Duke Basketball defeated 12th ranked Texas Tech on Thursday night despite another off game by Cam Reddish. Should the team be concerned going forward?
With the exception of the Virginia Cavaliers, Duke Basketball faced the toughest defense that they’ll play all season in Texas Tech. The Red Raiders were unbeaten up to that point and were giving up just above 50 ppg. They showed why that wasn’t a fluke, with Duke scoring their 50th point with around just seven minutes to go.
But the Blue Devils‘ offense had just enough to pull ahead at the end, winning the game 68-59. It was an ugly shooting night for them, making just 38% of their shots while going 3/20 from three-point range as a team. Zion Williamson led Duke with 17 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out, with RJ Barrett (16) and Tre Jones (13) contributing late in the victory.
One player who didn’t crack double figures was Cam Reddish, who finished with just eight points on 1/7 shooting. He was ineffective all night, turning the ball over six times and playing just 20 minutes total. Normally it would just be chalked up to an off night but this has continued a troubling trend for the projected top-5 NBA Draft pick.
Since scoring 23 points in a win over Stetson, Reddish has averaged just 8.0 ppg, while shooting a combined 10/42 from the field. He’s been even worst from the three-point line, going just 5/27 from deep. Even more concerning is how he’s been positioned in the offense, at times the fourth option on the floor behind Barrett, Williamson and Jones. There have been moments he’s been relegated to being a spot-up shooting on the perimeter rather than a playmaker of his own with the ball.
A big part of the issue for Barrett has been how the offense at times has been focused on both Barrett and Williamson. Barrett averages eight more shots more Reddish, while Williamson almost always gets a touch in the offense compared to Reddish, who may not see the ball at all in consecutive halfcourt sets. It was expected to be much more balanced between the three.
One obvious solution is to have the team’s leading scorer tone down the shot attempts in favor of Reddish to get him more into a rhythm. Pick and roll sets with Williamson can utilize his athleticism and shooting if defenders focus more on the forward. But Reddish has to take some responsibility too, as he sometimes settles more for the three-pointer than he’s supposed to. When he was truly part of the “Big 3”, he was much more aggressive with his offense instead of settling.
Even though it’s a rough stretch for the 6’8 freshman, there is plenty of time for the young team to get more cohesive and get everyone involved. But for that to happen, everyone will have to change their games a bit. Duke has displayed national championship capabilities but will need Reddish to play at the level many expect and believe he can to truly be able to cut down the final nets in April.