Duke freshman Cam Reddish has declared for the 2019 NBA Draft, as relayed by Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Reddish is the second Duke freshman to enter his name into the draft following yesterday’s announcement from R.J. Barrett. Point guard Tre Jones is returning to school for his sophomore season while the all-but-assured top pick in this year’s draft, Zion Williamson, has yet to announce a decision.
Reddish, 19, was a McDonald’s All-American and Mr. Basketball in his home state of Pennsylvania before making his way to Durham as a consensus top-5 recruit for the class of 2018. As a freshman this season, he averaged a respectable 13.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 1.6 SPG while largely playing third fiddle to both Barrett and Williamson. He also started in all but one of the 36 games he played during the 2018/19 campaign.
Once considered a potential top-3 pick, Reddish has slipped a bit in the latest set of prospect rankings by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. The 6’9” wing is now only rated as the No. 7 overall prospect for 2019, but he is still the highest-ranked small forward just ahead of Indiana’s Romeo Langford. Givony’s scouting report notes Reddish’s outstanding size and fluidity for the position, but a lack of effort and consistency overall.
I understand the money part of this decision but the basketball part no. He should follow Mr Jones back to Duke for another season. He was lost on the same court with two NBA players how will he fare with a whole team of them? As a Duke fan I do wish him good luck. I’m also happy his dreams are coming true.
Definitely a valid point. But if you’re a 19 year old kid with an opportunity to follow your dreams, having a chance of being a top 10 pick and make $20M in 4 years, are you making any other decision?
I think Reddish would benefit from another year in college but its hard to blame his decision. He’s a projected high lottery pick even though he played the 3rd fiddle and didn’t really stand out with his play. He’s already a good shooter so that’s not an issue and aside from just being a more efficient scorer (while also increasing his PPG), I’m not sure how much more Reddish could have done with another year while also increasing his draft stock. Going back for a second year also runs the risk of injury or something else happening that would lower his draft stock (not taking that next step or potentially getting passed by the next wave of freshmen).
He wasn’t the alpha male of the pack as the three (RJ, Zion) were competing for top spotlight for draft day. That’s not the case in the NBA. IMHO, I think the kid will do fine. I like his D and he’s got good upside potential with his shot. He may not be the top three pick as predicted before the college season begins, but he’s certainly a top 10, if not a top 7.
No need to spend a second year there, when the first was a wash. Givony’s said he can “play off a hang dribble”. Take that somewhere & kick it in.
I really like Cam, I think he has a tone of upside & he will blossom in the NBA & become a great player, so go for it dude!
He’s overrated thanks to Coach K’s looming presence. All star in the G league? I doubt it. But he could use time down there to get minutes and some success. Not only didn’t he dominate in the ACC, you didn’t even notice him for the most part. He will get eaten up early days in the NBA.
The idea that a player would develop better as a BB player with a college program vs an NBA organization should be comical; unfortunately, there’s some truth to it, or at least there has been historically. NBA teams are the ones with unlimited resources and the ability to provide year round platforms for their players. NBA teams need to get better in this area, and the league has to be bolder in helping them. All with some immediacy if they’re going to start drafting HS players again.
To some extent it’s the crowd noise & attention, the motivation to please others and make them roar in your name, and an environment intended for broad development, that is what the minor leagues lack.
But the college choice will not go away for those who think they would benefit from that.
I wonder if we will wind up with a morphed-together system.