Philadelphia 76ers: Which Duke freshman fits best in Philly?
While Zion Jones and RJ Barrett may receive all of the attention nationally, Cam Reddish may actually be the dark horse underdog of Duke’s three forward rotation.
Reddish, another five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American, actually has ties to the Philly area, as he played his high school ball at Westtown in Norristown Pa. However, he unfortunately decided to forgo an opportunity to takes his talents to Villanova to become the third wheel in Duke’s current forward collection.
But really, can you blame him?
Not only does Reddish now have a serious chance to play for a team that could run the table and win the National Championship without losing a game, but he’ll also be able to show off his skill set in front of ten, maybe even hundreds of thousands of eyes every single game while playing significant minutes for one of the best coaches of all time.
That’s the kind of opportunity that can create stars, and it’s an opportunity that Reddish should be able to parlay into a major payday in the NBA.
Measuring in at 6-foot-7, 218 pounds, Reddish looks like a prototypical 3-and-D guard/forward capable of playing the two, the three, and four in a small ball lineup. With smooth moves and a feathery touch, Reddish looks like he could eventually elevate himself into a solid two-way starter for pretty much any team in the league capable of covering multiple positions on defense while knocking down an above average clip from 3-point range on the wings.
While it appears incredibly unlikely that Reddish would fall out of the lottery even if he underperforms for the remainder of the college basketball season, if the Philadelphia 76ers want a second chance to lock in a Mikal Bridges-esque flex wing, Reddish looks like an ideal, positionless trade up target who could fit perfectly alongside Simmons, Robert Covington, and Markelle Fultz for years to come, regardless of what position he is technically asked to play.
And the best part? Cam Reddish can create his own shot. How great would that be on a team like the Philadelphia 76ers starving for auxiliary playmakers?