Knicks Coach Gushes Over Fourth-Year Wing

Getty RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish of the New York Knicks converse on the bench against the Atlanta Hawks.

Considering the number of quality talents and promising prospects that currently reside on the roster for the New York Knicks, the team’s rotation could realistically find itself going 11-men deep during the 2022-23 campaign.

While the team’s focal points in RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, and Jalen Brunson are bound to see north of 30-minutes a night, several others are already strongly being considered to log a considerable amount of playing time alongside them this coming year, and perhaps the most intriguing candidate seems to be Cam Reddish.

Heading into his fourth year in the association, the former lottery pick is entering the final season of his rookie-scale deal. How he performs this season will have a major impact on the future of his NBA career, as he’ll be a restricted free agent come next summer in search of a fresh new contract.

And while his Knicks tenure has been rather underwhelming to date, as he’s struggled mightily to make much of an impact through his 15 games played with the franchise, this preseason it appears that Reddish will be given a grandiose opportunity to earn a consistent spot within the rotation.

Though we’re only about a week into training camp, the injury bug has already made its way to New York’s roster, as second-year guard, Quentin Grimes, has been sidelined with a foot ailment since September 28.

On October 3, head coach Tom Thibodeau noted that the University of Houston product was still not participating in practice and did not state whether or not he would be available to play during the Knicks’ first preseason contest on October 4.

Of course, a player being out due to injury is never a good thing to see. However, with his absence, it does give others on the roster an opportunity to claim some of the reps that would have likely been bestowed to Grimes in camp and during preseason outings, and Reddish could easily wind up being one of these beneficiaries.

Thibodeau Loves Size of Knicks Wing

During the same post-practice presser, Zach Braziller of the New York Post noted that Thibodeau discussed the wing in detail and couldn’t help but boast about his build in the process.

“We love his length. Long wings are important,” Thibodeau said.

Coming into the league back in 2019, Reddish’s size was a major point of intrigue, as his six-foot-eight height and seven-foot wingspan give him the ideal build of being an elite defender at the next level.

Despite playing just 15 games for the Knicks and logging 14.3 minutes a night after having been acquired by the Atlanta Hawks on January 13, the former 10th overall pick did show flashes of being a quality contributor within Thibodeau’s rotation, particularly on the defensive end where he posted two steals and just shy of a block per 100 possessions during this span.

Reddish also sported a defensive box plus-minus rating of 1.2, tying New York’s defensive anchor Mitchell Robinson.

Unfortunately, Reddish had his season cut short due to a right shoulder injury sustained on March 7, the day after having put forth his best performance with the Knicks against the Los Angeles Clippers, finishing with 17 points on 57% shooting from the floor and 50% shooting from deep.

Now, with a full offseason of rehabilitating and, presumably, having him come into his first full season with the orange and blue healthy, perhaps he can prove to Thibodeau that his skills are just as impressive as his size.

In the wake of Grimes’ injury, it seems he could see an increased opportunity to show his worth to the coaching staff.

Fournier ‘Front-Runner’ for Starting Two-Guard

During media day on September 27, when asked whether Evan Fournier was the “front-runner” to land the role, head coach Tom Thibodeau uttered one word — “yup.”

“The thing is we need shooting,” Thibs said. “The one thing that I know is that with Jalen [Brunson], RJ [Barrett], [and] with Julius [Randle] we have to put shooting around them. Right? [Mitchell Robinson] will give us pressure on the rim, so that’s what will force a defense to collapse.

“Evan’s proven. I thought the second half of last year he played really well, so I think we have good depth at that position.”

While many fans have been hoping to see Quentin Grimes be named the starting shooting guard for the Knicks after he was essentially deemed as an untouchable in offseason trade discussions, it appears that Thibodeau is leaning towards running things back with his $73 million veteran.

Last season, Fournier served as the starting shooting guard for the Knicks in 80 contests where he posted per-game averages of 14.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on 38.9% shooting from distance.