New Orleans Pelicans: The Pels could trade Lonzo Ball for Cam Reddish

New Orleans Pelicans: What would Cam Reddish add?

Cameron Reddish remains a little bit of an enigma, as has been the case going back to his days at Duke.

Reddish was one of his high school class’s most highly-touted prospects. The Pennsylvania native was widely considered the third-best player in his draft class before entering college. Yet, Reddish disappointed at Duke.

He was portrayed as a type of do-it-all, new breed of NBA big guard in high school. However, his athletic limitations showed at the college level. On top of that, sharing the floor with RJ Barrett and, coincidentally, Zion Williamson didn’t help. He couldn’t playmake as much and had to focus on holding his spacing and balancing being aggressive and playing in the flow of the offense.

Reddish wasn’t helped by his shot, either. The current Hawks wing shot just 33 percent from three at Duke. Given that his shot wasn’t falling and that most of his teammates weren’t reliable outside shooters either, that really muddied things up for Reddish. He couldn’t attack closeouts because opponents didn’t fear him from deep, he wasn’t creating his own shot, and he didn’t get many chances to orchestrate Duke’s offense.

In the end, Reddish’s freshman woes didn’t hurt him too badly. He still went tenth overall in the draft two years ago, but I think it’s time we shift our perception of him. Rather than focusing on his playmaking off the dribble, I think it would be wiser to see Reddish as a giant 3-and-D wing.

If that’s the case, then Reddish should fit into what the New Orleans Pelicans are doing. Originally, I was bothered about the overlap with Reddish and Brandon Ingram if the former fulfilled his absolute potential. Yet, that seems either unlikely or distant right now. The most immediate value Reddish can bring to the Pels is as a long, switchable defender that can play in the backcourt and provide New Orleans with more defensive versatility.

However, Reddish’s transformation to a 3-and-D player is highly dependant on his shot. That is his swing skill as it concerns his NBA future, more so than his athleticism. Reddish has struggled, even more so than in college, to stroke the ball from beyond the arc in the NBA. There’s a reason why the Hawks presumably don’t mind trading him and are intent on De’Andre Hunter.

This year, Reddish down to 26 percent from three on more attempts than his rookie season. His two-point percentage has gone up, but his efficiency as a whole has waned. Still, Reddish remains a tantalizing prospect who deserves patience.

His defensive ceiling is higher than originally expected, and maybe he could start realizing his offensive potential under the tutelage of Pels assistant coach Fred Vinson. Vinson was instrumental in improving Ball’s and Brandon Ingram’s shot.

I am intrigued by the possibility of the New Orleans Pelicans incorporating Reddish and would consider myself onboard. I would rather the Pels keep Ball, but if that is not possible, then selling now while his value is high and getting someone like Reddish in return feels like a minor win.