observer1995 wrote:Nathan2331 wrote:observer1995 wrote:Forgive me but I'm not buying the Duke was a bad place for Reddish stuff. I've read so much about how the NBA floor would be more open for him and how he hasn't been in the right place for him to develop, but he's basically in the same role he'd be in if he were with Trae and Collins, in which he'd be drawing the 3rd best defender at most (maybe even 4th, considering Huerter) and getting wide open 3's and 1 on 1 drives on the basket. If he was truly a good one, you'd think he'd be succeeding in that role.
That's not to say that I completely object to taking him, but he's a guy that you likely almost have to redshirt rookie based off what I've seen and rebuild his confidence from the ground up in the G league for a full season before you let him start growing in the NBA. I don't think he has the mentality to survive what Trae survived and come out looking good if he were to struggle.
I'm likely taking De'Andre Hunter with the Hawks pick if it were me.
The difference between the Hawks and Duke offensively is massive. When we have Trae, Kevin, John and Dedmon on the floor, that's 4 players who are shooting better than 35% from behind the arc. Our bench outside of Bembry and Len can shoot, and even they can hit a 3 from certain spots. No one besides Reddish is a good shooter in Duke's starting lineup. Now, it's clear that Reddish has trouble getting to the rim under these circumstances, but on the Hawks he'd at least have some space to operate. He needs to get stronger so he can actually finish through contact, but that's a solvable issue.
If he tests well at the combine, I'm all for drafting him. I think playing next to 4 non-shooters has really hurt his game, and Coach K has barely done anything to mitigate it. His confidence is on the floor, but if he looks good during the draft process, I'd be fine taking him.
But Zion and Barrett are creating space by the attention drawn to them even though they don't shoot well. That's what you're not getting in this post. In theory it should be an easy role for him. Catch and shoot threes and attack a not as good defensive player. If he really is going to be very good, you'd think he'd have better percentages.
If he ends up succeeding, he might be the first player we've seen succeed that shot below 40% FG overall in college.
The thing is, you're asking a guy who used his shooting as secondary tool for offense, to now just be a spot up shooter only. Cam was thought to be a point forward kind of guy, that can can make you pay if you give him space. He didn't have to rely on his shot to carry him.
With the ball in his hand, he can initiate and do different things like drive to the hoop or pull up from mid-range. He can come off curls and move around screens for catch and shoot chances. Now he's relegated to sitting on the wing for a bail out shot. It can be frustrating for a guy like him because not only is he not use to that role, but if the shot isn't falling, well what else is he afforded to do? He can't get himself going by getting some layups or using his mid-range shot. Some guys simply just need to see the ball go through the net to get going. Cam doesn't have the luxury.
Instead, Zion & Barrett are clogging the interior, and making Cam take a pressure 3 to bail them out since they couldn't get it done. At 7 3's a game, he's still sitting around 35%, and again, these are mostly bail out shots late in the shot clock. Over a season of doing mainly that and not able to really get going with some consistency, it becomes very frustrating and can cause some to wonder if he was ever worth being considered one of the top freshman to enter the college ranks. He's got a lot more to offer than being a spot up shooter. Some guys can be that. Some can't.
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