While the Los Angeles Lakers will need all hands on deck to defeat the defending champions, the G-League stakes have increased. In the most bizarre convergence of NBA legacies and bloopers, the South Bay Lakers were locked in a high-stakes playoff battle against the San Diego Clippers. Bronny James, South Bay’s standout scorer, was not present. The presence of former Laker Cam Reddish, who made his G League playoff debut, added to the irony of the postseason matchup. But not for the Laker’s affiliate.

The Los Angeles Lakers announced their injury report ahead of Thursday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Marcus Smart is ruled out due to an ankle contusion. But they have backup on the bench, including Bronny James. So he won’t be joining South Bay for the playoffs.

South Bay will instead feature Adou Thiero, Kobe Bufkin, and Dalton Knecht. The young players would have to compete with an NBA veteran who has played alongside Bronny’s father.

Cam Reddish last played for the Lakers from 2023 to 2025, almost played in Lithuania, but came back to the US due to personal reasons. The 26-year-old is now seeking his way back into a permanent NBA rotation. Instead of a main NBA team, he was signed to the San Diego Clippers, the LA Clippers’ G-League affiliate.

He made his debut right in the G-League playoffs and provided one of the most viral moments of the night. During a critical stretch with the Lakers ahead by three points, Reddish went up for a contested bucket only to have the ball become perfectly wedged between the backboard and the rim. The ‘wedgie’ went viral online and some even called for this guy to get an NBA contract. Some even called it a metaphor for his ‘stuck’ NBA trajectory.

Despite the highlight-reel gaffe, Reddish’s veteran presence was a calculated move by the Clippers to bolster their eighth-seeded squad against the South Bay Lakers who are top-seeded thanks to Bronny James. Did it work? Nope.

Cam Reddish’s debut against Bronny-less South Bay went sideways

The South Bay Lakers have reached the postseason for the first time in three years, thanks to Bronny James when the parent club ships him back. But mostly due to second-year coach, Zach Guthrie.

The San Diego Clippers with Cam Reddish lost 122-119 to South Bay. Reddish only had four points in his G-League debut. Yet the Clippers nearly pushed them to the brink in the fourth. The final few minutes saw a back-and-forth in which South Bay emerged victorious. Kobe Bufkin, Dalton Knecht and Drew Timme had 21 points each to lead South Bay to the win.

The parent club meanwhile is in a complex situation. While they are playoff-bound, the matchup against Oklahoma City Thunder is going to set the tone for the MVP race. Without their best defender, Marcus Smart against one of the teams with the best defensive rating, the Lakers are likely going to rely on role-players like Bronny James to give Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves back up.

It also means we’re going to see more father-son plays. LeBron and Bronny have been adding to a highlight reel the NBA has never had before since marking the first father-son assist last week.

While South Bay navigates the single-game elimination system of the G-League playoffs, Bronny’s focus is NBA-shaped. As the situation demands.