Reggie Bullock ‘Glad’ He Was Thrown Into Fire By Starting Against 76ers In Lakers Debut
Jesse D. Garrabrant-NBAE via Getty Images

As a trade for Anthony Davis by the deadline was steadily growing increasingly unlikely, the Los Angeles Lakers pivoted and acquired Reggie Bullock from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for rookie Svi Mykhailiuk and a future second-round draft pick.

Once the dust settled, Bullock was one of two trades the Lakers completed — the other being for Mike Muscala — in effort to address their shooting deficiency. While Bullock has seen a decline in his three-point shooting, he shot a career-best 44.5 percent from deep last season.

Although the trade was announced midway through the week, Bullock did not join the Lakers until a few days later in Philadelphia. He participated in one practice with the team, then found himself part of the starting lineup against the 76ers the following afternoon.

He viewed that as confidence from head coach Luke Walton and was glad to have gotten it out of the way, via Spectrum SportsNet:

“I mean, it’s good. Obviously coach believes in me if he throws me out there in the fire like that. Like I said, I did some great things on the defensive end. A lot of offensive adjustments that I can make to being more aggressive in the game. … I’m glad they threw me out there because now I got that out of the way. Now it’s just on to basketball.”

Bullock was tasked with chasing J.J. Redick off screens, which proved futile as he finished with 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting. It didn’t all fall on Bullock, however, as the Lakers struggled as a whole defensively despite it being a point of emphasis from head coach Luke Walton.

Offensively, Bullock didn’t yet provide the shooting the Lakers hope to receive. He shot just 1-for-5 and missed both attempts behind the arc.

Reminder: Vivid Seats is the Official Ticket Reseller of LakersNation.com. New Customers use “LAKERSNATION” (all CAPS) in the Vivid Seats App on your phone and get 10% off any Lakers home game ticket order for the remainder of the season.

You May Also Like

Lakers Injury Update: Jared Dudley Not Concerned By ‘Minor Setbacks’

The Los Angeles Lakers have avoided major injuries to begin the 2020-21 campaign despite health worries caused…

Brandon Ingram Q&A: Summer Workouts, Shot Mechanics, Goals With Lakers

We caught up with Brandon Ingram at The Covenant House California where an 8′ x 22′ mural of the Los Angeles Lakers forward was being donated to the local youth homeless shelter, along with a renovated basketball court and lounge area…

Lakers News: Carmelo Anthony Believes He And LeBron James Need To ‘Cherish’ Record-Breaking Moments

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been chasing a goal of becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer throughout…

Shaquille O’Neal Compares Playing With Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, And LeBron James

Shaquille O’Neal had the privilege of playing with a number of all-time greats during his own Hall of Fame 20-year NBA…