NEWSLETTER
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but a top prospect is having surgery before the NBA Draft:
Sources: Cam Reddish will undergo a minor procedure for a core muscle injury. There is a six-week timetable that will have Reddish fully healthy. The core injury nagged him during the Duke season and will now fully heal.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 31, 2019
Sources inform The Athletic’s Shams Charnia that Duke standout Cam Reddish will have surgery to repair a core muscle injury that was bothersome during his time on campus. Charnia estimates a six-week recovery timetable for Reddish to fully recover. Reddish joins Murray State point guard Ja Morant in having a “minor procedure” before draft day rolls around on June 20. I suppose it’s better to do it now than let it linger, fix it later, and have that recovery time chip into the NBA preseason.
Unlike Morant, Reddish still figures to be on the board when the Bulls go on the clock with the No. 7 pick. In fact, NBA.com’s most recently updated Consensus Mock Draft slots Reddish as the seventh pick and going to the Bulls. So with that in mind, let’s keep a close eye on him and his injury situation.
Reddish averaged 13.5 points, but shot just 35.6 percent from the field and made only 33.3 percent from the 3-point line. Those were underwhelming numbers for the Duke small forward, who entered the college season as a projected top pick in the draft and an ace shooter with range and high-end offensive talent.
But what if Reddish was hurt and it negatively impacted his game? I’ve been as down on Reddish as anyone, but I can’t help but wonder if an injury that bugged him all year impacted his game. If that happens to be the case, then it’s possible some NBA team could be drafting a steal in a top-tier prospect.
