Lakers Injury Report: LA Role Player To Miss At Least 2 Weeks With Sprain

How this will impact the trade deadline for the Lakers?

Your Los Angeles Lakers' 2023-24 NBA season can be defined by a set of ups and downs throughout. Sometimes they look like the team who reached the Western Conference Finals a season ago, and other times they look like the worst team in the league. 

It's been telling all year long, and different injuries have caused issues as well. You can add another to the mix as forward Cam Reddish will be out for at least two weeks dealing with a right ankle sprain, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic:

Cam Reddish was evaluated by team doctors and was diagnosed with a right ankle sprain. Reddish will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks, per the team.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 26, 2024

Reddish originally got hurt during the team's game against the Los Angeles Clippers earlier in the week, and this is a big loss for the Lakers. Reddish had become one of the more important role players for this team, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

While his offense has come and gone at times, his impact defensively can't be overstated. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham relied upon Reddish to take some of the tougher matchups, and the team will now need others to step up.

In 25 games this season, Reddish has averaged 6.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. His numbers don't jump off the page, but he is a player whose value doesn't always show up in the box score.

With the NBA trade deadline quickly approaching, this injury could impact how the Lakers maneuver. Losing wing depth with Reddish hurts this team even more, and their defense was already an issue with him available to play.

The hope is that Reddish can heal over these next few weeks, and come back strong. If this is an injury that lingers, the Lakers could be in trouble down the stretch.