Soaring Down South
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Cam Reddish can still be a valuable piece for Atlanta Hawks this postseason

By Joshua Buckhalter

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 01: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Cam Reddish #22 of the Atlanta Hawks in action against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 01, 2021 in New York City. The Hawks defeated the Nets 114-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 01: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Cam Reddish #22 of the Atlanta Hawks in action against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 01, 2021 in New York City. The Hawks defeated the Nets 114-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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One thing the Atlanta Hawks have missed during their run through the Eastern Conference Playoffs is perimeter defense. To be honest, they’ve missed a couple of other things as well. Perimeter shooting has been spotty and they could use a secondary creator to play next to Trae Young or even run the second unit.

Enter Cam Reddish.

The 6-foot-8 wing with the 7-foot-1 wingspan has a skillset the Hawks could desperately use right about now. From his natural length and athleticism to his spot-up shooting and perimeter defense.

The Atlanta Hawks can certainly use someone like Cam Reddish in these playoffs

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His sophomore campaign was cut short after a promising rookie campaign in which he averaged 10.5 points and 3.7 rebounds while adding 1.5 assists per game. He showed his defensive prowess with 1.1 steals per as well as .5 blocks.

Reddish had a positive impact as a rookie, as the Hawks offense was 2.5 points worse with him on the bench.

It wasn’t as rosy per the advanced metrics for him this year, though he saw a rise in his points per game and rebounds. Perhaps the slip on the advanced side was due to the typical “sophomore slump” but with him only appearing in 26 games, it’s hard to say for sure that’s what it was or that it would have persisted as Reddish was out before Lloyd Pierce was dismissed.

One of the underrated aspects of Pierce’s successor this series has been making things simple for the Hawks. With the youngest team in the Conference Semifinals, and that can sometimes stagnate on offense, this is a good tactic.

It just adds to the notion that Reddish can be an incredibly useful asset. Not just for his scoring, either. Tobias Harris has been a thorn in their collective sides this series, as has Seth Curry. Reddish, like the also-injured De’Andre Hunter, is capable of defending both of them while also making them work on the other end of the floor.

Next. 3 Keys to a decisive Atlanta Hawks victory in Game 5. dark

He got cleared to return prior to Game 5 but he also remained inactive. Maybe the struggles of Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic give Nate McMillan cause to let Reddish see the floor. Of course, with the big win on Wednesday, he might not want to fix what isn’t “broken”.

If there’s any chance for Reddish to return in time for this series, or in the playoffs at all, he would certainly be useful.

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