The Los Angeles Lakers have faced their fair share of adversity early in JJ Redick's first season as head coach. Anthony Davis has endured foot and eye injuries, Christian Wood has missed all 11 regular season games, Jaxson Hayes has suffered a sprained ankle, and a longtime starter has been moved to the second unit.
The latter decision could've sent the Lakers' hopes of cohesion and chemistry up in flames, but instead, it's produced an unsung hero of the team's success: Cam Reddish.
Reddish is in his second season with the Lakers, both of which have been played on minimum contracts. He made intriguing progress on the defensive end of the floor in 2023-24, but his offense regressed and injuries limited him to 48 games played.
It's early, but Reddish is already proving that he can provide more value than anticipated during the 2024-25 campaign.
Redick made the surprising decision to move All-Star point guard D'Angelo Russell to the second unit during the Lakers' Nov. 8 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Starting in Russell's place was Reddish, who'd earned rave reviews for his defensive quality off the bench.
The sample size has been limited and the future remains uncertain for Reddish, but his emergence has directly coincided with the Lakers' overall improvement.
Cam Reddish has become invaluable to Lakers early in 2024-25
Los Angeles went into the aforementioned game against Philadelphia having lost four of its past five games. It created a cushion for itself with a 3-0 start, but the five-game road trip it went on directly after its undefeated run proved disastrous.
Reddish's return to the rotation signaled the beginning of the recent turnaround, however, due in no small part to his two-way quality of play.
Los Angeles fell to the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 6, but Reddish turned heads by posting 15 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 26 minutes. A game prior, he went scoreless against the Detroit Pistons, but was a breath of fresh air with his defensive intensity during an otherwise lifeless display by the Lakers.
Reddish would go on to post three points, five rebounds, two assists, one block, and a steal in his first start of the season, helping the Lakers defeat the 76ers 116-106.
The next time out, Reddish proved he can provide value on both ends of the floor. He tallied 11 points, two rebounds, one assist, and a steal in 29 minutes as Los Angeles ran away with a 123-103 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
It was a compelling display of quality defense and situational scoring by a player who hasn't yet put it all together in the NBA, but has shown flashes of quality on both ends of the floor.
Still just 25 years of age, it appears as though he's starting to put it all together. The impact can be found in the numbers, as Los Angeles is outscoring opponents by 5.0 points per 100 possessions when he's on the court and is being outscored by 2.6 points by that same metric when he isn't.
That 7.6-point swing may or may not be sustained as the season progresses, but Redick appears to be tapping into the potential many have been waiting for Reddish to realize.