The Atlanta Hawks have not yet been able to replicate the success that they found last NBA season. The Atlanta Hawks went on a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals where they were knocked off by the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
Thus far this season, a lot of those same issues they had early in the season are persisting again. Atlanta has an excellent offense, ranking second in offensive rating according to Basketball-Reference. Unfortunately, they cannot stop anyone as they are ranked 25th in defensive rating.
The Hawks can attribute at least some of that to the fact that they are missing some key players from their rotation. The team is waiting on Onyeka Okongwu to make his season debut. He is recovering from an offseason operation on his shoulder and will help provide depth in the frontcourt behind Clint Capela.
The team is also without their best perimeter defender in De’Andre Hunter who is sidelined by injuries once again. This time it was surgery on his right wrist, as Hunter has missed 65 games and counting the last two seasons while appearing in only 34.
One of the players who has been attempting to pick up the slack for Hunter’s absence is Cam Reddish. Reddish was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and battled injuries and ineffectiveness his first two seasons in the NBA.
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While his efficiency could still use some work, at least he has been relatively healthy thus far this season, appearing in 23 games. This is the best shooting season of his career thus far, which is a step in the right direction.
Following his performance in four games against the Bucks in the postseason, teams began taking notice. He was someone mentioned in plenty of trade rumors throughout the offseason and they have not slowed down much in the regular season.
According to The Athletic, a prescription-based website, teams are inquiring about Reddish and the Hawks have not changed their asking price from the offseason.
“Rival teams are expressing interest in Hawks swingman Cam Reddish, but those teams believe Atlanta seeks a first-round draft pick for Reddish, sources said.”
While Reddish is still working on his offensive game, he is a ready-made defender. The Hawks defensive rating is 2.4 better with Reddish on the court than off the court. Standing 6’8” with a 7’1” wingspan, Reddish has the prototypical two-way wing size.
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Even if he doesn’t fully realize his potential offensively, he has shown enough to at least be a lead 3-and-D wing in a rotation. That is an important role for NBA teams so it comes as no surprise that other organizations are checking in on what it would cost to acquire him as the Hawks are primed for a consolidating trade sooner than later.
