The Los Angeles Lakers are 8-4, fifth in the Western Conference standings. For a team with a first year head coach in JJ Redick and soon-to-be 40-year-old cornerstone in LeBron James, that’s not bad at all. However, good isn’t good enough for the Lakers, who have sincere hopes of winning another championship before James retires.
So, like any team and especially a title-contender, Los Angeles is focused on working out its kinks. So far, this has led to them making just one major change thus far. After a putrid start that led to Redick giving him a public undressing, the Lakers relegated D’Angelo Russell to the bench, starting Cam Reddish in his place.
Lakers’ Backcourt Puzzle Needs A Different Piece
The Lakers need someone who can be counted upon defensively, particularly at the point-of-attack. Russell has done so from time to time but not consistently enough. He also has a tendency to fall asleep off-ball. Austin Reaves is focused but allows too much perimeter penetration, especially when guarding faster players.
This led to Los Angeles starting Reddish, but this could become more of a problem than solution.
The Cam Reddish Question
While Reddish is a high-level perimeter defender with great physical traits, he’s enigmatic offensively.
When he was with the Atlanta Hawks, former head coach Lloyd Pierce wanted to use him at both guard and wing spots due to his versatility. However, he saw Reddish as a lead guard in the future due to his intuitive passing ability, and his developmental track reflected that. After Pierce was fired for failing to manage egos in the locker room, the plan changed.
Reddish was used to having the ball in his hands even before his rookie season. Yet, under Nate McMillan, those opportunities became increasingly infrequent. It wasn’t until he was traded to the New York Knick in Jan. 2022 that he started making more plays off the dribble.
The problem was that, like many young and confident players, Reddish tended to take tough shots. As a result, he could be streaky. When the Knicks traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal for Josh Hart in 2022-23, Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups the solution would be to have him play a 3-and-D role.
Reddish shot 31.0 percent on catch-and-shoot threes and 32.3 percent on pull-up 3s in his lone season with the Blazers. Yet, after being signed by the Lakers the following offseason, they doubled-down on Portland’s plan. 44.7 percent of Reddish’s total field goal attempts were catch-and-shoot threes in 2023-24. He made 32.4 percent of them (and 50.0 percent of his pull-up threes).
This season, Redick initially put the ball in Reddish’s hands more as a creator.
However, with James assuming more ball-handling duties as of late, Reddish has gone back to spotting-up. Now, the question is whether Reddish should continue starting or if they should turn elsewhere.
What About Gabe Vincent
The Lakers have three other players on their 15-man roster who could feasibly start alongside Reaves as the off guard: Max Christie, Gabe Vincent, and Dalton Knecht.
Vincent is the only player out of that trio who has consistently defended opposing point guards. In fact, that’s exactly what his primary responsibility is when he steps onto the court. He’s not the most physically impressive point guard, which often shows up on the court. However, he has solid lateral movement and anticipation. He also does a great job of defending without fouling.
Unfortunately for him and the Lakers, he lost his three-point stroke when he left UC Santa Barbara. In college, Vincent was a 37.6 percent three-point shooter, knocking down 41.6 percent of his threes as a freshman. Through six NBA seasons and counting, he’s connected on just 32.7 percent of his shots from downtown. He’s only shot above 34 percent from three in one season.
He could catch fire in any given game but he’s not reliable offensively.
Calling Quincy Olivari
Redick has no plans to call-up rookie Quincy Olivari, who was signed to a two-way contract after an eye-opening preseason.
An undrafted guard out of Xavier, Olivari’s hustle and humility have endeared him to fans but they don’t overshadow his talent. At 6-foot-3 and 198 pounds, Olivari is a hybrid guard who makes smart passes and has soft touch on his outside jumper.
At the other end, Olivari is assertive, willing to put the pressure on all 94 feet. He may not be the next Defensive Player of the Year. Nonetheless, he should be able to hold his own.
So Crazy It Might Work
Considering the way that he’s been playing and the way the Lakers want to play, Redick may need to re-evaluate his position on Olivari. Seeing what Jalen Hood-Schifino or Bronny James could do is another —though probably an even more remote —possibility due to their two-way upside. As crazy as it might sound, Hood-Schifino is likely a better player than he’s shown to this point, as is James. Still, there’s no denying that expectations are low for both players.
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