Cam Reddish is an enigma. He is oozing with potential but had an extremely disappointing freshman season at Duke. Despite the down year, he is still being viewed as a lock to go in the top 10 and potentially as high as number five to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Superstar Ability for Cam Reddish
Cam Reddish Had a Disappointing Career at Duke
Reddish came out of high school as one of the most highly touted players in his class according to 247 sports. He was ranked as the number two overall player in the 2018 high school class. His lone season at Duke was a tough one as he had to endure a major role change. Reddish was the guy in high school and AAU. Once he stepped foot on campus, he was immediately relegated to a spot-up shooter thanks to R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson having such a high usage rate. Due to his low volume of touches, Reddish struggled throughout much of the season. Reddish has the label of a knockdown shooter, but Reddish shot a putrid 35 percent from the floor and 33 percent from three. The season wasn’t without its highs, however. In a game that Williamson missed due to a knee injury, Reddish poured in 23 points and hit the game-winner against the Florida State Seminoles.
Cam Reddish has Elite NBA Size
Cam Reddish has great size for an NBA wing. At the NBA combine he measured in at 6’7” and 210 pounds. He also had a 7’1” wingspan. Although Reddish struggled with his shot at times, he still projects as an elite shooter. Reddish has a very good handle, especially for someone with his measurements. His ballhandling skills allow him to get to the rim where he has the potential to be a very good finisher. Reddish has a very good first step that he can use to attack on-ball defenders, this will allow him to get to the free throw line at a high rate, where he shot it at a respectable 77 percent. He also has elite level athleticism to go with his size.
Cam Reddish Needs to Improve on the Mental Aspect
Reddish had an awful year shooting the ball at Duke. He needs to convince scouts that his role was the main factor that led to this. A majority of time throughout his freshman season, Reddish decided to take time off on the defensive end of the floor. He has all the tools to be an elite defender. He is long, strong, and he has elite athleticism. Reddish checked out on the offensive end a lot of the time when he wasn’t seeing many touches. Reddish has to improve on the mental aspect of the game. Without the mental aspect, the physical aspect doesn’t mean a thing.
Player Comparison
Coming out of college, Cam Reddish has similar physical tools that Rudy Gay had. Gay had an incredible offensive game coming out of the University of Connecticut. He could take smaller guys into the low post and score over the top of them. When a team put a bigger guy on him, he had the quickness to get around them with a great first step. He was also an incredible finisher at the rim. Reddish has all of these tools. He has a ceiling that exceeds Gay’s however. Reddish has the potential to be at worst, an above average three and D player. He also has the potential to be a superstar. That is why he is being coveted by teams in the top 10 of the 2019 NBA Draft.
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