Cam Reddish is making his case to remain a starter for the Atlanta Hawks

If there is a bright spot amid the Atlanta Hawks (15-18) bout with COVID and their own inconsistent play, it is the emergence of Cam Reddish. The third-year man out of Duke went from being the second or third option off of the bench to sixth-man to a starter and has stepped his game up each time.

Now, the question has inevitably come up, should Reddish remain in the starting lineup even when the Hawks get healthy; whenever that may be.

None of the Hawks currently on the list qualify for the new reduced isolation times.

Remember, Nate McMillan only turned to Reddish in the starting lineup after losing Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter, and injury replacement Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot.

The Atlanta Hawks may need to consider leaving Cam Reddish in the starting lineup

It is worth mentioning that Luwawu-Cabarrot played well in Reddish’s stead to begin. But his offense tailed off drastically, averaging 5.0 points on 27.3 percent shooting after a 23-point explosion against the Minnesota Timberwolves that saw him knock down seven threes. He is 3-for-12 on triples since.

Reddish, meanwhile, has put up 23.8 points on 44.6 percent shooting from the floor and 44.1 percent from deep to go with 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game over the last four contests.

His averages as a reserve this season of 11.1 points on 40.6 percent shooting overall, 37.7 percent from distance, and 2.6 rebounds certainly add fuel to the fire.

There are also the continuous trade rumors that have followed him since at least last season.

We have long been of the idea that Reddish should get more time with the starters. He’s shooting career-highs with 41.6 percent from the floor and 39.3 percent on long-distance shots. Even better, Reddish is shooting 64 percent on his catch-and-shoot opportunities and 43.8 percent on catch-and-shoot attempts from outside.

We’ve also been of the mindset that any trade involving him has to bring back a major contributor.

This stance is in spite of metrics that suggest pairing him with Trae Young won’t solve the problem. Reddish-Young lineups are still being outscored by 7.3 points per 100 possessions on the season.

That number skyrocketed to 16.9 points in the last game.

However, it was Young’s first back from protocols and with a host of other key contributors still out against the second-seeded team in the East.

In his career, Reddish averages 10.9 points, 3.7 boards, and 1.6 assists on 36.9 percent shooting and 31.8 percent from downtown compared to 11.7/3.4/1.1 while shooting 41 percent overall and 34.7 percent from outside as a reserve.

That makes what he’s been able to do recently stand out that much more.

Given the recent developments with COVID, the stance on Reddish has to be taken a step further. He has a strong argument to remain the starter and shouldn’t be traded unless it is as a part of a package for another star and, of those that would make sense, none are asking to be traded.

The Hawks will get a few more games to get a look at Reddish in this capacity. Huerter and Luwawu-Cabarrot won’t be back until Jan 3 versus the Portland Trail Blazers unless they test out and Bogdanovic won’t return until Jan 7 against the Los Angeles Lakers.