The last two Los Angeles Lakers’ victories revealed something unexpected about the team’s rotation as they look toward the rest of the season. And that is the role of fifth-year wing Cam Reddish. At 3-5, Darvin Ham made the decision to move Reddish into the starting lineup next to Anthony Davis and company, putting Austin Reaves on the bench.
It was a surprise choice that was unpopular at first. However, Reddish has quickly shown himself to be the player that was drafted in the lottery five years ago. Reddish posted 17 points on 5-for-10 shooting in a win over the Phoenix Suns, then turned around and put up another 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting against the Portland Trail Blazers. He had three steals in both games as well.
The effort has been essential in the Lakers getting back on track and returning to a .500 record. And Davis was among the first to recognize how vital Reddish has been to the team’s recent success.
“Very important. I think he’s at his highest right now with his confidence on both ends of the floor,” Davis said. “He’s making his 3s, he’s getting into the lane and finishing, getting to the line. He’s done a great job defensively over the past 3-4 games guarding big-time players and making it tough for them. As a team, we just try to instill confidence in him knowing that he can help us and he’s just playing at an elite level right now.”
That confidence, Davis says, is the difference between the player Reddish was in training camp and the player he is now.
“Just confidence, that’s all. It’s crazy what confidence can do to a player, especially when your team is confident in you. He just has the confidence of going out and making the right plays, making shots, making plays for others, finishing. You can see it in him. He’s going out there playing freely, playing hard and aggressive. That’s what we need.”
Players who have yet to find their place in the NBA are oftentimes just missing the correct environment and confidence. In the Lakers, Reddish has found both. And the results have been instant and obvious.
Consistency is now the next battle for Reddish if he wants to remain a major part of the rotation even as players get healthy.
Darvin Ham explains Reddish’s success
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham had a similar thought pattern to both Davis and Reddish himself when discussing what has been different for the fifth-year player at this destination compared to previous years.
“I mean, for right now, I just think he’s comfortable with the group, and he’s making plays because he’s not forcing anything,” Ham said after Sunday’s win. “He’s obviously shot the ball well, he’s playing downhill. In these recent two games, he’s guarded tough matchups, he’s rebounded, so it’s he just, he’s another Swiss army knife that doesn’t require touches necessarily but just gets all of his looks in the flow.”
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