Cam Reddish making the most of starting role with the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers were in need of a spark after a slow start to the season. Anthony Davis and LeBron James had played up to their level, but the rest of the supporting cast was struggling to make plays on both ends of the floor, so something had to change before it was too late.

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:

Kevin Durant defended by Cam Reddish and LeBron James during the first half at Crypto.com Arena on October 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

“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.”