Cam Reddish has been sidelined for the Los Angeles Lakers for over two weeks now due to a concerning ankle injury. Fortunately, it looks like the young wing could make his return sooner rather than later.
Reddish has missed the Lakers’ last eight games entering Friday’s contest against the New Orleans Pelicans due to the said ankle problem. He last played for the team in their January 23 showdown against the Los Angeles Clippers. Interestingly, according to the latest updates, the 24-year-old is progressing well in his recovery and could potentially make his return after the All-Star break.
“Cam Reddish has been cleared to begin an on-court progression and ramp-up with hopes of returning to the court after the All-Star break, per the Lakers,” Khobi Price of Orange County Register reported.
This is certainly encouraging news for the Lakers, who opted not to make a trade at the deadline and instead stick with the current roster they have. While Darvin Ham’s men have been doing relatively well in recent games, there’s no denying they could use Cam Reddish and his disruptive defense.
In the 35 games he has played so far this 2023-24 season, Reddish has averaged 6.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals.
Lakers’ health will be key to success
Aside from Cam Reddish, Gabe Vincent has also been sidelined for the Lakers for some time know due to a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery. Vincent is reportedly set to return in March after his December procedure, meaning the Purple and Gold could be in full health in a month’s time and be poised to make a strong run to make the playoffs at the end of the campaig.
That will surely be huge for the Lakers, who have battled a number of health issues for much of the campaign.
After the Lakers stayed silent in the deadline, both LeBron James and Anthony Davis expressed belief in their current roster and admitted that all they need is to stay healthy.
“Just health. Max (Christie) went down today (and) didn’t return to the game so our whole year has been about health,” James told Michael Corvo of ClutchPoints when asked what they can improve after Thursday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Davis added, “This is our team. This is what we have. Once guys get healthy, hopefully we can get back into a groove.”
Indeed, if the Lakers can get healthy and find their rhythm quickly, they will be hard to beat. For now, though, LA will need to be patient and hold the fort as they await for the whole team to get over their injury woes.
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