Atlanta Hawks: The Good and Bad of Cam Reddish

What Reddish Needs to do to Reach Stardom

Cam Reddish needs to improve two major things, in order to reach his full ceiling. One of those things is strength and the other is confidence. Physically he has a thin frame and needs to undergo an extensive nutrition and weight training program, in order to put on more muscle. Mentally he seems to be a quiet guy, who was too willing to take on a supporting role, to his two teammates picked in the top ten ahead of him.

Add Strength and Muscle Mass

The biggest concern about the game of Cam Reddish, is his inability to finish at the rim through contact. He shot just 46 percent at the rim in the half court. Only Stanley Johnson shot as bad at the rim as Reddish did and was still drafted in the lottery. Unfortunately for Johnson, he is a notoriously bad shooter at the rim in the NBA. Cam certainly has better physical tools to avoid such a fate. He should covert those opportunities at a higher rate, based on his athletic ability, combined with his 8’10 standing reach alone. Getting stronger and adding more muscle mass, will be instrumental in improving this deficiency. He also needs to lean on his teammate John Collins for advice. John is one of the NBA’s best at absorbing contact and concentrating to finish the shot regardless. Adding strength will also help Cam Reddish avoid injuries more often. Bulking up will help his body be better prepared to handle the rigors of an NBA schedule, plus hopefully the playoffs sooner than later. The fact that he dealt with injuries all year-long, must also be factored into Cam’s issue finishing inside, as it’s hard to seek out and absorb contact when you are injured. In fact it is human nature for even the toughest guy to avoid contact in such situations.

Maintaining Confidence

I am certainly not saying that Cam Reddish is lacking confidence, although he does not exude supreme confidence in interviews. He’s a humble guy and that’s okay, as long as he is confident mentally. Confidence is something that every young player has to increase or at least maintain, upon embarking on the highest level of basketball. All NBA basketball players play the game at a high level. Sometimes I’m not sure if the average fan understands this, but when referring to an NBA player as terrible, that term is most certainly relative to his NBA peers. The average third string NBA center, could dominate any park or recreational league while running point guard. Ben Simmons would defeat more than 80 percent of NBA fans in a three-point contest. Andre Drummond would best most people in a free throw contest.

While dominant physical attributes and athletic deficiencies certainly factor into how good an NBA player is, the main things that separate the good from the great, are work ethic and confidence. Playing with Trae Young will certainly do wonders for the confidence of Cam Reddish. Trae will help Cam, by getting him easy layups in both transition and the halfcourt. Young will also get Reddish the ball in the spots that he is most comfortable shooting from, at the right time. Most importantly Cam will have fun playing with this faced paced young Atlanta Hawks squad.

I believe that Cam Reddish will have a similar career trajectory, to Hawks forward John Collins in his first two seasons. I expect Cam to have a fairly slow start while recovering from injury. He will likely begin his career as a member of the team’s second unit. By season’s end, I envision Reddish playing well enough to be selected to the NBA All Rookie Second team, just like Collins. Similarly to John, I expect Cam to also explode in year two, after a full offseason of NBA level training. If Cam Reddish puts in the work, puts on the muscle, and maintains his confidence, the Atlanta Hawks may have just found their third star caliber player, in the 2019 NBA Draft.