Getty Julius Randle of the New York Knicks reacts during the second half against the Detroit Pistons.
The New York Knicks are boasting a pedestrian record of just 8-8, but several players residing on their roster have been putting forth efforts that far surpass .500-level basketball.
One player’s tremendous early-season production was just recently highlighted by big man Julius Randle, as Steve Popper of Newsday reported on November 19 that the former All-Star was recently praising fourth-year wing Cam Reddish for his consistency on both ends of the floor thus far into 2022-23.
“He’s just showing his versatility,” Randle said of Reddish. “He’s so talented. He can really score the ball, but he’s showing he’s two-way and he can lock up and defend, whether it’s guards or wings. So as long as he keeps doing that, his value is amazing to us.”
Popper’s piece came the day after the Knicks took on the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors on November 18. Despite having lost the bout by a final score of 111-101, New York put forth a valiant effort against the dynastic Dubs, with Reddish serving as a driving force in their competitive performance.
Seeing his eighth start on the season, the 2019 lottery pick finished the night with 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and an assist before exiting the contest in the third period with a groin injury.
Reddish’s Defense Impressing Knicks Coach
During their matchup against the Warriors, the Knicks entrusted Reddish to attempt to shadow superstar guard Stephen Curry on the defensive side of the ball and, during the first half with him at full strength, it appeared the plan was working out rather well as the reigning Finals MVP was held to just 8 points on 33% shooting from the field.
However, according to the wing, this task proved to be a bit too daunting for his body, as he admitted that he believes trying to keep up with the “nonstop moving” Curry is “probably why” his groin was ultimately tweaked.
Nonetheless, even outside of this outing his abilities on the less glamorous side of the ball have been put on full display this season, which, in turn, has caught the eye of his defensive-minded head coach Tom Thibodeau who was quoted as praising both Reddish’s build and abilities within Popper’s article.
“He’s long. He’s athletic. And I think he’s taking a lot of pride in it,” Thibodeau said of Reddish. “He’s a hard guy to pass around. Just his ball pressure can be very disruptive. So there’s more hang time on passes, so when you’re closing out to shooters, he’s a hard guy in pick-and-rolls to throw over.
“All those things matter. So when you add them up — and I think he’s starting to understand all the schemes and what his responsibility is. He’s seeing things. He can guard multiple positions. He can guard point guards, 2s, 3s, 4s. You can even switch him onto some 5s.”
Coming into the season, Knicks fans were looking to Reddish as a potential breakout candidate, considering he’ll be a restricted free agent come the summer of 2023 and is hoping to earn a lucrative payday on the open market.
Through 16 games played, it appears the wing is off to a favorable start to what is hoped to be a bounce-back campaign.
NBA Exec on Knicks Guard’s Trade Value
Rumors have begun circulating suggesting that the New York Knicks may be open to the idea of trading away third-year guard Immanuel Quickley, and have even received calls from interested ball clubs regarding his availability.
With this, an NBA executive spoke with Heavy Sports’ NBA Insider Sean Deveney about what the 23-year-old’s return value could look like, and, while Leon Rose and company may be hopeful to receive a couple of first-round picks back in a hypothetical exchange, the exec isn’t too confident that this is achievable.
“They want picks. If they can get two first-rounders for Quickley, they would but that is too high a price,” the executive told Deveney. “Maybe a young guy or a prospect playing in Europe, someone like that, and a first-rounder, a protected first-rounder, that is probably where the market ends up on him.”
They would continue by stating that the feeling is the Knicks are looking to “stockpile picks” in the hopes of making a run at any possible star who could wind up becoming available on the trade market and mentioned Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, and Karl-Anthony Towns as possible targets.