Should the Houston Rockets be Interested in Cam Reddish?

Houston Rockets: How good is Cam Reddish?

The final and most important question is; How good is Cam Reddish? Let’s first examine Reddish’s current production and then try to imagine him in the future. 

Simply put, Cam Reddish is not a good NBA player. For his career, he has averaged 11.3 points 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 assists per game. He has shot 38.7% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range. 

Reddish has shown significant improvement in his 3-point shooting this season converting 38.2% of his attempts, a career-high. Unfortunately, he has combined that with a 42.8% mark from 2-point range. 

The lack of shooting is a significant concern for Reddish now and long term. He is a poor finisher at the rim, bad from mid-range, and, outside of a 32 game sample this season, he has been bad from beyond the arc. 

If Reddish was a lockdown defender, a rebounding monster, or a passing savant it wouldn’t be such a concern. However, thus far, Reddish has essentially been below average at just about everything. 

As mentioned before, age and injury have played a part in Reddish’s poor start to his career, but what does his future look like? 

The one area where Reddish has been excellent throughout his career is at the free throw line. Dating back to college, Reddish has improved his free throw shooting every season. At Duke, he shot 77.2%, as a rookie 80.2%, his sophomore season 81.7%, and this season 90%. 

Free throw shooting is not a hugely valuable skill. Getting to the free throw line is, and Reddish has been solid in that department, but there are a lot of guys who can hit 90% of their free throws that aren’t in the NBA. 

However, free throw shooting is one of the best indicators of future 3-point shooting. Reddish’s ability to consistently hit from the stripe bodes well for his ability from behind the arc.

The future for Reddish, as it is with everyone, is unknown. What he is now is a bad NBA player with signals that he could be excellent at the most coveted skill from a non-superstars, 3-point shooting. 

Any team trading for Cam Reddish is trading for what he may become, not what he currently is. Since high school, Reddish has consistently seen his stock sink. He went from being ranked above Zion Williamson, to the tenth pick, to a bench piece, to now openly being shopped. 

If the Rockets believe they can reverse the trend for a late first-round pick then that’s an option worth exploring. If the Hawks want Eric Gordon for Reddish straight up, the Rockets could probably do better. 

Reddish’s appeal is in the eye of the beholder. If you look at what he has done there’s very little to like, but there are just enough indicators that he could blossom to make him interesting. 

Should the Rockets go after Reddish? Why not. That’s not a roaring endorsement, but there’s a reason he’s available in the first place.