Cleveland Cavaliers: Pros and cons of drafting Cam Reddish

Cons

The biggest flaw in Cam Reddish’s game so far has been his apparent lack of enthusiasm. Almost anybody who has watched him play can see that he is lacking aggression and it has affected every aspect of his game.

Let’s start with his offense. At the high school level, it was no problem for Cam to score without using much effort. However, every player is more athletic in college and this caused Reddish to frequently settle for low-quality shots.

Instead of aggressively attacking the defense, Cam would often resort to pull-up jump shots on the perimeter. When he did drive, it was not uncommon for him to be knocked off balance resulting from his thin frame and forced into tough leaning shots.

Because of this, Reddish’s shooting percentages took a big dip last season. Shooting just 35.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from deep, he struggled far too much on the offensive end for a player as talented as him.

Seeing as how effort is an important component to playing good defense, it is no wonder that Cam’s defensive impact has declined as well. He is prone to standing straight up and leaving his defensive stance, which makes him an easy target for dribble drives and backdoor cuts.

As a whole, Cam is far too gifted to suffer from the weaknesses he did in his lone college season. Motivating a young player is not easy but it is something that will need to happen for him to succeed at the NBA level.