The Los Angeles Lakers are currently in the midst of a four-game road trip, though they’re not battling at full strength as they’re without several of the frontcourt players.
Rui Hachimura will be evaluated in a week after suffering a nasal fracture against the Dallas Mavericks while Jarred Vanderbilt is working his way through rehab for left heel bursitis. Cam Reddish was inserted into the starting lineup recently, but he, too, has missed time with a left adductor soreness that was later classified as a left groin strain.
Reddish has been one of the surprising bright spots of the 2023-24 season for Los Angeles as he has looked more the part of a former lottery pick. Defensively, he’s one of the best in the league at deflections and steals, while offensively, he’s flashed more as a slasher and outside shooter.
The Lakers have missed Reddish’s two-way presence on the floor, but it sounds like his return is right around the corner as Darvin Ham said he’s been working diligently to get back via Khobi Price of Southern California News Group:
Darvin Ham's response when asked about Cam Reddish: "Yeah, he's coming along. He's coming along. He's getting close. He's extremely close, actually." https://t.co/hfkzVxHxQZ
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) November 27, 2023
This is great news for the team and Reddish, especially considering that Ham previously revealed they thought the young forward suffered a more serious injury. Health has been a major issue for Los Angeles the past several seasons, so it must be relieving to hear that Reddish will be back on the floor soon.
The Lakers have two more games left on the road trip and Ham’s recent update leaves open the possibility that Reddish could suit up for one of them. The team has a back-to-back set against the Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder this Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, so the medical staff may advise having him play just one of the two games in order to ease him back into action.
Fortunately, L.A. has been able to weather injuries fairly well this season though Ham would surely like to have his full complement of players available.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis praise Max Christie’s defense on Donovan Mitchell
With Reddish sidelined, Ham replaced him with Max Christie in the starting lineup and the second-year guard has taken the promotion in stride. Christie had his best performance of the season in the win against the Cleveland Cavaliers as he spent most of the evening defending Donovan Mitchell.
Christie was able to get multiple stops on Mitchell and he drew praise from LeBron James and Anthony Davis for his effort.
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