Atlanta Hawks: 1 stud and 1 dud from tough loss to the Cavs

Atlanta Hawks stud from loss to Cavs: Cam Reddish continued his hot start off of the bench

In some ways, Cam Reddish has been the Hawks most consistent player through two games. After dropping 20 points and going 3-of-4 from downtown in the huge season-opening win over the Dallas Mavericks, he followed it up with 19 points and 3-of-5 three-point shooting against the Cavaliers.

Yes, he was slightly less efficient from deep with one fewer point. But he was more efficient from the floor overall.

Reddish also had six boards and knocked down 2-of-4 free throws.

The third-year wing is so far answering his general manager and head coach’s challenge of being more consistent, at least through two games.

He was one of just four Hawks to shoot 50 percent or better from the floor, all of whom were bench players.

Huerter was the first sub for the second game in a row but Reddish played roughly six minutes more and has been the better player through the Hawks first two games.

Nate McMillan said before the season that guys would find out their roles during the regular season. Could there be a scenario in which Reddish usurps the recently extended Huerter in the pecking order?

It’s too soon to make that determination. But it is not outside of the realm of possibility.

So far, holding onto Reddish despite an apparent bombardment of interest is paying off for both him and the Hawks.

He’ll be extension eligible next offseason after the Hawks picked up his option earlier this month. If he wants to secure the bag like Huerter and several other teammates he’ll need to keep stringing together these kinds of performances throughout the season.

Again, as the Hawks said, they have always seen the talent. They just needed to see it more consistently.