LOS ANGELES — After being in and out of the lineup over the last couple of months, the Lakers are optimistic that Cam Reddish will be available for the season’s final stretch.
Reddish was available for the Lakers on Friday night’s home game against the Philadelphia 76ers after being sidelined for the previous four games, and 19 of the last 24, because of a sprained right ankle.
“He’s definitely ready to go, been itching at it,” Coach Darvim Ham responded when asked before the game whether Reddish’s ankle ailments are behind him. “But again, we won’t know [until Saturday], see how he recovers after he gets out there [Friday]. All signs point towards him being around for some time.”
Reddish originally suffered the injury in the Jan. 23 loss to the Clippers, missing the next 14 games before returning for the Feb. 28 victory over the Clippers.
Made worse because the Lakers have also been without a pair of their best perimeter defenders for most of the season in Gabe Vincent (knee) and Jarred Vanderbilt (foot), Reddish’s absence has been most felt in that area.
“There are foundational things that make you valuable to a ball club, that you can use to impact winning,” Ham said. “And his is his size, his athletic ability, his ability to navigate screens both on and off the ball. And his ability to knock down 3s when our stars are doubled, triple-teamed, kickouts, his re-drives, he’s able to make a play going downhill with the ball. It’s about being focused on the value that you bring.”
With 12 games left in the regular season after Friday, Ham is confident that Reddish will be able to regain his rhythm after being sidelined for a significant chunk of time.
Reddish had played in just 40 of the Lakers’ 69 games entering Friday.
“His style of play, it’s not like we’re asking him to take 10, 15, 20 shots,” Ham said. “We’re just asking him to shoot when he’s open. And the way he plays, his priority is defense, on the…
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