The Los Angeles Lakers reinvented the roster at the 2023 trade deadline, fueling the team to make the Western Conference Finals. Los Angeles opted to bring that core back along with several calculated additions that were meant to strengthen the team ahead of the 2023-24 season.
As a result, there is a lot of anticipation in the fanbase. There are real expectations for this team to make a deep run at the NBA Finals, which has not been the case at the start of each of the previous two seasons.
That being said, sometimes a fanbase can drink the Kool-Aid too much and expect unrealistic things out of the roster. This impacts players at the individual level, as several members of the Lakers roster have lofty expectations.
Some of those players won’t live up to the expectations.
3 Lakers who are primed to disappoint this season:
3. Cam Reddish
Cam Reddish has been tied to Los Angeles for several years now as a potential trade target on two different teams. Reddish finally hit the free-agency market this offseason and the Lakers were able to finally bring him on board without having to trade anything for him.
Los Angeles has built up a reputation for recruiting and maximizing players on the roster. Guys like Malik Monk have benefitted from this as his career literally turned around after his one season in LA.
Fans are hopeful that the same can happen for Reddish, who is undoubtedly naturally talented. The 2019 lottery pick also hasn’t been in the best situations, so there is a built-in excuse as to why he has disappointed.
While there might be some potential there, it is going to be hard for Reddish to get consistent minutes in this loaded Lakers rotation. His best chance to prove himself will be when LeBron James doesn’t play. Outside of that, his role is going to be hard to define.
All in all, the odds of Reddish producing what some fans are expecting are slim to none.