Getty Cam Reddish #2 and Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils look for the rebound against Collin Smith #35 of the UCF Knights during the first half in the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
The college basketball world discovered late Friday night that Duke freshman guard Cam Reddish would not play in the Sweet 16 matchup versus Virginia Tech. While he’s warming up for the Elite 8 tilt Sunday night against Michigan State, he will not be in the starting lineup.
Unfortunately for the 6-foot-8, 218-pounder, he performance has waned as of late. On big stages, he was a star that lit up North Carolina for 50 combined points in the first 2 meetings this year. More recently, he scored a decent but unspectacular 13 points on 8 shots versus UCF in the second round.
The former McDonald’s All-American is averaging 13.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists a game. He’s a high-profile player on the nation’s top overall seed, but has recent mediocre play done anything to his draft stock?
Let’s take a dive into his prognostications, as well as mock drafts and big boards.
Cam Reddish Draft Projections & Mock Draft
Jeremy Woo of SI.com sends him to the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 5 pick his most recent mock draft. Despite the high ranking, he says Reddish needs to “harness his ability more consistently.”
Atlanta is set with Trae Young and Kevin Huerter in their backcourt going forward, and with two Top-10 selections should end up in position to take a risk on Reddish. While he’s been wholly underwhelming for Duke this season and his issues finishing at the rim are particularly concerning, going to the Hawks would put him in a low-pressure situation where team and player can focus on specializing his skill set, rather than trying to turn him into something he’s not. If Reddish can just harness his ability more consistently, he has the tools to become a versatile 3-and-D forward. This would be an ideal situation for him.
Bryan Kalbrosky of Hoops Hype shows in his aggregate mock draft that Reddish is a consensus top-10 pick over several outlets, as well as the No. 5 pick on The Athletic and Bleacher Report.
NBA Draft sees Reddish as the No. 8 pick to the Washington Wizards.
Our own Jon Adams has the Blue Devil forward going No. 4 to the Chicago Bulls in his most recent mock draft. In an earlier update, he stated that “Cam Reddish’s size and versatility makes him another Blue Devil likely to be selected with a high pick.”
Cam Reddish NBA Draft Big Board Rankings
Mark Schanowski of NBC Sports has moved other players ahead of Reddish, particularly Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver.
The smooth 6-foot-6 junior has picked up his scoring over the last month, showing the versatile offensive game pro scouts love. He’s also capable of being an above average perimeter defender. At this point, Culver looks like a safer pick than Duke’s underachieving freshman Cam Reddish.
Aran Smith’s NBA Draft Net continues to dock Reddish a few spots on his draft board. Last time, he moved the forward down to No. 8 overall. Now he ranks No. 9.
ESPN has him as the top-rated small forward and No. 6 player on its draft board, saying he just needs to combine his vast potential with consistent effort.
Strengths
– Outstanding size, length and fluidity for a wing prospect. Glides to the rim. Excellent frame with considerable room to fill out.
– Versatile offensive attack. Smooth ball handler who can create offense out of pick-and-roll or isolation. Strong vision for a wing. Can play off hang dribbles. Capable standstill shooter with time and space. Has the most natural talent of any player in the draft.
– Effort needs to improve but has the tools of a versatile defender.Improvement areas
– Goes through the motions at times. Extremely inconsistent overall. Too willing to settle for contested jumpers. Struggles to play through contact. Willing to blend in. Confidence fluctuates.
– Not a consistent defender. Effort fluctuates. Shies away from physicality on that end.
– Flat-footed perimeter jumper. Can stand to speed up his release. Career 30 percent 3-point shooter on 260 attempts, according to our database.
He very much looks like a one-and-done. While most scouts notice that he hasn’t been fully tuned into each game, he typically shows up in high-profile matchups.
After working through injury tonight, he’ll get a chance against a great Texas Tech defense in the Final Four (if Duke gets by a very good Michigan State team). A good performance there and potentiall in the NCAA final could get Reddish back to solid footing on draft boards.