The Los Angeles Lakers have made a surprising change to their starting lineup for the In-Season tournament game against the Phoenix Suns, with Cam Reddish coming in for Austin Reaves. It was not a popular decision from head coach Darvin Ham, to say the least.
Darvin Ham starting Cam Reddish over Austin Reaves? pic.twitter.com/aXpQazwoMh
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) November 11, 2023
Lakers fans blasted Ham for this move.
One is furious the Lakers hired Ham last year over other more qualified candidates.
https://twitter.com/LakersCimbom/status/1723171585282957613
Ham’s obsession with Reddish needs to be looked at, a fan said.
His obsession with Cam Reddish needs to be studied.
— Dan (@DHoang1610) November 11, 2023
A fan says Ham’s time as head coach is about to be up.
I'm tired of this. Starvin Darvin time is bout up
— Deme' La Soul (@Metridamus) November 11, 2023
One didn’t mind Reaves being benched but questioned why Reddish was starting.
I get benching reaves but why Cam
— Jimmy (@_TheKiidFrankie) November 11, 2023
It is a really puzzling decision from Ham to start Reddish and if the Lakers end up losing to the Suns, he is going to come under fire.
Cam Reddish Has Struggled In 2023-24
To say Reddish has had a rough start to life as a Laker might be an understatement. Coming into this game against the Suns, he was averaging 4.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game, while shooting a woeful 30.6% from the field.
Reddish also missed a potential game-winner against the Miami Heat on Monday night and just has not found his shot so far. Perhaps Ham is trying to boost his confidence with this move.
As far as the reasoning behind this change, it is to deal with some of the defensive issues from that guard spot. Reaves and D’Angelo Russell have struggled on that end of the floor and it makes sense to bring in some size and defense. There were better options than Reddish for that, however, with Rui Hachimura being one of them.
Reddish ended up having a decent start to the game, with a steal and a three-pointer in the opening minutes but hasn’t done much since.
Austin Reaves Hasn’t Been Able To Build On From Last Season
There was a lot to like about how the Lakers managed to turn their 2022-23 season around to make it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. One of the biggest positives in that turnaround was Reaves, who went from strength to strength as the campaign went on.
He was expected to take another leap in 2023-24, but it hasn’t happened so far. He entered this game against the Suns with averages of 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 41.6% from the field.
It did seem as if he had gotten going after back-to-back 20-point games against the Orlando Magic and the Heat but then struggled like the rest of the team in their blowout loss to the Houston Rockets.
Perhaps playing for Team USA in the summer might have taken a bit out of him. It’s important to remember that Reaves has never really played these many games in a year. He was a bit part player in his rookie season and then not only had a bigger role last season but also played big minutes in what was a deep playoff run.
Following that up by playing for Team USA at the 2023 FIBA World Cup might not have been the best idea, but Reaves was determined to do so. It just might take him a little bit of time to get going by the looks of it.
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