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Thanksgiving is in the rearview mirror and, while that means the NBA season is beginning to heat up to some degree, it also means that the league’s future stars are beginning to put together more and more tape at the college level. For the 2018-2019 season, the headline program for NBA Draft die-hards is the Duke Blue Devils and, of course, the work of presumptive No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson.
While there have been plenty of words assigned to chronicling Williamson’s ridiculous early-season performance (with more to come), the Blue Devils also have another long-awaited top prospect in R.J. Barrett. The Canadian wunderkind has been highly anticipated for a long time and, despite some efficiency issues, it is easy to see the appeal of Barrett at the pro level. However, there is a third elite prospect in play at Duke and, in short, it wouldn’t be wise to ignore him.
Cameron Reddish entered college with the reputation of a prospect with big-time ability and, in the early going, there is nothing to dissuade those evaluating him from that view. The 6’8 forward has a 7’1 wingspan to go along with elite-level fluidity and athleticism, but Reddish’s calling card at this stage may be his silky-smooth jump shot. He brings a fantastic shooting profile to the table at all levels and, through a handful of college outings, Reddish owns a 61 percent true shooting clip to complement his physical traits.
Defensively, there are also positive signs with the one-and-done forward, as Reddish brings great tools, including the length necessary to defend 4’s at the next level. While his size might be suited for a 3/4 hybrid role in the NBA, Reddish also has guard skills with the ball in his hands, especially if he can refine his footwork in the future. It has to be noted that not everyone is sold on Reddish, simply because a reputation for floating through games still follows him from the high school level. There haven’t been many issues with motor in college to this point, though, and he may be fully unlocking as a top-tier prospect at this early stage.
Reddish probably won’t catch Williamson at the top of the class but, in our inaugural DIME mock draft of the 2019 draft season, we unveil where he may land. Let’s go.