Atlanta Hawks: How Cam Reddish can swing the Young/Doncic trade

He won’t determine who is better between Trae and Luka, but Cam Reddish can make the Atlanta Hawks look — and play — better for making the swap.

Trae Young and Luka Doncic will forever be linked together throughout their NBA careers. It’s what happens when two top-5 picks are swapped for each other, creating a never-ending discussion to crown a winner in what looks to be a future league-altering deal involving the Dallas Mavericks and the Atlanta Hawks.

Raising that debate tends to open the floor as to which All-Star guard is better, but that is a completely different discussion and should be categorized as such.

Because as foolish as you may have thought — and still think — it was for the Hawks to pass on Doncic, one has to remember the draft-night trade in its entirety, where the one other piece in that deal is now starting to make his mark.

Cam Reddish landed in Atlanta via the first-round pick the Hawks had acquired from Dallas in the trade the year before — 10th overall.

https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1230689697577553920

He was 19 years old with an intriguing 7’0” wingspan, but Reddish’s unique frame couldn’t make up for an incredibly raw skill-set coming off a lone season at Duke spent mostly in the shadows of teammates Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett.

There was no mark to be found near the rim to start his career and even less so from beyond the arc. Like most teenagers, Reddish struggled to find his footing in the NBA game, but the passage of time has naturally aided his development.

Over his last 15 games, Reddish has averaged 13.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals in just 28.7 minutes a game. He’s converted on 39.2 percent of 4.9 3-point attempts per game after shooting below 30 percent for much of his rookie season.

The Hawks offensive rating jumped seven points, which is due to several factors — Reddish did miss four straight during that ascension — but it always helps to have a high-energy wing finding his confidence.

Few rookies are even closed to finished products at the defensive end, and Reddish is no exception. But he has put his length to use as he acclimates to slowing down NBA talent.

He ranks second among all first-year players in steals this season and is tied for the lead in most games with at least three steals with eight.

Doncic has set the NBA ablaze, but Young isn’t too far behind, ranking inside the top-3 in both points and assists per game. That alone makes the debate fairly competitive.

Where Reddish factors into that equation won’t likely be determined until well down the line. He’s simply not as polished as Young or Doncic so early into his career, instead, requiring reps and development to eventually blossom.

Given his frame and a 3-point shot that’s already looking better compared to earlier in the year, it’s not crazy to envision Reddish in the 3-and-D role every NBA team desperately seeks to fill. He’s shot 39.7 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers during this 15-game stretch and his perimeter defense has been solid for a player with his limited experience.

With added weight on a 6’8” 208-pound body and tighter handles, maybe he could even develop into a trusted scoring option for the Hawks alongside Young and John Collins.

The discussion will always be about Doncic and Young because the spotlight will always be on them. Maybe the former will turn out better than the latter given his added size that results in fewer inefficiencies both now and in the future.

But if the Hawks can’t win that battle between the two best guards of their draft class, maybe Reddish can still help Atlanta win the war with an additional foundation piece to an already bright young core.