Outside of perhaps the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Los Angeles Lakers are the NBA’s hottest team. They currently have a six-game winning streak and have won 18 of their last 22 games. With a 38-21 record, they hold second place in the Western Conference, and they haven’t even scratched the surface of their offensive potential with Luka Doncic.
Still, they could use a little more depth, especially at the center and shooting guard positions, if they are to have a real shot at winning the NBA championship this season.
They recently called up Jordan Goodwin, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound guard from the G League, and he has shown promise as someone who will hustle hard defensively and on the boards. Head coach JJ Redick said recently that he sees Goodwin as a part of their rotation moving forward.
Meanwhile, center Trey Jemison III, who was also called up from the G League, has also played relatively well.
Since Goodwin and Jemison are on two-way contracts, they’re not eligible to be on L.A.’s playoff roster unless their contracts are converted into a standard one. For that to happen, the team has to clear at least one roster spot, and the only way for it to do so is to waive a player.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic said on a recent episode of “Buha’s Block” that the team could waive forward Cam Reddish and center Alex Len.
In two seasons with the Lakers, Reddish has amounted to very little, if anything. He has had some moments where he has applied decent ball pressure in the backcourt, but he isn’t a great man-to-man defender, and he offers almost nothing on offense. He hasn’t appeared in a game since Jan. 28.
Len was signed a few weeks ago in an attempt to augment their weak center rotation, but he has appeared in just three games and played a total of 35 minutes for them.
In eight games with the Purple and Gold, Goodwin has averaged 6.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 16.9 minutes a game and has shot 52.5% from the field. Jemison, meanwhile, has put up 3.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 10.7 minutes per game with the Lakers.
