Duke basketball: NBA Blue Devil in serious sophomore slump

A former Duke basketball star is really struggling with his outside jumper.

Maybe Atlanta Hawks small forward Cam Reddish will soon follow in the recent footsteps of fellow Duke basketball one-and-done RJ Barrett. After all, the New York Knicks guard looks to have snapped out of his own sophomore slump by simply forcing fewer 3-point attempts and instead focusing on other parts of his toolbox.

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Or perhaps Reddish — who went No. 10 overall at the 2019 NBA Draft, seven spots after Barrett and nine after his top-pick former college teammate in New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson — will go the opposite route and aggressively try to shoot his way out of an ongoing funk.

No denying the Duke basketball product’s issues

Ever since missing three straight games in mid-January with a bruised knee, Cam Reddish has been a bonafide bricklayer.

Across his most recent seven outings, coinciding with five Atlanta losses, the 6-foot-8, 220-pound Reddish has shot 24-for-72, or 33.3 percent, from the field. That includes 4-for-33, or 12.1 percent, from 3-point land.

Yikes.

This comes after Reddish displayed a fairly promising 11-game opening stretch, in which he scored in double-figures eight times and went a combined 19-for-57, or 33.3 percent, from beyond the arc.

Also, it’s worth noting the 21-year-old from Pennsylvania is now 0-for-11 from deep between his past three appearances, all defeats. And although Reddish managed 12 points in a 112-91 home loss to the Utah Jazz (17-5) on Thursday night, he required more than a dozen attempts from the field to get there, shooting 5-for-14 overall and 0-for-3 from downtown.

As a rookie, Cam Reddish averaged 10.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 38.4 percent from the field, including 33.2 percent from three. This season, his key averages have seen slight increases to 11.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals; at the same time, though, he has dropped to 36.1 percent from the field, including now 25.6 percent from three.

The Hawks (10-12) return to action at 8 p.m. Saturday when they host the Toronto Raptors (9-12).

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