Cam Reddish cleared for on-court work, aiming for return after All-Star break

The Lakers announced that Cam Reddish was cleared to return to the court to begin rehab that will see him return after the All-Star break.

Having missed the last eight games heading into Friday’s contest against the Pelicans, Cam Reddish and the Lakers received some good news regarding his injury. Reddish has been cleared for on-court progression and ramp up, with the goal of his returning after the All-Star break, the team said.

Reddish has battled injuries for much of the season, most commonly being sidelined by a recurring groin injury. However, his most recent absence has been due to a sprained ankle he suffered against the Clippers.

After playing in the team’s first 15 games, Reddish has played in just 20 of the team’s last 38 games heading into Friday. And given that he’s set to miss the remainder of the games before the All-Star break, it’ll be 20 of the team’s last 41 games.

Given their current situation, the Lakers could sorely use Reddish back in the rotation if only because the team hardly has any guards available. And as frustratingly overused he was at times this year, when healthy, he was a disruptive defender, something the team has few of right now as well.

Ironically, despite contributing to high-level basketball for one of the first times in his career this year, this is also the worst counting-stats season of his career. He’s averaging a career-low 6.7 points per game, and his effective field goal percentage is also lower than either of the previous two seasons.

However, he’s found his niche defensively and excelled in that. And while his time in the starting lineup should be, and probably is, over with, he can still have a productive role coming off the bench, which he showed in a short glimpse in the two games he played between his recent injuries.

For the team, the All-Star break is sorely needed if only just to get healthy before the stretch push. Reddish, along with hopefully other Lakers, will be able to use the week to rest and rehab and get back to something close to 100% because, for the second year in a row, the team will need a strong push to solidify its spot in the postseason.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.