The Los Angeles Lakers will be battling the Phoenix Suns at the Acrisure Stadium, and we’ll see quite the familiar faces tonight, with Cam Reddish amongst the group. Multiple injuries saw the hooper at the short end of the stick as he missed 34 regular season games and the entirety of the playoffs. The 25-year-old hadn’t suited up for the Lakers preseason debut game, either. Before this, he did miss a portion of the team’s practice because of back soreness. However, everything seems to be right on schedule for tonight’s game.

The Lakers’ beat reporter, Mike Trudell, tweeted, “JJ Redick confirmed that he’ll start his preferred five tonight: Russell, Reaves, Hachimura, LeBron and AD. Cam Reddish is also available off the bench after missing the first preseason game.” 

Jovan Buha of The Athletic had another update on the matter. “He played in a stay-ready game yesterday at practice,” Buha tweeted. And per JJ Redick, Cam Reddish is likely to take the floor in the 2nd half. One of the injuries he sustained last season was a right ankle sprain in the fourth quarter against the Clippers in Jan. The Duke alum had also been dealing with minor knee injuries which occasionally sidelined him.

As mentioned above, the team has been cautious in bringing him back on the court. And considering he might see some time on the ground in the second half, chances are Cam Reddish will be on minutes restrictions. That said, JJ Redick’s plan to start his five seems to be paying dividends. And if you remember, this was also their former coach’s favorite lineup.

JJ Redick brings back the Darvin Ham-inspired lineup for the 2nd preseason game

Out of the many lineups Ham deployed last season, the one that stuck (almost) was the starting five that Coach Redick used tonight. Talking about this in early May, Rui Hachimura, who looked more like the player in the 2022-23 playoffs, last season, said, “We’re just comfortable playing with each other. Offensively, defensively, we have a good chemistry, as you guys can see.”

However, things turned sour when the Lakers went 3-10 during the holiday period, immediately after the IST finale. And during that stretch, Darvin Ham decided to swap D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves in favor of Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish. Needless to say, it resulted in much backlash from fans and the NBA world alike.

While the favorite lineup is back, there is no doubt going to be some strategic and analytical changes, given that JJ is coaching them. Unsurprisingly, Bron and AD shone in their first game of the preseason. The superstar duo delivered with LeBron James scoring 19 points on 8-12 shooting in 16 minutes and Anthony Davis getting 17 points with 8 rebounds, and 3 assists in 18 minutes. None of them took the floor in the second half.

Although the Lakers lost to the Suns 114-118, it was a historical night for the Purple & Gold. The league’s first father-son duo shared the court, and it was Los Angeles that became the platform for the legendary moment!

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.