After one year in Durham, shooting guard Cam Reddish has officially declared for the NBA Draft, making his announcement via Instagram Thursday evening. The Norristown, Pa. native becomes the second Blue Devil to declare for the 2019 Draft, following R.J. Barrett Wednesday.
"Right from the beginning, I had nothing but love for Duke," Reddish said in a video posted to his Instagram page. "The season didn't end the way we hoped, but it was an unbelievable year."
Reddish came to Duke as the No. 3 overall player in the 2018 high-school class—behind only teammates R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson—and had an up and down lone season in a Blue Devil uniform. The 6-foot-8 wing never really found a consistent role in the offense behind Barrett and Williamson, finishing the year averaging 13.5 points per game on 35.7 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Nevertheless, Reddish was huge in late-game situations all year long, sinking clutch 3-point shots in the final minutes against Texas Tech in December and Central Florida in the NCAA Tournament in addition to his buzzer-beating three to defeat Florida State in January. And it was that 23-point outburst against the Seminoles that displayed the potential the Westtown School product has at the next level.
On one hand, Reddish’s roller-coaster campaign had some believing another year at Duke would help the guard grow as a player before taking his talents professionally. But with his pure talent and potential making Reddish a possible top-10 selection in June—with many experts comparing him to the likes of Paul George and DeMar DeRozan—the draw of the NBA became just too enticing.
Reddish finished the season as an All-ACC Honorable Mention pick, though he was not one of the five rookies named to the conference's All-Freshman Team.
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