Feb 9, 2019; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Zion Williamson (1), Blue Devils forward RJ Barrett (5), and Blue Devils forward Cam Reddish (2) celebrate after their game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

What Went Wrong for Duke Basketball Product Cam Reddish

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Matt Giles | Last updated Jan 4, 2026 11:00 AM ET

This season, following a six-year stint in the NBA spanning four franchises, Cam Reddish suited up for BC Siauliai in the Lithuanian Basketball League. But the 2018-19 Duke basketball one-and-done and former No. 10 overall draft pick parted ways with the club for "personal reasons" after averaging 14.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists across his nine appearances.

Now, there's no telling what's next for the 26-year-old Reddish, who arrived in Durham almost eight years ago as one of three Blue Devils who ranked among the top five preps in the 2018 recruiting cycle. He tallied 13.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, serving as a key weapon under now-retired legend Mike Krzyzewski that season but wasn't quite in the same league as the highly entertaining squad's other two top-shelf newcomers.

Of course, those other two were Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett, who went on to average over 22 points apiece at Duke and came off the board No. 1 and No. 3 overall, respectively, at the NBA Draft.

Cam Reddish's agent, Rich Paul, suspects it was the "third option" tag as a Duke basketball player that began to mess with the versatile forward's head.

"When he got to college, he got there, and he was there with RJ, and he was there with Zion, so he was kinda like the third guy," Paul explained earlier this week to his Game Over Podcast co-host, Max Kellerman. "That can do something mentally to you, just mentally, right?

"Our game is 90 percent mental. When you get to the NBA, everyone's uber-talented...You're looking [at mock drafts], and you're supposed go top five. Then you go 10. And not only do you go 10, you go 10 to a team [Atlanta Hawks] that just took a player [De'Andre Hunter] that is from your city, or from your area, that you were supposed to be ranked better than the whole time, in front of you at four...

"So now, you've got two guys who play the same position on the same team. And then you get traded...It's circumstance."

Reddish's scoring average in the NBA peaked at 11.2 points in 2020-21. However, he played only 26 games that season, his second year as a pro. He went on to suit up for the New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers and, most recently, the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 8.5 points and 2.7 rebounds for his career in the league.

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE, and following us on X (formerly Twitter) HERE.