Cam Reddish Has Earned a Starting Role — But Over Who?

Looking at why Atlanta Hawks’ rookie Cam Reddish should be starting.

The first few months of Cam Reddish‘s rookie year with the Atlanta Hawks was well-documented, and in a not good way. He shot 31 percent from the field (on 8.7 attempts) in his first 32 games, flashing good defense but being inconsistent overall on that end.

It was too early to call him a bust, but it wasn’t looking good for the former Duke Blue Devil. Turns out he just need some time to adjust to the pros, as he’s been cooking in the New Year.

Reddish turned a huge corner when the Calendar flipped to January, and has arguably been the Hawks’ third-best player since. He’s averaged 13.3 points per game on a 45/40/83 shooting split. He’s also coming off the bench.

Cam simply should be starting if the Hawks are serious about winning some games down the stretch (which they indicated they were at the Trade Deadline). He’s a tremendous perimeter defender: fast, nifty and usually tasked with covering the opponent’s best scorer while in.

On offense he’s been much more than simply the spot-up shooter some draft pundits labeled him as. He’s been as advertised of there, especially of late (41 percent from three in last ten games), but continues to be effective when putting the ball on the floor.

He’s as aggressive as he is crafty, and knows how to get to, and finish at the rim. Since February 1st, he’s made 54 percent of his shots off drives, drawing fouls on nearly 12 percent of them.

Reddish has made things exponentially easier for Trae Young, who is relied on less with another capable shot-creator in the mix.

Cam needs to be starting, and at 20-years-old, it’s not like he’s going to be taking a spot of younger prospect. The problem is — who is he going to start over?

There’s only really two answers here: Kevin Huerter or De’Andre Hunter. Both Huerter (last year) and Hunter have been starters since entering the league, and both have been a bit disappointing this year.

For Huerter — the honeymoon phase between him and the fans seems to be ending, with some growing frustrated with his lack of improvement as a sophomore. The guard’s shooting numbers are actually slightly down with the big jump in minutes this year.

Hunter has been up-and-down as a rookie, and while his highs have been higher than Reddish’s, his lows have been much lower. Hunter and Cam are probably the team’s best two defenders until Capela gets back, and a two-rookie lineup sounds fun. Kevin Huerter will still get high volume of minutes off the bench, but more similar to Cam’s 26.6 average than his 31.5.

Ironically, with an injured Huerter and suspended John Collins, Cam was the starting two guard throughout his struggles early in the year. He still makes occasionally starts thanks to the Hawks’ inability to stay healthy, but comes off the pine when they’re at full strength.

The question isn’t if Cam Reddish should be starting, rather who he should be starting over. Luckily decisions like these are why head coach Lloyd Pierce makes the big bucks.

If not this year, he’s earned a big role in Atlanta for year’s to come.