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Lakers News: Cam Reddish sits on the bench against the Spurs, Dalton Knecht starts


Lakers News: Cam Reddish sits on the bench against the Spurs, Dalton Knecht starts

After Tuesday’s blowout loss to the Suns, their second straight loss by more than 20 points, JJ Redick is making another change to the Lakers’ starting lineup.

He moves Cam Reddish back to the bench and replaces him with Dalton Knecht.

Due to their ongoing injuries, it was questionable whether Knecht and Reddish would play, but they were cleared for action before the starting lineups were officially announced.

This move makes sense as this team has struggled offensively and defensively. While Reddish is undeniably a better defender, he has given the Lakers next to nothing on the offensive side.

Meanwhile, Knecht averaged 19.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in the games he started while shooting 50% from 3-point range on eight attempts per game.

Those are some impressive stats for a rookie. Given that the team is in crisis and it’s the second night in a row, it’s worth trying this out and seeing how effective it is.

Longtime NBA journalist Zach Lowe made that exact suggestion via Twitter on Wednesday morning, explaining that Knecht’s offense is a much bigger improvement than what the Lakers get from Reddish’s defense.

With Knecht’s start, the Lakers tend to be an offensive-minded team, which seems to be their primary identity as the only players who consistently play good defense are Anthony Davis and Reddish.

Despite the move to the bench, Lakers fans should expect Reddish to remain in the rotation. He was a good defender and the other fringe players, like Max Christie and Gabe Vincent, certainly didn’t do enough to make Reddish a non-player from the start.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.

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