Out of all of the players on the New York Knicks, the 2022-23 season is perhaps the most important for Cam Reddish. After missing the last month of 2021-22 with a shoulder injury, the 23-year-old entered the new year 100 percent healthy.
The No. 10 pick in the 2019 draft is eligible to sign an extension and after being traded to the Knicks from the Atlanta Hawks in January, this season marks his first full one with New York. With trade rumors floating around during the offseason, there have been questions about how Reddish is going to be able to crack Tom Thibodeau’s rotation.
It goes without saying that the preseason is especially important for Reddish and in the first half of the Knicks’ opener against the Pistons on Tuesday night, he put on a show. The connection between him and his college teammate RJ Barrett was evident after Reddish checked in during the first quarter and he was active on defense.
Cam was making a solid case for himself early on, but an injury held him back from playing in the second half of the game.
Cam Reddish (sprained left ankle) will not return to tonight’s game.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) October 5, 2022
Cam Reddish suffers an ankle sprain in the Knicks’ preseason opener versus the Pistons
New York entered the night without two key young players in Quentin Grimes (sore left foot) and Jericho Sims (sore groin). Grimes is expected to compete with Evan Fournier for the starting shooting guard spot, and like Reddish, the preseason is a time for him to strengthen his argument for increased playing time.
All that’s known about Reddish’s injury is that he sprained his left ankle after seemingly tripping over a referee, per SNY’s Ian Begley. The extent of the injury doesn’t seem to be serious, but it could harm his chances of seeing the court more this year as he’s most likely going to be out for the remainder of the preseason.
Reddish was already buried on the bench by Thibodeau after he arrived in New York from Atlanta, so it would be a tough blow for him to go through a similar situation this season. Hopefully, his ankle sprain won’t impact his future too much, but right now, it’s not looking good for the wing.
Should Knicks fans expect to see Quentin Grimes in preseason?
Quentin Grimes is listed as out for the Knicks' first preseason contest against the Pistons on Monday with a sore left foot.