but they must start the game with that same commitment and physicality and just have more pride overall defensively from the outset.
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