Tag: Cam Reddish

Cam Reddish is out for Saturday’s Lakers vs. Cavaliers game

The Lakers will be short-handed when they begin a four-game road trip on Saturday against Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers.

On Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers begin a challenging four-game road trip with a contest against the young and hungry Cleveland Cavaliers.

It will be a difficult game for the Purple and Gold. They will have to deal with one of the best backcourts in the league: the dangerous Donovan Mitchell and the ultra-skilled and shifty Darius Garland. The Cavs also boast a long, tall and defensive-minded front line with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley patroling the paint.

Unfortunately, Los Angeles will have to go to battle short-handed. Forward Jarred Vanderbilt and guard Gabe Vincent, arguably its two best perimeter defenders, are still out. Rui Hachimura, who provides instant offense off the bench, will miss at least a week.

On top of that, forward Cam Reddish, who has flourished since moving into the starting lineup about two weeks ago, is out due to groin soreness.

The Lakers will miss Reddish’s ability to get deflections and steals, as well as his newfound 3-point marksmanship.

Without him, second-year man Max Christie will likely start, and they will need a strong game from him on both ends of the floor.

Cam Reddish is questionable for Saturday’s Lakers vs. Cavaliers game

The Lakers could find themselves very short-handed at the wing and forward spots on Saturday, as Cam Reddish is listed as questionable.

After Wednesday’s heartbreaking 104-101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers will start a four-game road trip on Saturday. The trip will commence with a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and with contests later on against the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder, it will be a challenging one.

Another reason this trip could be a tough one is the Lakers find themselves short-handed again, just as they did for the first couple of weeks of the season.

On Friday, it was announced that key reserve forward Rui Hachimura would miss at least a week of action. He suffered a nasal fracture in Wednesday’s game, and as a result, he underwent a procedure.

Forward Jarred Vanderbilt still hasn’t returned from a bout of left heel bursitis, while Cam Reddish missed Wednesday’s contest with groin soreness. Reddish is listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup.

Reddish and Vanderbilt are perhaps L.A.’s two best wing defenders right now, and it is defense that allowed it to win six of its last seven games prior to its loss to Dallas. In addition, Gabe Vincent, a high-quality backcourt defender, is still out of action because of a knee ailment.

Cam Reddish will miss Wednesday’s Lakers versus Mavericks game

The Lakers will be without emerging starting forward Cam Reddish when they face the Mavericks on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Lakers are starting to surge after a rough start to the season. They have a three-game winning streak and have been victorious in six of their last seven games, which has enabled them to forge a 9-6 record.

A chief reason for this spurt has been their defense. They have held their opponent to 110 or fewer points in five of their last six contests, and they have improved to 10th in the NBA in defensive rating.

Forward Cam Reddish has played a role in this turnaround ever since being moved into the starting lineup nearly two weeks ago. However, he left Tuesday’s win over the Utah Jazz early with groin soreness, and as a result, he will not play on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.

Los Angeles has a lack of wing depth right now. It is still without Jarred Vanderbilt, who started almost every game last season after arriving in the Russell Westbrook trade and quickly emerged as a versatile defensive standout.

Cam Reddish won’t return to Lakers-Jazz game due to groin soreness

The Lakers will have to get it done without forward Cam Reddish, one of their surprise contributors this season.

One positive surprise for the Los Angeles Lakers this season has been forward Cam Reddish. In four previous NBA seasons, he had amounted to little and was considered a bust by some people after he had been a lottery pick in the 2019 draft.

The Lakers decided to take a flyer on him in free agency this past summer. After showing some brief glimpses of promise to begin the season, he was moved into the starting lineup for a Nov. 10 contest against the Phoenix Suns.

He has played well ever since, and not coincidentally, L.A. has won five of six games since. Reddish has especially helped out on the defensive end, where his anticipation has led to plenty of steals for him.

Unfortunately, he exited Tuesday’s contest against the Utah Jazz early. He will not return due to groin soreness.

The team is already a bit short-handed at the wing and forward spots as Jarred Vanderbilt is still out with left heel bursitis. With Reddish unable to return, second-year man Max Christie is getting some playing time, and he will have to step up, especially on the offensive end.

Cam Reddish talks about how his Lakers teammates have emboldened him

Lakers forward Cam Reddish says that his teammates are invested in making him feel confident and helping him succeed.

Just a few years ago, Cam Reddish entered the NBA with a very bright future. He was the No. 10 pick in the 2019 draft, and many felt he had tremendous star potential.

However, in his first four seasons, he didn’t amount to much, as he averaged 10.3 points a game while shooting 39.9% from the field and 32.2% from 3-point range. Some likely believed he had become a bust.

The Los Angeles Lakers, however, thought highly enough of him to sign him as a free agent this summer. He struggled to start this season, but he has come on strongly in his last two games after head coach Darvin Ham moved him into the starting lineup.

In the last two contests combined, he has shot 12-of-20 overall and 6-of-11 from downtown to score 35 points while also adding 10 rebounds and six steals. After the team’s 116-110 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, he said he has the type of supportive environment he has never enjoyed before.

The forward said that, unlike his past NBA teams, the Lakers are actually trying to win and compete for a world championship. It also helps that he appears to have more of a defined role on this team, as opposed to simply being expected to float around and be a featured scorer.

Austin Reaves to come off the bench; Cam Reddish will start vs. Suns

The Lakers are making a significant change to their starting lineup for their Friday game against the Suns.

The Los Angeles Lakers badly need a win; they’re on a three-game losing streak. They conclude a four-game road trip on Friday evening against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.

They have been getting off to very poor starts, have been unable to control their defensive boards and have had major problems offensively. They have also been banged up, although with Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes returning for this game, they may be getting healthier.

Head coach Darvin Ham has been searching for something that will jump-start his team’s offense and allow it to play from ahead for a change. On Friday, he decided to move Austin Reaves to the bench and start Cam Reddish in his place.

The thinking may be that L.A.’s second unit needs a legitimate ball-handling guard. Reaves was coming off the bench during his breakout campaign last year until a huge performance versus the Orlando Magic in March catapulted him into the starting lineup the rest of the way.

Reaves has been inconsistent to start this season, but Reddish is shooting just 30.6% from the field and 12.5% percent from 3-point range so far.

It looks like Lakers head coach Darvin Ham drew up final play vs. Heat for Cam Reddish

Some Lakers fans are second-guessing Darvin Ham’s apparent decision to have Cam Reddish take the potential game-winner versus the Heat.

The score is 108-107 with 8.9 seconds left in the game. Your team is down and needs a score to win. You have your choice of LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince, Christian Wood, Cam Reddish and Max Christie to take the court for the final possession.

Who would you trust to take the game-winning shot if James couldn’t take it? Many would take Reaves. Some would say Wood, and some would even argue Prince would be a decent second or third option.

That was the situation the Los Angeles Lakers were in on Monday night against the Miami Heat after battling back from a 13-point deficit. James drove the lane but was hemmed in, so he passed the ball out to Reddish.

Reddish? Was he really the best option? And for a 3-pointer when L.A. only needed a 2-pointer?

If Reddish were the only option, that would’ve been understandable. But it looks like head coach Darvin Ham drew up the final play for him.

Reddish missed the shot, dropping the Lakers’ record this season to 3-4 and 0-4 on the road. Afterward, Ham seemed to defend the fact he took the shot.

It’s easy to question this decision afterward. Could James have safely made a pass to Prince, who was also open? Should they have run a pick-and-roll with Wood, or with Reaves the ball-handler and James the screener? Should James have somehow gotten off a shot himself or looked to draw a foul?

In reality, the loss is more the fault of the Lakers’ prior four possessions before Reddish’s miss after they drew within one. They attempted treys on three of those possessions, and on the other possession, James was called for charging.

Ultimately, the bulk of the blame should go to the team for allowing itself to fall behind by 13 in the first place.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham on why Cam Reddish is playing ahead of Max Christie

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham cited two main reasons for going with Cam Reddish over Max Christie at the backup wing spot.

Going into this season, the expectation was incoming second-year wing Max Christie would break into the rotation of the Los Angeles Lakers. In fact, plenty of people expected him to be their backup shooting guard behind Austin Reaves.

He had shown promise in spot duty last season as a rookie, and he was very impressive during summer league play in multiple categories.

However, in L.A.’s first two games of the 2023-24 regular season, Christie has played a grand total of one minute (in garbage time at the end of its season opener versus the Denver Nuggets). Meanwhile, Cam Reddish, a former lottery pick some consider a bust, has taken the spot Christie was expected to occupy.

Head coach Darvin Ham explained on Saturday why he has gone with Reddish over Christie.

Via Lakers Nation:

“Just his size. Max is a part of us, he’s gonna be a part of us for a long time to come. Still a young player, developing,” Ham said. “Cam having had more games under his belt, his size, athleticism, they’re both phenomenal basketball players but just wanted to get a look at what Cam can do at the outset of things.”

On opening night, Reddish made a contribution by going 2-of-4 from the field and 1-of-2 from 3-point range in 18 minutes. Thursday’s game against the Phoenix Suns wasn’t as kind: He shot 2-of-5 and missed all three of his 3-point attempts while getting torched by Kevin Durant defensively.

At the end of the day, whether Reddish holds onto the backup wing spot or Christie supplants him, the Lakers need effective, versatile defense and consistent, reliable 3-point shooting from that spot. In their first two games, the Lakers have made 25.9% of their attempts from downtown.

D’Angelo Russell talks about mentoring Cam Reddish

It sounds like Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell wants to help Cam Reddish improve his reputation and revive his career.

This year’s edition of the Los Angeles Lakers has plenty of depth, and aside from dependable bench players such as Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Christian Wood, it has some untapped potential.

Rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis and second-year wing Max Christie all have the potential to become very serviceable if not good players. In addition, the Lakers have Cam Reddish, a former lottery pick who has always been considered brimming with potential.

The Lakers are Reddish’s fourth team in his five seasons in the NBA. He is part of their regular rotation to start the season. Therefore, he has an opportunity to establish himself as a useful player.

Starting point guard D’Angelo Russell talked about how Reddish reminds him of himself when he was starting out in the league and how he wants to help him improve (h/t Lakers Daily).

“Remind me of myself a lot,” Russell said of Reddish. “Come into the league, not really knowin’ how to be professional. And you gettin’ judged by that. Figuring out a way just to change your professionalism, and do the opposite everything you been doin’. Because obviously the perception of you is what it is, and you can’t change it. The only thing you can change is your approach.

“So forget the past and just change your approach and try to work on your professionalism and how you carry yourself. Understand the perception of you and what they say, what it looks like. Just understanding that as a young player, as a young player it takes you to bump your head a few times to realize your perception.

“So now you got an opportunity around a bunch of vets, a bunch of guys that can help you. Listen. Do more. Do the opposite of what you been doin’.

“I told him when I got to Brooklyn that was my time of kind of going through what he’s going through, bouncing from teams. And I get to Brooklyn, and I met Joe Harris, and I followed Joe Harris. I walked like him. I tried to be there at the gym when he got there. When he left is when I thought about leavin’. I was just on his whole regimen, and I found my regimen within that. But he was a guy I wanted to learn how to be a professional from.”

There was a time Russell was considered unprofessional and immature, especially during his first stint with L.A. during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. But once he returned in last season’s Russell Westbrook trade, it was clear he had changed and become a more positive example for teammates to follow.

Jarred Vanderbilt will be out for Thursday’s Lakers versus Suns game

The Lakers will once again be without defensive standout Jarred Vanderbilt against Kevin Durant and the Suns on Thursday.

After losing on opening night to the Denver Nuggets, the team that swept them in the Western Conference finals last season, the Los Angeles Lakers look to get back on track on Thursday.

They will host the Phoenix Suns, who won on Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors. That will mean dealing with Kevin Durant, the living legend who is an ultra-smooth walking bucket at all times.

Dating to February, the Lakers have assigned Jarred Vanderbilt to guard such players. However, Vanderbilt will be out once again on Thursday with a heel ailment that he has been dealing with since training camp. Meanwhile, forward Cam Reddish is listed as probable with right foot soreness.

Reddish, a former lottery pick who has been deemed a bust by some, made a positive contribution on Tuesday with seven efficient points, four rebounds and one blocked shot in 18 minutes. If he also cannot play, Los Angeles will have trouble containing Durant and his teammates.