Cam Reddish labeled as Hawks scapegoat even after being traded to Knicks

The New York Knicks didn’t make an appearance in the playoffs, but somehow they’ve still been faulted for another team’s poor performance. Or actually Cam Reddish is apparently the one to blame.

Knicks fans got to enjoy not only watching the Nets get swept but watching the Hawks fail to make it past the first round behind Trae Young’s abysmal play.

Young averaged 15.4 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds in Atlanta’s five playoff games. He shot 31.9% from the field and 18.4% from the 3-point line. All in all, he finished with 30 assists and 30 turnovers. Excuse me, what?

He’s the best player on the Hawks team, so given those numbers, it makes sense why Atlanta couldn’t overcome Miami. But still, somehow, Reddish’s name was thrown around after the Hawks’ disappointing end to the 2021-22 season.

New York Knicks’ Cam Reddish faulted for Hawks’ awful end to the season.

How? And why? More specifically, why is Reddish’s name being negatively brought up the day after Atlanta’s year ended?

In the article, The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner detailed Young’s failures in the playoffs, as well as his poor attitude in Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Kirschner wrote about how this past season was highly anticipated by Hawks fans and how coach Nate McMillan was wondering why Atlanta wasn’t viewed as a contender at the start of the year. At least McMillian has his answer now.

Anyways, Kirschner attempted to seek out where it all went wrong for the Hawks, and one of his main takeaways was Reddish. He wrote (subscription required):

"“All of the analytics pointed to Reddish’s play actively hurting the Hawks, but he remained in the rotation. There was no mandate from the front office to play Reddish to increase his trade value. McMillan continued playing him, sources say, because he felt like if he didn’t, the team’s chemistry would’ve been negatively impacted. It was a bad read from McMillan. The Hawks were 15-19 when Reddish played this season and 28-20 without him.”"

Yes, Reddish requested a trade last summer and it wasn’t granted until January. Yes, Atlanta’s record in games played without him is better than games played with him.

Still, if the Hawks would have advanced from the play-in tournament and past the first-round series, it’s hard to believe that Reddish’s name would still be brought up in a similar manner.

And sure, McMillan deserves blame for continuing to play Reddish even though his inconsistency was an issue. That sounds like another coach that we know all too well.

Kirschner’s sentiment makes sense, but it’s unfair to place a portion of the blame on Reddish. After all, he isn’t the All-Star who failed to make a positive impact for Atlanta in the postseason.

That was Young. The keys were in his hands to lead the Hawks onward, but he failed to do so.

Reddish has been occupied trying to overcome a separated shoulder that sidelined him for the final month of New York’s season. He wasn’t able to fully show what he’s capable of in the 15 games that he played for the Knicks this past year, but hopefully, he’s given a chance to do that while healthy in 2022-23.

And hey, someone’s “trash” is another man’s treasure, right? We’re rooting for Reddish to have a revenge season, as long as Tom Thibodeau allows for him to do so.

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