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This time last year it was thought that VCU's 6'9, 250 lbs big man, Juvonte Reddic, could really blossom into a legit NBA prospect. After some appearances at Amar'e Stoudemire's big man camp and LeBron James' skills academy, some pundits and scouts were ready to label him as a legitimate first round prospect in the 2014 NBA Draft. Here we are...a couple days out from that very draft and no one is talking about Reddic. So what happened?
Reddic is still a young and raw player, his post moves need to develop and his footwork needs some serious work in the paint, but most of all Reddic lacked tenacity this past year in the Atlantic 10. He has what it takes to take over a game and has done so, but not having that killer instinct in the paint when you may be the conference's most gifted big man is a sin in the Atlantic 10.
Just looking at the box score alone shows the downfall that Reddic had this past year:
| Year | Games | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2010-11 | 36 | 11.2 | 46.3% | 65.0% | 1.9 | 0.2 | 3.5 |
| 2011-12 | 36 | 27.2 | 51.4% | 63.8% | 6.6 | 1.2 | 10.3 |
| 2012-13 | 36 | 27.9 | 56.9% | 70.7% | 8.1 | 0.9 | 14.6 |
| 2013-14 | 36 | 28.0 | 50.4% | 54.1% | 8.4 | 1.2 | 11.7 |
As you can see, that natural progression was there for Reddic until his final year where things just seemed to plummet on the offensive end. Reddic also seemed to disappear this past season when you look at his performance in the Atlantic 10 and NCAA tournaments. He didn't strike the postseason success that we've seen before.
| 2013 Postseason | 2014 Postseason | |
| Games | 5 | 4 |
| PPG | 15.4 | 6.5 |
| RPG | 7.4 | 8.5 |
There is some good news, some draft pundits still have Reddic in the late second round of their mock drafts. This can be for no other reason then the potential that he has flashed at times in the past. He can still crash the offensive glass and can develop a decent mid-range jumper. But can he become a polished offensive player in a league that thrives on offense? No one really knows...
We'll certainly see him in the Summer League or in the NBDL or overseas, I really do think he'll earn a shot in the league eventually. Some have speculated that Reddic's regression the past year could have been more mental than anything given his skillset. Perhaps if things click in between the ears then they'll start to click on the court more? For now, he didn't quite generate the buzz in pre-draft events, like the Portsmouth Invitational, that he need to improve his stock.