When Cam Reddish entered Duke alongside fellow top-three recruits Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett, the Norristown, Pa., native had big shoes to fill in order to keep up.
As the season progressed, there were often times when the trio seemed to narrow down to just a duo of Williamson and Barrett, leaving Reddish in the shadow of his teammates. Although he played on a court already stacked with talent, Reddish was able to pull off some key performances that earned him a top pick in the draft.
Thursday night, Reddish was selected by the Atlanta Hawks as the No. 10 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. After Williamson and Barrett, at No. 1 and No. 3 respectively, Reddish was the third Blue Devil picked. Reddish will bring a solid skillset to Atlanta, as he has proven to be a solid defender, a clutch shooter and at 6-foot-8, both his height and size shape him up as an ideal candidate for the NBA.
Even though Duke had a lot of ups and downs when it came to 3-point shooting, Reddish was the go-to guy for a clutch shot from beyond the arc. In the historic comeback against Louisville where Duke erased a 23-point deficit in the last nine minutes of the game, Reddish was to thank for four three-pointers that pushed the Blue Devils to victory. In the last couple of minutes, Reddish sunk a trey that tied up the game and then followed with a couple of free throws to secure a Duke win.
His ability to perform under pressure has been evident on more than one instance. Reddish was a key player in another notable win against Florida State University. In a one-point game with just two seconds left on the clock, Reddish managed to hit a 3-point shot that earned a Blue Devil victory.
Although Reddish had some shining moments beyond the arc, this was also the spot where he hit his most inconsistent spots.
By the end of the season, 62 percent of Reddish’s attempted field goals came from beyond the three-point line and he only made 33 percent of those shots. There was no telling how Reddish would perform on any given night, given the hot-and-cold nature of his. Although Reddish’s four 3-pointers helped Duke win against Louisville, they also came after a streak of ten missed attempts.
Reddish is already a plus defender so if he works on his consistency from beyond the arc, he should be on the right path to become a key “3-and-D” player in the NBA.
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