Atlanta Hawks: Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter trending upward

After 3 preseason games, Atlanta Hawks fans should be getting excited about what they’ve seen from both Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter.

The Atlanta Hawks lost their preseason matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies last night by a score of 128-106. Memphis had another one of their stellar shooting nights against the Hawks like they did in the two meetings these teams had last season. The Grizzlies shot 47.4% from the field and 38% from the three-point line to hand the Hawks what would’ve been an embarrassing loss in the regular season. While there wasn’t much optimism after last night’s third quarter, there has been an overall bright spot in the Hawks’ not-yet-set rotation.

With just one more preseason game on the schedule, two of the Hawks’ young players are showing signs that they’ll be trending upward this season. Both Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter look to be playing with new confidence after having up and down rookie seasons last year for the Hawks.

Though it’s too early in the season to make predictions on player performances for the year, here’s what solid seasons from Reddish and Hunter could mean for an Atlanta Hawks team looking to make a playoff push for the first time in 3 years.

Atlanta Hawks SF De’Andre Hunter is shooting the ball well this preseason

Atlanta Hawks fans might’ve expected Cam Reddish to be the starting small forward for their new-look team this season but it seems as though head coach Lloyd Pierce has given another sophomore the nod. De’Andre Hunter has been on fire as far as shooting goes in all 3 Hawks preseason matchups thus far. While fans might’ve expected Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari to be the shooters this year, Hunter has certainly thrown his name in the mix.

Hunter’s catch and shoot threes looked phenomenal last night as he often found himself open in space and was able to knock down several of them. The hot shooting streak doesn’t seem to be a fluke for Hunter as he’s been fairly consistent scoring the ball in all three preseason games.

In the Hawks’ first on-court action this year against the Orlando Magic, De’Andre Hunter went 5 for 10 from the field and 2 for 5 from three to lead the Hawks with 18 points on the night. He followed that up a few nights later with a 5 for 7 from the field and 2 for 3 from beyond-the-arc performance for 15 total points.
Shooting 56.3% from the field so far in the preseason, Hunter is obviously more confident in his shot and in his role on the team. Atlanta Hawks Head Coach Lloyd Pierce likes what he’s seeing from his young forward so far.

If De’Andre Hunter can continue to play this well, the Hawks can expect to solidify their rotation sooner than later in this condensed NBA season. Now let’s take a look at another young player who will be looking to turn heads this season, Cam Reddish.

Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Hawks SF Cam Reddish will look to be one of the best two-way players in the NBA this year

Atlanta Hawks fans have been really high on former Duke star Cam Reddish since the Hawks drafted him before last season. Reddish played his rookie season on a Hawks squad that had little to no expectations and had an up and down season as a lot of rookies do.

This year Reddish, like Hunter seems much more confident in his ability to score the basketball, something that the Hawks will need to continue if they want to make a playoff run this year.

In this play, Cam knocks down a catch and shoot three over a defender with no hesitation. He steps into the shot fully and never had a doubt about letting it fly.

Reddish has come off of the bench for the Hawks in their preseason games this season and provided some good scoring. In their first game against the Magic, Reddish went 4 for 10 from the field for 13 points. After missing the Hawks’ only win this preseason with ankle soreness, Cam was back in action last night against the Grizzlies. He had another solid showing going 3 for 6 from the field and 2 for 4 from three for 12 points in just 19 minutes.

While scoring is obviously important, Atlanta Hawks fans should be more excited about Cam Reddish’s ability on the other end of the floor. He’s brought great energy to this Hawks defense and has good size and speed.

Cam Reddish is certainly one of the best defenders on this Hawks team and will need to continue to be to cover for Trae Young.

The Atlanta Hawks will need these two young guys to perform well this season for a chance at success with this new roster. Though it’s still too soon to tell, it looks as if the Hawks should have a bright future.