Cam Reddish’s inconsistencies will crush his chances of remaining in Knicks rotation

Cam Reddish truly couldn’t have had a better start to the 2022-23 regular season with his performance against the Memphis Grizzlies on opening night for the New York Knicks. He scored 22 points (9-for-15) in 25 minutes and added five rebounds and three steals. His three-pointer from the corner in the final seconds of regulation helped the Knicks to force overtime.

That quieted the conversations that were questioning Reddish’s fit in Tom Thibodeau’s rotation. After a discouraging preseason, it seemed as if the former lottery pick had finally turned a corner.

With Quentin Grimes out for the start of the year with a sore left foot, Reddish has been granted an opportunity to make a case to keep his spot in the rotation even when Grimes returns (whenever that may be). But since New York’s first game of the season, Reddish hasn’t had near the same amount of impact as he did against Memphis.

In six games, Reddish is averaging 8.2 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 48.8% from the field and 40% from the three-point line. Those aren’t bad stats at all, but how he played against the Cavaliers on Sunday allowed fans to fully experience everything that is Cam Reddish.

Cam Reddish’s performance against Cavs allowed Knicks fans to experience both the highs and lows

In the 121-108 loss to Cleveland, Reddish finished with seven points (3-for-6 from the field, 1-for-2 from three), one assist, and one block in 16 minutes. His seven points were the most that he’s scored since dropping 22 on opening night. Those are decent numbers for Cam, but when you look deeper, his inconsistencies become more evident.

His athleticism and length allow him to be a wow factor on both ends of the court. His specialty move on the offensive end is his Euro Step, which is something that he did against Caris LeVert.

Reddish will impress Knicks fans on one possession, and then turn around and look like a rookie on the next possession. He’s unpredictable.

As you can see, with Cam in the game, you experience both the highs and lows. There’s no doubt that he’s a talented player, but his inability to be consistent is a big point of concern. He’s struggled to find a middle ground.

Some fans have argued that Reddish needs to be in the starting lineup in place of Evan Fournier, but that’d be a foolish decision for Thibodeau to make. Reddish isn’t going to always look like he did against Memphis, but he shouldn’t continually have moments where he looks like a player that’s still working to get acclimated to the league.

With there being no set timeline for Grimes’ return, we’ll likely continue to see more of Reddish. As we’ve said before, he needs to capitalize on the time that he spends on the floor. Thibodeau doesn’t need to be given a reason to stash Cam on the bench, but as the season wears on, that could be what ends up happening if he continues to be inconsistent.

Both Grimes and Reddish (non-COVID illness) are listed as questionable for tonight’s game against Atlanta.

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