Reddish told The New York Daily News that he was putting pressure on himself to make a shot while he was with the Knicks and that his lack of playing time was politics and favoritism.

Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix
Credit Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix

Cam Reddish was traded from the New York Knicks to the Portland Trail Blazers the day before the NBA trade deadline last month. After playing for his new team for a month, the forward decided to open up about his time in The Big Apple.

Cameron Reddish

Cameron  Reddish
Cameron  Reddish
MIN: 25.23
PTS: 10.44 (53.25%)
REB: 2.19
As: 1.63
ST: 1
BL: 0.34
TO: 1.16
GM: 32

The player thinks that his lack of playing time near the end of his tenure with the Knicks was not related to him directly.

"It was tough but at the same time, it ain't even about basketball," Reddish told Stefan Bondy from the New York Daily News. "It had nothing to do with basketball. It was all the politics, all the favoritism. S--t like that. That's why I wasn't too worried about it."

"I'm in a completely different place. Now I'm blessed. Not everybody gets another opportunity so it's refreshing," the player said. "I got some great teammates. Great staff. It's real positive around here. Win, lose, or draw. It's not somebody beating you over your head — not that that was happening in New York — but it's more my style."

After being traded to Portland, Reddish's numbers increased significantly. Not only is he playing more (30.8 minutes compared to 21.9), he's scoring more points (13.8 to 8.4), and recording twice as many rebounds (3.3 to 1.6) and assists (2.7 to 1.0).

"I can shoot a shot — and in New York, I felt like I had to make it," Reddish shared. "I know I'm not the only person that felt like that."

"I was putting too much pressure on myself. Now I can relax and play my game. You're going to see it. The more I'm on the court, the more I'm going to grow and play. I'm happy."

Reddish's Trail Blazers face off against his former team - New York Knicks - on Tuesday.

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