When the New York Knicks traded Kevin Knox and a protected first-round pick for Cam Reddish, fans were expecting the former Duke standout to have a consistent spot in Tom Thibodeau’s rotation.
However, Reddish’s minutes, similar to the playing time of other young players on the roster, became the subject of heated debate amongst Knicks fans. Heading into the 2022-2023 season, one thing is clear: Knicks fans will be expecting coach Thibodeau to give more minutes to players like Reddish, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin, and others.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the Donovan Mitchell trade saga and how that will impact the team. That being said, if the opening roster looks like the current one, Reddish’s role should increase.
Knicks forward Cam Reddish is a young and talented player. If he can improve in his second season with the orange and blue, the sky is the limit.
The former tenth pick of the 2019 draft arrived in New York and played his first minutes as a Knick in January during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Over the remaining 36 games of the season, Reddish played in 14 games, averaging just over 14 minutes per game, before he sustained a season-ending injury to his shoulder.
Reddish’s first season with the orange and blue was a mixed bag, but his talent is clear, and if he can improve in these three areas – his spot in Tom Thibodeau’s rotation will be solidified.
Shooting/Scoring
During Reddish’s first three seasons in the NBA, his shooting efficiency has been inconsistent. While some of his three-point shooting numbers have been good, his overall field goal percentage has been in the toilet for most of his career.
Playing within a more defined reserve role as a spot-up shooter with the Atlanta Hawks, Reddish had some of his best production in the league. Reddish was shooting 40.2% from the field and 37.9% from the three-point line, while playing fewer minutes, before getting traded to New York.
However, multiple reports surrounding the Reddish trade indicated that Cam was interested in an expanded role in the offense, so the question becomes: Can you foster an efficient Reddish as a scorer while giving him more minutes?
The first step is getting Reddish more attempts at the rim. Going back to his days at Duke, Reddish did not take many shots at the rim (19% of his shot attempts), and his finishing (50%) when he got there was poor. But at six-foot-eight, Reddish has to make better use of his height and length when he drives to the cup.
Having teammates like Derrick Rose, Quickley, and newly-acquired Jalen Brunson should open up driving lanes for Cam. More driving opportunities will lead to more free-throw attempts. Cam has always shot above 80% from the line in his career.
The next step is finding more attempts from the corner three-point line. Per Cleaningtheglass.com, Reddish shot within the 86th percentile from the corner three during his last 34 games with the Hawks.
Defense (Part 1)
After the 2020-2021 season, the Knicks finished with the fourth-best defensive rating in the league. This past season, the orange and blue dropped to 11th in defensive rating and 27th in steals per game but were still top five in defensive field goal percentage.
Thus far, Reddish has not developed a reputation as a ball hawk. However, advanced stats suggest that he’s no sieve by any means. Per Cleaningtheglass.com, Reddish has finished each season of his career ranked above the 75th percentile in steal percentage.
It’s clear that defense needs to be a priority if a player is going to crack and stay in coach Thibs’ rotation. Reddish did not get much playing time upon arrival, and even when he did, the lack of chemistry on both ends of the floor was apparent.
The Athletic’s Fred Katz wrote extensively about the “Early Group” (subscription required) — an early group of players practicing prior to the team’s regularly scheduled practice including all of the young players 24 and under. Players like Quickley and Toppin spoke glowingly about how this improved their development.
Due to when Reddish was traded, he didn’t get much time with this group. One of his goals/priorities for the 2022-2023 season has to be to attend the “Early Group” as much as possible to work on defensive positioning and chemistry with his teammates. Mitchell Robinson was another player who benefitted from Thibs’ individual attention, and there’s no reason Reddish can’t as well.
Defense (Part 2)
Cam Reddish is an incredibly poor rebounder. The six-foot-eight forward has never averaged more than four rebounds per game in his career, and he has less total rebounds than Orlando Magic’s Chuma Okeke and Detroit Piston’s Isaiah Roby.
I reference both players for several reasons: 1). They were both drafted in 2019 with Reddish and 2). They’ve both played less total minutes than Reddish in their careers (Okeke missed his entire rookie season).
No matter how you slice it, Reddish needs to become a better rebounder. Per Cleaningtheglass.com, his defensive rebounding percentage has never topped the 68th percentile, and he finished within the third percentile this past season.
Being more active on the boards will definitely get Thibs’ attention and it will keep Reddish in the rotation.
The Knicks current regime, similar to Reddish, is entering a make-it-or-break-it season. Leon Rose, the front office, and coaching staff tasted success in the first full season in charge. However, this past season’s results felt like two steps back after grabbing the fourth seed during 2020-2021.
In the same vein, Reddish, who has boatloads of talent, and the respect of his peers with the potential to be a dominant scorer, still hasn’t put it all together. Getting to the line more, hitting the corner three, and improving his defense and rebounding will make Reddish a consistent rotation player for the Knicks and possibly move him closer to a lucrative extension.
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