In the last two games, Redick benched D’Angelo Russell in favor of Cam Reddish. Despite playing in a new role, Reddish has embraced a more defensive style with limited ball-handling duties, and so far, he’s executing it well.

Recently, Reddish shared his perspective on the role shift. “Every team is different, every coach is different. I just go out there and do what he tells me to do. My past life, I was out there doing what I wanted to do. That doesn’t necessarily work all the time,” Reddish stated.

He also made it clear he’s committed to what’s best for the Lakers. “Be a star in my role, do what I can to help the team win,” he continued. “Whether that’s one shot, five shots, ten shots, I just try to go out there and impact the game.”

Reddish adjusts to new role

Initially, adjusting to his new responsibilities wasn’t easy for Reddish, as he’s now tasked with prioritizing defense over controlling the ball. “I was getting the ball all the time, I didn’t know anything else. I was forced to kind of learn and expand my game,” Reddish said.

“It doesn’t happen overnight, but little by little I started getting better at it. I feel like all my years helped me to get to this point. . .everything I’ve been through, everything I’ve dealt with, has kind of guided me to this point,” he added.

LeBron James on Reddish’s defensive impact

In the recent matchup against the 76ers, Reddish left his defensive mark on the court, finishing with three points from a three-pointer on his only shot, along with five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and a block in 28 minutes.

After the game, LeBron James praised Reddish for his defensive contributions and also gave credit to D’Angelo Russell for his energy off the bench. “DLo came in and gave us a big-time push off the bench, and Cam did a good job of trying to make it tough on PG all night, so it was a complement that worked on both sides, offensively and defensively for our ball club,” James commented.

With that in mind, Coach Darvin Ham gave Cam Reddish a chance to start, which seemed kind of odd at first, considering he had been struggling mightily on the offensive end of the floor.

Somewhat shockingly, Reddish rose to the occasion and was the team’s third-best player, even stepping up when LeBron took a game off to beat the Portland Trail Blazers with an 18-point performance.

He’s also making his presence felt on the defensive end of the floor, and he clearly has LeBron’s confidence. Even after missing a wide-open potential game-winning shot, James has had nothing but words of encouragement for the former lottery pick.

Reddish Is Thriving

“I was trying to stay ready,” Reddish said when asked about his new role. “LeBron is out there, so you have to be ready at all times. I missed one last game, so I tried to really lock in on them corner shots. Bron told me he believed in me, so I just tried to remember that and shoot my shots with confidence and knocked them down.”

The Duke product admitted that James and the whole team have been great for him. He’s in a supportive environment for the first time in his young NBA career, and he finally feels comfortable on a team.

“It was definitely big-time coming from Bron. But I don’t think it’s just him; I think all of my teammates have done a great job of just pouring into me and telling me how much they believe in me,” Reddish said. “I haven’t had an atmosphere like this; I don’t think in my entire NBA career. So it’s been a lot of fun, it’s been a blessing, and I’m just looking forward to the future.”

Coach Ham Says He’s Comfortable

Reddish has always had a sky-high upside and was considered one of the most talented prospects in his class. However, he failed to play up to that level and be an efficient scorer. Even so, coach Ham believes he’s finally settled in because he’s not trying to do too much or force things in offense:

“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 of Reddish. “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.”

Reddish is extremely athletic, young, and can make plays on both ends of the floor. He just needed to play for a team that trusted him even if he failed, and he’s found that in Southern California.

Following a poor start in the first quarter, the purple and gold bounced back, taking control of the game in the second half. While The King was the biggest reason behind their comeback, Anthony Davis also played his part but role players were helpful too. Cam Reddish came up with massive three-pointers in clutch moments of the game, proving James right.

LeBron has constantly looked for Reddish during the game, often passing him the ball to let him shoot. The former Knicks star didn’t do great at the beginning, but he ended up scoring crucial points for the win. Overall, Reddish logged 17 points in 28 minutes.

“Because I know how talented he is,” James said when asked why he trusted so much in Reddish, via Spectrum SportsNet. “I just think he’s had a rough couple years to his career. He’s been a few places and hasn’t made the mark that he thought that he would make with his ability. So obviously I was kind of surprised that we was able to get him this summer.”

Throughout his career, James has always embraced a leadership role. But now that he’s 38, LeBron knows that he has to embrace that even more. The 4x NBA champ understands how much he can help his teammates. “It’s my job to instill confidence and instill a sense of, I don’t know, a care factor in him and some of the other young guys as well. It’s more than just basketball for me when I have the opportunity to be around guys that are trying to make a mark in this league.”

James helps Reddish redeem himself

The confidence shown by James on Friday should mean a lot for Reddish considering what happened at the beginning of the week, when they lost to the Miami Heat by just one point.

In the dying seconds of the game, the Lakers had possession of the ball to try and turn things around. In their final play, James set up an opportunity for Reddish to try a three-pointer, but he missed the shot and the Lakers lost.

Despite the criticism he faced for that decision, James continued to look for an open Reddish against the Suns, and this time it worked. In fact, Reddish scored the three-pointer that sealed the deal late in the fourth quarter.

“To all the naysayers and basketball savants that don’t know nothing about basketball telling me I should’ve shot that shot in Miami instead of passing to Cam Reddish, well I did the same thing tonight because I trust my teammates and I make the right play every single time,” James told ESPN.

Lakers aiming to build on last season

The outlook has significantly changed for the Lakers since Rob Pelinka rebuilt the roster at the February trade deadline last season. The purple and gold went from struggling to get in Play-In spots to making the Conference Finals, but this year they hope to go further.

At the end of the day, last season’s efforts weren’t enough to compete against eventual champs Denver Nuggets, so the team made even more moves in the summer. Pelinka was especially attentive to the free agency, landing Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, and Cam Reddish.

The Lakers’ roster scheme, however, drew some early criticism as they lost three games in a row before the win in Phoenix. The season is just getting started, so only time will tell whether they have what it takes to contend. Of course, much of their aspirations will probably come down to LeBron and AD’s health.

Needless to say, keeping up to the Purple and Gold standards is no easy task. And it’s been more than proven that some players just aren’t made to thrive in Hollywood.

Hopefully, that won’t be the case with Cam Reddish, who’s looking to make a name for himself after being the 10th pick in the NBA Draft just four years ago, and who recently vowed to make an impact in Los Angeles

Cam Reddish Reveals What He’ll Bring To The Table

“Continuity is definitely a big part. Trying to stay healthy, stay ready, definitely just stay in shape. So far, so good,” Reddish said, per Lakers Nation.

“I think the ability to do it on both sides of the ball. Bring that energy on defense and then offensively being able to do a variety of different things, make plays and things like that,” he added.

Reddish was one of the highest-touted prospects in the game, and he’s still young, athletic, and has shown glimpses of great play. But this will likely be his final chance to prove that he belongs in the league.

Reddish showed glimpses of greatness, but failed to establish himself with the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, and Portland Trail Blazers. Even so, GM Rob Pelinka still has plenty of faith in him.

The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t hesitate to take a chance on the Duke product. Recently, Pelinka raved about his potential impact with the team, reminding everyone that he was a top-10 pick just in 2020.

Rob Pelinka Addresses Signing Cam Reddish

“I think all the tools are there for Cam,” Pelinka said, per The Athletic. “We have an assistant coach on Darvin’s staff, Chris Jent, who had Cam when he was with the Atlanta Hawks. He was a member of their staff and had a really good run with him where he had some really meaningful and impactful games in the playoffs where Cam made a difference.”

“I believe in Darvin and his staff to be able to take a guy like that and get him back to playing confident basketball, efficient basketball,” Pelinka continued. “This was someone who was a (top-10) pick in the draft just a few years ago. So it’s there, and I’m excited for him to show it.”

This might as well be Reddish’s last chance to make a name for himself in the league, and the Lakers had been after him for quite a while, so maybe he’ll be their next successful project.

Rob Pelinka did a great job fixing the roster in February, pulling off the right moves just before the trade deadline to give Darvin Ham’s team a new look. It paid off, since they ended up making the Conference Finals against all odds.

However, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets showed them they still have a lot of work to do to contend. Therefore, the Lakers’ front office stayed busy in the last few days bringing more help for The King.

Lakers officially announce four new players

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers have officially announced four new players for the 2023-24 NBA season: Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, Taurean Prince, and Cam Reddish.

All of them were available on the open market, which is why the Purple and Gold are seen as the biggest winners of the free agency. On top of that, the Lakers managed to re-sign key contributors such as Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. So, yes, LeBron has reasons to be happy in LA.

The 38-year-old veteran has turned back the clock and been as dominant as per usual in his 20th season. But the roster still has some flaws, and Anthony Davis’ injury hasn’t done a lot to help their winning cause.

The Los Angeles Lakers are still on the doorstep of playoff contention, but they could use a reinforcement or two. Here, we discuss some of the possibilities, talking about three likely trade targets for them.

NBA Rumors: 3 Potential Targets For The Los Angeles Lakers

3. Cam Reddish

Cameron Reddish has shown glimpses of great play, but coach Tom Thibodeau just isn’t a fan of his game. Also, it’s not like the New York Knicks have needed him on the floor during their surprisingly good season.

The former lottery pick is still quite young and has sky-high upside; he might just need an expanded role. Also, the Knicks are only asking for a second-round pick for his services, so he’s definitely worth the risk.

2. Kyle Kuzma

Letting go of Kyle Kuzma was a mistake by the Lakers. But he’s likely to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Washington Wizards, and that leaves the door open for a potential reunion.

Kuzma is playing the best basketball of his career, posting borderline All-Star numbers. He’s been shooting the ball efficiently, and his much-improved defense would add some depth and versatility on the wing.

1. Jae Crowder

Jae Crowder has made it quite clear that he’s not going to play unless the Phoenix Suns either trade him or sign him to a contract extension. Needless to say, the ladder is just not going to happen at this point.

The Lakers have historically thrived with 3-and-D wings, and Crowder’s salary fits their books, that’s for sure. He’s a veteran that could provide a big spark off the bench, as well as solve some of their defensive issues.

The Knicks had the most cap space in the league at some point, but as per usual, they wasted most of that money. However, they still have some promising players and could be a playoff team if they make the right moves.

But when was the last time the Knicks actually ended on the winning side of a transaction? With that in mind, let’s take a look at three players that could be on the move to try and salvage their season.

NBA Rumors: 3 Knicks Players Who Could Be Traded

3. Evan Fournier

Evan Fournier is one of the most overpaid players in the league. He cannot play defense, and while he can score from all three levels, he can go ice cold as quickly as he can get hot. He’s the true definition of inconsistency.

Fournier gets a bad reputation because of how much money he makes. People wouldn’t be so hard on him if he were making the veteran minimum salary he’s worthy of. The Knicks will likely have to give up a first-round pick to trade him.

2. Julius Randle

Julius Randle looked like a star in the making early in his tenure with the Knicks. He was dominant on both ends of the floor, had improved his playmaking skills, and looked like a born leader.

All of that is a thing of the past. His downfall was as quick and drastic as his rise, and it seems like that All-Star season was nothing but a fluke. He could still help a contending team as a third scoring option, though.

1. Cam Reddish

Cam Reddish is actually having a very solid season for the Knicks, meaning he’s likely to be traded. They can’t seem to develop their young players, and he’s got the most upside of their roster.

Tom Thibodeau never wanted Reddish, and he’s been mostly an afterthought filling in for injured players. Multiple teams would be wise to make the most of this and lure him awaynow that he’s on a team-friendly deal.