Among the players expected to be taken in the top-10 of the 2019 NBA Draft on June 20 is Duke forward Cam Reddish. Prior to his freshman season with the Blue Devils, the 19-year-old was ranked higher than the projected No. 1 overall pick and his teammate at Duke, Zion Williamson.
Despite his up-and-down year in college, Reddish elected to declare for the 2019 NBA Draft. Some mock drafts have him going as high as No. 4 overall, though it seems most likely he’ll fall to eighth and play for the Atlanta Hawks.
In the course of analyzing Reddish’s talents — even as far back as his days in high school — he’s drawn comparisons to one Oklahoma City Thunder player. Paul George. (The same player in contention to be named the 2019 NBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.)
Most recent to compare Reddish to George was ESPN NBA draft analyst Mike Schmitz, who referred to the 19-year-old as “Baby Paul George” in a recent video breakdown:
In the course of evaluating Reddish, Schmitz sites the similarity in size between the two players. Additionally, he discusses Reddish’s potential as a versatile, elite defender in the NBA, which, of course, is a big part of what makes George such a force.
But as much as Reddish could turn into something special, it might be time to slow down with the comparisons to one of the top-3 performer in the NBA in 2018-19 given he was a let-down as a freshman after playing with Williamson and projected third overall pick RJ Barrett.
