The revival of the Atlanta Hawks as of late is no fluke, but rather a step in the right direction. Sitting near the bottom of the standings for much of the season, the team has learned to deal with adversity. Everything from losing close games to injuries has led to a season full of patience.
While many things are still not clicking for them, many bright spots have highlighted the season. Second-year player Trae Young is an All-Star guard and is one of the best scorers and passers in the league. Third-year forward John Collins continues to expand his game and added a three-point shot to his arsenal since coming into the league three years ago.
But one player continues to provide light at the end of the tunnel. The Atlanta Hawks may have found someone special in Cam Reddish.
Reddish began his journey at Duke University when he was part of the Brotherhood for a season with New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft) and New York Knicks’ guard RJ Barrett (the No. 2 overall pick). In his lone season with the Blue Devils, Reddish gained valuable experience from one of the greatest coaches in the history of sports, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Reddish’s college career was one of patience. Despite being on such an iconic team — Williamson and Barrett are both beloved figures by the Duke basketball team’s die-hard fans, the Cameron Crazies — Reddish received the unwanted attention.
The former No. 10 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Reddish began his rookie campaign with much scrutiny and criticism. It was deserved: He averaged 7.9 points per game in November, the first full month of his rookie season. In February, he averaged 13.4 points per game on 44.1% shooting, including 35% from three on 4.8 attempts per game.
The improvement of his game could not be an accident. Instead, the hard work Reddish puts in and growing confidence from his teammates and coaches are on full display each night.
Often, the media uses the term “casual fan.” Casual fans may not notice these improvements of Reddish, but frequent watchers of Hawks games do.
Almost nightly, Reddish can swipe the ball away from defenders or intercept passes in the air. If he has a path to the hoop, his ability to drive to the basket allows for easy and impressive dunks. If a teammate runs with him, Reddish will make the best play.
Beginning in January, the team ran plays specifically designed for Reddish pretty regularly. However, he had his number called in the biggest game of his young career. In a December home game against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers, Reddish took the game’s most important shot.
With 9.7 seconds left, and the Hawks trailing 99-96, Vince Carter beat his man to the basket. As a result, the defensive help switched off Reddish (in the corner) to double-team the future Hall of Famer. Carter saw this and found Reddish in the corner, but the shot was far to the left.
The Lakers went on to win that game, but Atlanta’s head coach Lloyd Pierce praised his young player for stepping up and having the courage to take the shot.
“It’s kind of like a rite of passage,” Pierce said following the loss on Dec. 15. “It’s one of those things where you come into the NBA, and you’re looking to make these plays and the burden of not making it is what propels you to get in the gym and look for that moment and do it with that intensity and that type of pressure every day.”
Cam Reddish finished that game with 10 points on 3-10 shooting and missing all but one of his six three-point attempts, including that potential game-tying one.
His growth has been instrumental to the Hawks since that game. In February, he scored in double figures in each of the seven of the team’s eight games. This does not include the Hawks’ Feb. 1 matchup in Dallas against the Mavericks when he left just seven minutes in due to a concussion.
In his last five games, Reddish has averaged 15.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and two three-pointers made. Those do not remind people of the 5.2 points he averaged during the second month in the league.
Reddish talked about his improvement following Atlanta’s 111-107 win over the Mavericks at State Farm Arena on Feb. 22.
“Just staying consistent in my work, as well as my faith. Just staying grounded, just staying humble,” Reddish said. “And, obviously, just becoming more comfortable as the season goes on. So, it all kind of comes together after that.”
He scored 20 points and was one of three Hawks players to record 39 or more minutes that night.
In a recent game against the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 28, Reddish had the best scoring game of his career. He scored a season-high 26 points, drilling six threes and finding his spots on the court all night long.
Earlier this season when the Hawks played in Brooklyn, Reddish scored 25 points and had six rebounds. Maybe he loves playing them. Maybe he loves playing the game in general.
Whatever it is, Reddish is improving fast. With his tough work ethic and drive for success, the Hawks are looking at a player who could help them get closer to that ever so elusive NBA Championship the city of Atlanta has not seen since 1958.
