Atl All Day Atlanta Hawks Specific NBA Draft Big Board

Tier 1 Pick Eight or Trade Up

2.

Cam Reddish Wing

Sports Talk 2319 Scouting Report

Pros:

1. Ball Handling

2. Shooting Form

3. Defensive Potential

Cons:

1. Lack of Productivity

2. Inability to finish through contact

3. Lack of Physicality

NBA Comparisons:

Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady (Sports Talk 2319)

Jeff Green (CBS Sports)

Paul George, Rashard Lewis, Ben McLemore (The Ringer)

3.

R.J. Barrett Wing

ESPN Scouting Report

Pros:

1. Physical Stature

2. Ball Handling

3. Strong Mentality

Cons:

1. Shooting Consistency

2. Shot Selection

3. Doesn’t Trust Teammates in Big Moments

NBA Comparison:

Alpha Andrew Wiggins, Jalen Rose, Harrison Barnes (The Ringer)

James Harden (Bleacher Report)

Cam Reddish checks in at number two on our draft board. In theory Reddish would be a wonderful fit with the Atlanta Hawks. Being a former point guard, Cam would bring the Atlanta Hawks a secondary ball handler that can create shots for himself and others. He also brings the potential to be a great shooter as his shot is one of the smoothest in this year’s draft. In addition his 7’1 wingspan, makes Reddish a great bet to be a good three and D player at the very least.

The concern about Reddish is any team that selects him, would be doing so based purely on potential. He was very underwhelming as the third option at Duke. It is understandable that Reddish did not see the touches that he would have liked, while playing with two other potential top three draft picks. However with the amount of defensive attention that Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett drew, it is mind bogging that Reddish only shot 33 percent from downtown. Even more concerning is the fact that Cam Reddish shot just 46 percent at the rim. That is astoundingly low for a man his size. In fact in the last 20 years, only Stanley Johnson shot worse in college and was still selected on the draft lottery. His teammate R.J Barrett, wasn’t much better, himself as evidenced by this tweet by writer Mike Zavagno of Fear the Sword:

The most concerning stat for Cam Reddish was the fact that he shot just 39 percent from two point range. That number is monumentally bad. To put it into perspective historically, only one other player has shot under 40 percent inside the arch and been drafted. That player was 6’4 guard Isaiah Whitehead, who was drafted with pick 42 in the 2016 draft. With that said I would be happy if the Atlanta Hawks landed Cam Reddish with the eighth pick in this year’s NBA Draft. In fact I selected him at number eight in the recent ATL All Day Mock Draft 3.0. Reddish has All Star upside, once he gets stronger and refines his game, his talent should shine. The question is rather he is a day one starter or if he will need some seasoning off the bench, before being thrown fully into the fire. The fact that Reddish is so much more potential than production, is why the Atlanta Hawks should avoid trading up for him. Click the link under Reddish’s name above, to view the thorough scouting video on Reddish by Rashad Phillips of Sports Talk 2319.

R.J Barrett is number three on our draft board. That’s exactly where he is slotted on most NBA Draft boards, except our board does not include Zion Williamson or Ja Morant, meaning I am lower on R.J. Barrett than the general consensus. While I do feel that he has the upside to one day be a superstar, he is not the best fit for the Atlanta Hawks. He is a ball dominant scorer that is not a good shooter, and that is the opposite of what Atlanta needs. Not to mention the cost to trade up for him would be higher than trading for one of the other men on this list. Should the Hawks move up to select Barrett, both the team and the player would certainly have to adjust until Barrett improves his jumpshot. That’s why Barrett comes in third on our draft board. A comprehensive ESPN video scouting report on Barrett can be viewed by clicking the link above on our draft board.