Cam Reddish Declares for NBA Draft

[dukelifer]

I hope that as time passes we'll be able to appreciate Cam's freshman year, his only year, for what it was rather than what it was compared to his mega-watt teammates Zion and RJ.

In the one-and-done Duke era, we have perhaps gotten used to freshmen being able to come in and play heavy minutes and produce. That's what Cam did...36 games (35 starts), 30 mpg, 13.5 ppg. In general, I think we all feel he played good defense, perhaps not great considering his pedestrian +/- (i know, not the greatest stat).

I think where expectations got in the way of reality was the shooting. Everyone thought he'd be the guy who kept defenses from packing the paint on us, but his shooting numbers just weren't what we all hoped they'd be...36% from the field, 33% from 3 on a team leading 7.5 attempts per game. He shot well from the line (77%) but only got to the line 3 times per game. Perhaps part of that was his loose handle which kept him from being an effective penetrator and contributed to another achilles heal, a 16.6% turnover %.

But, his usage was the 3rd highest on the team so the kid came in, competed, and gave us a lot. Without the expectations, we'd be thinking he just had a heck of a debut. But, he had one legendary freshman teammate, and a second all-time great freshman teammate.

As others have said, he'll always be remembered for...
-The buzzer beater in Tally
-The huge 3 in the Yum Center on the backwards through the legs pass from RJ

I also remember that he seemed like a humble, well-mannered, quiet kid who didn't appear to resent his more well-publicized teammates and was happy to be one-of-the-guys. I am not sure if that's what he was really like, but guys in his position can become locker room cancers and it seems like he was anything but.

Duke fans will, hopefully, always be part of the Cam Fam. Good luck, kid.

Cam had an excellent Freshman year and the NBA’s “draft on potential mentality” indicates that he needs to make this step. All components of his offensive game are works in progress. I cannot say right now what aspect of his game is elite or will become so. Of the OAD players, Ingram may be closest to Cam in terms of the lack of elite skill set but awesome potential and he has begun to develop his game. However, Ingram is a bit longer and maybe showed a little more consistency as a scorer and driver than Cam while at Duke. It is all in Cam’s hands to make the necessary adjustments. Hopefully the team that drafts him will be patient.

[JNort]

That is a very bold prediction. The physical tools are definitely there, but I just don't see enough of an aggressive attitude from Cam. Cam lived up to his High School scouting report during his time and Duke and I don't see how that changes at the next level.

It's not that bold. I've heard multiple NBA talk guys mention Cam having the most upside (yes even more than Zion). His size, defense, athleticism, shooting form, and age are very desirable. Just clean up his decision making and sloppy turnovers. He probably has the safest floor.

[arnie]

It's not that bold. I've heard multiple NBA talk guys mention Cam having the most upside (yes even more than Zion). His size, defense, athleticism, shooting form, and age are very desirable. Just clean up his decision making and sloppy turnovers. He probably has the safest floor.

So you think he has a greater upside and safer floor than Zion? That would make him the No. 1 pick in this draft and one of the greatest 1 picks ever?

[uh_no]

So you think he has a greater upside and safer floor than Zion? That would make him the No. 1 pick in this draft and one of the greatest 1 picks ever?

that's quite the straw man you got there.

[Acymetric]

It's not that bold. I've heard multiple NBA talk guys mention Cam having the most upside (yes even more than Zion). His size, defense, athleticism, shooting form, and age are very desirable. Just clean up his decision making and sloppy turnovers. He probably has the safest floor.

I don't see how he could have more upside than Zion...Zion's upside is essentially "most physically gifted player to ever play the game".

I (somewhat) agree that Cam might have the safest floor, although I don't see it as especially higher than Zion's and it might not be higher at all.

[NSDukeFan]

Why would Cam have the safest floor? Didn’t Zion and R.J. show that they are ready for the NBA right now? Wouldn’t Cam’s floor be a long, athletic player who can defend, but not be an all-conference college player?

[flyingdutchdevil]

It's not that bold. I've heard multiple NBA talk guys mention Cam having the most upside (yes even more than Zion). His size, defense, athleticism, shooting form, and age are very desirable. Just clean up his decision making and sloppy turnovers. He probably has the safest floor.

NBA folks were saying this pre-season, when Cam was thought to have the highest upside. During the season, and especially post-season, no one is saying that.

[Steven43]

OTOH, there may be some veteran players who very quickly tire of him (RJ) shouting "And 1!" after every drive to the hoop. I can see him taking his share of hard fouls.

In fairness, R.J. did get hit quite a lot on shots near the basket, most of which went uncalled.

[Dukehk]

In fairness, R.J. did get hit quite a lot on shots near the basket, most of which went uncalled.

Part of the reason why we lost that game. Someone said that out of all the tournament games, our game against msu was the one with the LEAST foul calls.

Amazes me and I wouldn't be surprised if the referees were somehow inclined to whistle it that way. Plenty of dirty referees around.

[Steven43]

It's not that bold. I've heard multiple NBA talk guys mention Cam having the most upside (yes even more than Zion). His size, defense, athleticism, shooting form, and age are very desirable. Just clean up his decision making and sloppy turnovers. He probably has the safest floor.

Hmmm, I don’t know which publications you’ve been reading or which radio shows and/or podcasts you’ve been hearing, but I have not heard even one NBA person say Cam has more upside than Zion (or even R.J., for that matter). However, I have heard many of them say that Cam would completely disappear for long stretches of games to such a degree that you didn’t even realize he was still on the court. And quite a few of those same commentators have also said they consider him to be a risky pick in the top 10 and considerably more so in the top 5. But hey, your thoughts on Cam’s upside might turn out to be true. We’ll see.

[Steven43]

Part of the reason why we lost that game. Someone said that out of all the tournament games, our game against msu was the one with the LEAST foul calls.

Amazes me and I wouldn't be surprised if the referees were somehow inclined to whistle it that way. Plenty of dirty referees around.

Yeah, the Duke v MSU game was somewhat of an officiating travesty. Very strange how few fouls were called. It does make you wonder if something nefarious was going on.

[KandG]

I hope that as time passes we'll be able to appreciate Cam's freshman year, his only year, for what it was rather than what it was compared to his mega-watt teammates Zion and RJ.

In the one-and-done Duke era, we have perhaps gotten used to freshmen being able to come in and play heavy minutes and produce. That's what Cam did...36 games (35 starts), 30 mpg, 13.5 ppg. In general, I think we all feel he played good defense, perhaps not great considering his pedestrian +/- (i know, not the greatest stat).

I think where expectations got in the way of reality was the shooting. Everyone thought he'd be the guy who kept defenses from packing the paint on us, but his shooting numbers just weren't what we all hoped they'd be...36% from the field, 33% from 3 on a team leading 7.5 attempts per game. He shot well from the line (77%) but only got to the line 3 times per game. Perhaps part of that was his loose handle which kept him from being an effective penetrator and contributed to another achilles heal, a 16.6% turnover %.

But, his usage was the 3rd highest on the team so the kid came in, competed, and gave us a lot. Without the expectations, we'd be thinking he just had a heck of a debut. But, he had one legendary freshman teammate, and a second all-time great freshman teammate.

As others have said, he'll always be remembered for...
-The buzzer beater in Tally
-The huge 3 in the Yum Center on the backwards through the legs pass from RJ

I also remember that he seemed like a humble, well-mannered, quiet kid who didn't appear to resent his more well-publicized teammates and was happy to be one-of-the-guys. I am not sure if that's what he was really like, but guys in his position can become locker room cancers and it seems like he was anything but.

Duke fans will, hopefully, always be part of the Cam Fam. Good luck, kid.

All of the above, very well said.

I know Cam was inconsistent and a bit quiet, maybe so quiet on the court relative to Zion and RJ that it led even seasoned media to overlook the good things he did in big moments for the team. Seth Davis wrote after the UCF game that the three Cam made to cut UCF's lead to 74-73 was his first big moment outside of FSU.

In addition to UCF, I remember:

* Seven of Duke's last 11 points against Texas Tech, including a big three pointer that gave us a decisive two possession lead in a game that had been tight throughout.

* Ten of Duke's last 14 points against Louisville, bringing us from down 57-66 to winning the game 71-69.

* Six of Duke's last 9 points against Florida State, including that big game winner Billy Dat and others have mentioned.

I can't wait to see Cam succeed at the next level after the inevitable growing pains. I suspect he may be like Brandon Ingram, spotty with his handle and shot in the first season, but continually developing into a quality player that really shines by year 2 or 3 in the NBA (as long as he doesn't end up in a dysfunctional team situation).

[Billy Dat]

Seth Davis wrote after the UCF game that the three Cam made to cut UCF's lead to 74-73 was his first big moment outside of FSU.
* Seven of Duke's last 11 points against Texas Tech, including a big three pointer that gave us a decisive two possession lead in a game that had been tight throughout.
* Ten of Duke's last 14 points against Louisville, bringing us from down 57-66 to winning the game 71-69.
* Six of Duke's last 9 points against Florida State, including that big game winner Billy Dat and others have mentioned.

That 3 he hit against UCF was huge, I knew I remembered a shot like that late in the year but for some reason I thought it was during the UNC game in the ACC Tournament (I was wrong).

Thanks for providing all of this detail. While I don't advocate revisionist history, once a kid leaves I do try and focus on the big positive moments. As the, arguably, 4th banana on this year's squad, I think this is a pretty good collection, even if the in-between moments weren't as consistent as we would have liked.

[kako]

Count me among the folks that think Cam would improve his game and draft stock if he stayed in school another year.

Count me also as one who would love to be proven dead wrong.

If his draft stock falls, that can benefit him by going to a better team. The Warriors, for example, would love to have a guy like him. 3 and D.

The big 3's he hit vs. FSU, Ville and UCF will always be remembered. Thanks, and best of luck in the NBA.

9F

[Reddevil]

Bold prediction: Cam will have a better NBA career than RJ.

I'd bet you a pie, but I may not be living in 15 years to pay up or receive. Who knows, but I hope they are both a big deal. Thank you Cam!

[JNort]

NBA folks were saying this pre-season, when Cam was thought to have the highest upside. During the season, and especially post-season, no one is saying that.

Just heard it being said within the last week or so on several NBA pods

[Steven43]

NBA folks were saying this pre-season, when Cam was thought to have the highest upside. During the season, and especially post-season, no one is saying that.

Yeah, this one season at Duke exposed a considerable number of serious holes in his game. If anything, playing in the NBA will dramatically magnify those weaknesses. I find it hard to believe that NBA people would think these things are going to get fixed just because he enters the League. That’s a lot of wishful thinking for a high draft pick. People get fired over missing on high picks.

I think this really is a case where staying another year or two at Duke would have been the smarter long-term career route. Kind of like Grayson Allen, who had he entered the draft after his freshman year would have been a first-round pick, but would quite possibly have washed out of the League by now and be playing in Europe. I’m concerned that might well happen to Cam.

[Stray Gator]

Yeah, the Duke v MSU game was somewhat of an officiating travesty. Very strange how few fouls were called. It does make you wonder if something nefarious was going on.

I haven't the Vegas idea what you are implying.

[Steven43]

I haven't the Vegas idea what you are implying.

Nice one. That’s pretty funny. But seriously, that game was officiated in such a strange way. Just really weird.

[devildeac]

I haven't the Vegas idea what you are implying.

Oh dear, it's even spread to the mods now.