Knicks’ Cam Reddish is forcing himself out of rotation he already wasn’t in
After two thrilling preseason games, the New York Knicks were handed their first preseason loss on Wednesday night after falling to the Indiana Pacers, 109-100. RJ Barrett had another strong performance and Julius Randle looked the best that he has in a while, but New York’s reserves were overpowered by Indiana, especially rookie Bennedict Mathurin.
The Knicks have one preseason game left, which will take place on Friday night against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. That match-up will be especially important for a few players that are still looking to carve out their role in the rotation, but there’s one player in particular that desperately needs to finish the preseason on the right foot.
That player is Cam Reddish, who is entering his first full season with the Knicks. The 23-year-old is eligible to sign an extension, but the deadline to do so is Oct. 17. According to Stefan Bondy of New York Daily News, it’s “unlikely” that New York will extend him. After all, why would they?
Cam Reddish has had a disappointing preseason for the Knicks
None of this is to say that Reddish was the most disappointing player in the loss for New York as Immanuel Quickley had a rough game, but the preseason is Reddish’s chance to prove himself.
In the Knicks’ first game against the Pistons, Reddish was dealt a bad hand after he suffered an ankle sprain and missed the second half. He played 11 minutes and finished with three points (1-for-6), one rebound, and one assist.
Last Friday, Reddish had the prime opportunity to prove his worth to Tom Thibodeau after he was inserted into the starting lineup in place of Evan Fournier, who was out due to rest. Cam played in 22 minutes and scored two points (1-for-7) and added two rebounds and two assists. The ankle he sprained three days before could’ve played a part in his performance, but on Wednesday, he had his worst outing thus far.
Reddish’s performance in Indiana was particularly abysmal for someone who’s on the search for minutes. He posted a team-worst +/- of -22 after he shot 3-for-10 from the field (1-for-6 from the three-point line) to go with three rebounds, two turnovers, one block, and one steal in 21 minutes.
The box score doesn’t tell you everything that you need to know, though. Per usual, Reddish showed flashes of promise, but he looked more like a player entering his first or second season, not someone who was a lottery pick in 2019. He’s insanely athletic, but for him, that doesn’t always translate to the basketball court, especially on the offensive end.
Reddish’s value comes on the defensive end. His length allows for him to be a solid defender, but he is a liability on offense. You can place the blame on Thibodeau if you want, but Cam has looked uncomfortable. Part of it could be that he’s in his head too much, or that he simply doesn’t have a fit on this Knicks team. Maybe he needs a little more time, but if he continues to look the way that he has in the preseason, he’s going to be buried on the bench.
The solution isn’t to start Reddish until he figures it out. In less than a week, New York will start playing games that matter. He could end up turning a corner, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of bringing the team down. It’s almost frustrating because fans know what Reddish is capable of, but he has yet to show that.
Perhaps the best plan for the Knicks and Reddish is for the wing to be traded to a new team sometime before the deadline in February. It’s still too soon to come to that conclusion, but if things don’t start to look up for Cam Reddish, that may be what needs to happen.
