ORLANDO, Fla. — When training camp started, it was unclear whether fifth-year forward Cam Reddish would be in the rotation full-time in his first season with the Lakers.
Not only was he part of the Day One rotation, but he’s now playing an even bigger role in light of the team’s injuries.
Reddish started his second consecutive game against the Orlando Magic on Saturday at Amway Center in place of veteran forward Taurean Prince, who was once again sidelined because of left patellar tendonitis.
And similar to when he primarily guarded All-Star wings Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in Wednesday’s home victory over the Clippers, Reddish once again received one of the top defensive assignments.
Reddish mainly guarded Magic third-year forward Franz Wagner, who entered the weekend as Orlando’s leading scorer at 18.6 points per game.
Coach Darvin Ham mentioned Reddish’s work on the defensive end can be his “niche” in the NBA after being on three teams (Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers) in his first four seasons before joining the Lakers.
“It’s going to be defense: 3-and-D, and he’s pretty athletic,” Ham said. “The kid is special. The only thing he needed was consistency. Just a program that’s going to put their arms around him and encourage him to constantly get better, simplify things and he’ll respond in a right way. He’s been awesome since he’s been an L.A. Laker.”
INJURY UPDATES
In addition to Prince, guard Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion – swollen joint), forward Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel bursitis – inflammation), forward Rui Hachimura (concussion protocol) and rookie guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (right patella contusion) and forward Taurean Prince (left patellar tendonitis) weren’t available against the Magic.
The Lakers announced on Thursday that Vincent will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Ham said Hachimura’s return is “probably sooner than later.” He said the same thing about Prince, adding that his absence is precautionary.
Vanderbilt is expected to be re-evaluated next week, with Ham saying his return is “probably later than sooner.”
Ham added that Hood-Schifino is “still a few weeks out” adding that “he has a target date coming up here soon to be evaluated along with Vando.”
“Us having the type of roster we’ve assembled and how deep we are, it allows us to take our time with these guys,” Ham said. “We don’t have to rush them back out there when they’re 75-80-85%. And I don’t think anyone, once the season starts, you’re never a full, 100% anyway just going through the course of the season and all the knicks, knacks, bumps and bruises. I just feel like things are progressing nicely with those three and day by day, each day, they’re getting closer and closer to their return and everything is going according to plan.”
CITY EDITION JERSEYS
The Lakers unveiled their new City Edition uniforms for the 2023-24 season, which are deemed the “California Dream”.
The black uniform is inspired by “historic Lakers artwork and represents the Los Angeles dream and journey.” The uniforms feature a:
• Lakers triangle wordmark from the 1960s when the team began playing on the West Coast;
• Jersey trim transitions from purple to black “as a nod to the sky following a California sunset”;
• Jersey numbers that mirror the same style from 1999-2017 – with the Lakers winning five NBA championships in that timespan;
• Shorts with a partial official L.A. logo complete with speed marks, a detail that signifies the path of chasing a dream.
The Lakers are scheduled to debut the city edition jerseys against the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 14 at Crypto.com Arena as part of the in-season tournament group play.
