DETROIT — With the Lakers searching for athleticism and perimeter defense, Cam Reddish made his rotation debut during Monday night’s 115-103 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Reddish, who made his season debut in the Oct. 30 blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, made his first appearance on Monday midway through the second quarter, subbing in for forward Rui Hachimura during the rotation pattern when third-year wing Max Christie typically comes in to close the first half.
The sixth-year wing primarily guarded Pistons ballhandlers Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.
“Cam was great,” Lakers star LeBron James said. “He did exactly what was asked of him. He came in and he defended at a high level. He was great.”
Reddish didn’t take a shot on Monday but finished with five rebounds and a steal in 14 minutes.
His individual plus/minus of plus-10 was a team-high. He was the only Laker with a positive plus/minus.
In light of Christie’s struggles to start the season as a regular part of the rotation and forward Jarred Vanderbilt remaining sidelined after offseason surgery on his feet, there could be an opportunity for Reddish to become a more consistent part of the rotation.
Especially if he makes the defensive impact he did on Monday with his speed and ability to keep ball handlers in front of him – something the Lakers have been lacking to start the season.
The 6-foot-7 Reddish was a consistent part of the rotation for the first half of last season, starting 26 games.
The Lakers will close their five-game trip against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday at FedExForum.
“He certainly earned some trust [on Monday night],” Coach JJ Redick said of Reddish. “But we’ll evaluate [on Tuesday] and see what Wednesday looks like.”
HAYES COMMENTS
Jaxson Hayes spoke with reporters for the first time on Monday since the NBA reopened an investigation into a 2021 domestic incident involving the Lakers backup center after TMZ on Saturday posted a video of the altercation between Hayes and his then-girlfriend Sofia Jamora.
Los Angeles police officers responded to a call from a cousin of Jamora after the incident, with Hayes being arrested for resisting a police officer. An officer was treated for an elbow injury suffered when Hayes shoved him against the wall, police said, and Hayes was treated for what police described as minor injuries.
In June 2022, Hayes was sentenced to three years of probation, 450 hours of community service and a year of weekly domestic violence classes after pleading no contest to two misdemeanor charges stemming from an incident.
The NBA didn’t discipline Hayes after its first investigation.
“Me and my team are working on cooperating with the league with all of that,” Hayes said. “I don’t have any other comments about it right now.”
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