Lakers’ young star earned trust from head coach vs. Pistons

Sep 30, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Cam Reddish (5) during media day at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Sep 30, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Cam Reddish (5) during media day at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers could see one of their young talents return to his prominent role in their lineup this season.

Lakers: Cam Reddish impressed head coach JJ Redick vs. Pistons

Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Lakers young shooting guard/small forward Cam Reddish played well in a way that did not show up on the stat sheet during their 115-103 loss to the Detroit Pistons. However, what did show itself was Lakers head coach JJ Redick’s satisfaction with the way his two-way wing brought intensity and grit to the team in a time when they needed a jolt, as he told reporters after the game, per Corey Hansford of Lakers Nation:

“Exactly what Cam does, just a defensive presence and someone who is willing to fight,” Redick said.

“He certainly earned some trust tonight. But we’ll obviously evaluate tomorrow and see what Wednesday looks like.”

Reddish has a golden opportunity to seize the moment off the Lakers’ bench

Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Reddish, 25, did not score in the affair, but corraled five rebounds, all defensive, and came away with one steal in only 14 minutes of play. He finished as a team-high plus-10 for the game.

The Pennsylvania native was a bright spot on the Lakers despite not flexing his muscle in the scoring department. Albeit, the Lakers bench failed to score on the evening, to which Reddish’s sound inside-out game could have come in handy.

Reddish came out of Duke University in 2019 with a world of offensive upside, and after showing it sporadically in his rookie season with the Atlanta Hawks, he’s since labored to float around double-digit averages for the last three seasons running.

Nevertheless, if his impression left on coach Redick is worth as much as the latter gave credence to, Reddish could return to seeing the 20.5 minutes per contest he averaged last season, and start to assert himself offensively with the ripe opportunity right before his face.

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