Hawks: Has Cam Reddish arrived?

Yesterday, I talked about several things we’ve learned about this Hawks team while players have been missing following positive COVID tests. It’s been painful to watch, not just with the Hawks but across the league as well. However, at least Atlanta fans have received a better look at Cam Reddish, who has been the best player on the court for most of the last four games.

Cam Reddish, last four games…
23.8 ppg, 44.5% FG, 44.1% 3pt FG

— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) December 28, 2021

There are still moments where Reddish shows his youth. Remember, despite it being his third year in the league, the former Duke Blue Devil is still just 22-years-old, and he’s missed a lot of development time with injury since turning professional.

A perfect example was the Christmas Day game against the Knicks. Reddish was inefficient throughout, making just 4 of his 15 shots and finishing with 10 points. Fortunately, he didn’t let an abysmal showing on national television in Madison Square Garden affect him for very long, which is another trait you have to praise Reddish for — his confidence stays sky-high, even when you almost wish it wouldn’t.

From the opening tip against the Bulls last night, Reddish was scorching hot, finishing the half with 19 points. We saw a little bit of erratic play from him in the third quarter, resulting in a few turnovers, but he gave the Hawks a pulse in the fourth, knocking down several three pointers to put the team within striking distance. Reddish would finish the game with 33 points, thanks to his eight threes on 13 attempts, but it still wasn’t enough to defeat the trio of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic, who combined for 89 points in the Bulls 12-point win.

I’ll be the first to admit, it is getting quite annoying talking about the Hawks from a glass half full perspective following a frustrating loss. However, last night’s result was expected with so many players on Atlanta’s roster missing because of COVID. The combination of injuries, late game struggles, and now COVID have prevented this team from looking anything like they did at the end of last season. But the good thing is, the schedule is 82 games, and we are not even halfway through. Eventually, COVID will pass, and this team will get healthy. When that happens, we could look back at these games as the moment Cam Reddish found his footing and took that next step, which is critical to the Hawks’ long-term success.