Cam Reddish Says National Spotlight on Zion Williamson 'Little Bit Unfair'

The hype surrounding Duke superstar Zion Williamson, the consensus top overall prospect in this year's NBA draft, has been astronomical. His former teammate, Cam Reddish, believes it's gotten a bit out of hand.

"I do think it's a little bit of unfair," Reddish told Scott Gleeson of USA Today. "But I think he's more than capable of overcoming all that."

"I love Zion. He's a phenomenal guy to be around. He's all laughs and giggles," he added. "He's super, super humble. He shouldn't be. I enjoyed his presence."

With Williamson the shining star of college basketball last season—and RJ Barrett one of the best players in the nation and a likely top-three pick—Reddish was overshadowed at Duke. He still averaged a solid 13.5 points per game but struggled from the field, shooting just 35.6 percent (and 33.3 percent from three). 

Duke's floor-spacing was poor, and with Williamson and Barrett often leading the offense, Reddish was relegated to the team's third option, a new role for one of the prized recruits in the Class of 2018.

"It was different," he said. "I'm not usually just a shooter. I'm used to playing more on the ball. I was a (point guard) in high school."

The 6'8" wing likely won't play point guard in the NBA but would benefit from having more shooters around him. His upside will likely be tied to his jump shot, though he pointed out that he believes he has more to offer.

"I'm just trying to get back to who I can be, who I am," he said. "I feel like I can just do everything. ... My personality is kind of reserved. So people might think I'm lazy. That's nonsense. ... I can do it all. I feel like I'm capable of doing it on both sides of the floor. Now I get an opportunity to show that."

He also said he thinks he'll be better than his two former teammates. Either way he'll enter the NBA with more muted expectations than both and has a chance to be a mid- to late-lottery steal.