Believe it or not, but this time last year, Cam Reddish was on the New York Knicks. For some reason, it feels like a lot more time has passed since he was traded to the Trail Blazers with a protected first-round pick for Josh Hart.
Since then, Reddish has gone from Portland to Los Angeles, where he signed with the Lakers in free agency. LA was long rumored to be interested in Reddish, and at long last, they got him. The 2019 lottery pick is on his fourth team since being drafted, and it's looking as if he's found his home.
Reddish has found his way into the Lakers starting five, a role he's done well in. He's averaging 8.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game as a starter, shooting 45.7% from the field and 40.5% from three. Reddish has already played in more games than he did for the Knicks last season.
For the first time as a member of the purple and gold, Reddish will go up against his former team on Monday, and Tom Thibodeau will have a front-row seat.
Cam Reddish could have big game against Tom Thibodeau and Knicks
When it comes to Cam Reddish, nothing is certain. The potential is there, but he's struggled with consistency throughout his career. At the beginning of the season, it looked as if the Lakers made a mistake by signing him, but he's since turned things around.
Reddish has yet to score 20 points in a game this season, but knowing the Knicks' luck, he'll do so on Monday. Given the Lakers' injury report, it's a possibility, as the team could be without a couple of key players.
Reddish's time in New York was doomed from the start, as it was reported that Tom Thibodeau wasn't a fan of the trade that brought him to the Knicks from the Hawks. He spent more time outside of the rotation than he did in it. New York traded Reddish on Feb. 8. Before that, he hadn't played in a game since Dec. 3.
He may not admit it, but there's no way he isn't approaching tonight's game with some added motivation. As a competitor, how could you not want to put on a show on your home floor against the coach who didn't play you for over two months?
None of this is to say that New York made a mistake by trading Reddish because it was a move that brought Josh Hart to the Knicks.
Speaking of Hart, he's a former Laker, and hopefully, he'll be the one to have a big night against his former team, not Reddish. The same can be said for Julius Randle, who has had some big games in LA since leaving in 2018. Better yet, let's hope that both Hart and Randle will put on a show!