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J.J. Redick’s Quietly Having An Awesome Season

By Cameron Stewart

November 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard J.J. Redick (4) shoots the basketball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 112-108. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard J.J. Redick (4) shoots the basketball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 112-108. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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At age 31, Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard J.J. Redick is having a career year.

For most people, being 30 years old means one is still in the beginning stages of their professional life.

Of course, we know this is not the case for NBA players. In fact, age 30 often represents the beginning of the end of an NBA player’s career, a sign that the fuel gauge is leaning more towards empty than full. Even if there are many years left for the player, his best years are most likely behind him.

J.J. Redick has quietly been proving to be the exception to having success on the wrong side of age 30.

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Redick is having a career year at age 31. No player in NBA history has combined his 49.0 percent overall shooting, 48.8 percent three-point shooting and 87.9 percent free-throw shooting, while averaging 16 points per game over a full season, although Kawhi Leonard is also hitting those marks this season.

Redick has forged a solid NBA career after etching his name among Duke’s greatest and most hated players in his storied college career, but he’s never been as good as he’s been this season.

Redick’s average of 16 points per game is the second-highest of his 10-year NBA career, behind last year’s mark of 16.4. However he’s putting up just 0.4 fewer points per game in 3.8 fewer minutes per game this season. This is made possible by Redick being about as deadly on jump shots as anyone not named Stephen Curry.

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Redick is knocking on the doorsteps of the prestigious 50-40-90 club that only the all-time great shooters in NBA history–such as Larry Bird, Mark Price, Reggie Miller, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Durant–have earned the right to enter.

It remains to be seen if Redick can continue his hot shooting this season, but he’s shown no signs of cooling down since returning from an ankle injury on Dec. 7.

Since then, Redick has averaged 18.6 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field on 12.4 shots attempts per game.

Redick has continued to take his game to another level since Blake Griffin went out with a quad injury suffered in a Christmas matchup against the Lakers. Redick has scored 20 or more points in four of the six games the Clippers have played without Griffin. In these six games, Redick has been scorching hot, making an insane 61.8 percent of his nearly six three-point attempts per game.

Redick ranks second in the league in true shooting percentage, a statistic that weighs the impact of three-pointers and free throw percentage along with field goal percentage, behind you guessed it, Curry.

Redick’s success on the wrong side of 30 while making full use of his deadeye shooting brings to mind the season that Kyle Korver had last season with the Atlanta Hawks.

You may recall a 33-year old Korver making the All-Star Game last season due to the combination of his historically hot shooting and the Eastern Conference-leading 42-11 record of Korver’s Hawks.

Korver’s All-Star candidacy was aided by the Eastern Conference’s poor season and Korver’s shooting being one of the main reasons why the Hawks were able to be so successful seemingly out of nowhere.

As astonishing as it may sound, Redick has been even better this season than Korver was last season.

Redick’s shooting percentage splits of 49/49/88 fall just short of Korver’s 51/52/91, but Redick has been an even bigger part of the Clippers’ offense, with a usage rating of 22.2 percent to Korver’s 14.1 percent. Redick is taking 3.1 more shots in 6.1 fewer minutes per game.

Per 100 possessions, the Clippers have been outscoring opponents by 13.7 points per game with Redick on the floor despite being 21-11 in games that Redick has played compared to the Hawks outscoring opponents by 11.5 points with Korver on the court while they went 42-11 before the All-Star break.

Both seasons have been great, but Redick has gone under the radar this season and will not get the All-Star nod that Korver earned. This is fair, Korver probably wouldn’t have made the All-Star team any almost any other year and benefited from a weak conference devoid of other guards worthy of selection.

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    • Redick has to deal with Curry, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, and a few others blocking his way to the All-Star Game.

    However, that doesn’t mean that Redick’s outstanding season thus far should go unrecognized.

    The Clippers are known for their “Big Three” of Paul, Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan, but it wouldn’t be much of a reach to say that Redick has an argument to be included with that core.

    Paul, Griffin, and Jordan all require space to work with. If not for Redick and the space that he creates, teams could have an extra help defender to pack the paint against a Paul-Griffin or Paul-Jordan pick-and-roll.

    The spacing Redick provides benefits everyone. Take a look at the play below where the announcer calls the play out. The Clippers had run it a few times throughout the game with success and went to it on one of the biggest plays of the game. Joe Ingles helps out to prevent the pass to Redick, but leaves Paul Pierce open by doing so.

    If Redick is left open to help out on the Clippers bigger names, then the defense is giving up one of the surest three points in the game today. According to Synergy Statistics on NBA.com/stats, Redick leads the league in spot-up opportunities, scoring 1.76 points per possessions in which he takes a shot in a spot-up or catch-and-shoot scenario.

    For context, the next closest qualifying player is Jerryd Bayless of the Milwaukee Bucks with 1.52 points per possession in those situations.

    Redick’s role in the Clippers offense is a mutually beneficial relationship. Redick benefits by not by not being the focal point of the offense while the rest of the team benefits from the threat that he presents from the outside.

    Redick plays the role that Ray Allen made famous in Doc Rivers‘ offense during his days with the Boston Celtics. The role’s main duties are running off of screen after screen, daring defenders to get lost chasing Redick to create a situation where somebody needs to help, leaving someone open. It’s a role that nobody else on the team can mimic and few in the league could fill so well.

    Check out an excellent example of Redick running through some screens on a play with some clever misdirection that leads to Redick getting an open look.

    Check out this beauty, where Bucks wing Khris Middleton thinks he’s foiled a play designed for Redick to catch-and-shoot a three from the wing, only to run to the corner after what Middleton thought was a stopped play.

    Without Redick, the Clippers suffer.

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    The Clippers have played 867 minutes with Redick on the floor and 866 minutes with him off the court. When Redick is on the floor, the Clippers score 115.6 points per 100 possessions as opposed to only 99.4 when Redick isn’t in the game.

    Some portray Redick to be a one-trick pony who only makes a positive impact on the offensive end of the floor, and those folks are wrong.

    The Clippers defense is three points per 100 possessions better with Redick on the floor than off it. Redick leads the league in fewest points per possession allowed off of screens by a wide margin, giving up a measly .312 points per possession when Redick’s man is coming off of a screen.

    For comparison, the next-best mark is .514 by Monta Ellis of the Indiana Pacers and the league average is .928.

    Redick isn’t the fleetest of foot, but he’s mastered the art of dodging screens, not being too risky by going for steals, and getting in excellent position to defend. He’s an excellent example of why steals and blocks aren’t always an accurate measurement of being a good defender.

    Redick is an expert at being in great position defensively and not fouling, simply not allowing his man to get by him while not fouling.

    Redick doesn’t receive the headlines on a team that features some of the league’s biggest names, but he’s a key reason why the Clippers go into Saturday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets on a seven-game win streak.

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    He may not be an All-Star, but Redick serves as the catalyst that allows the Clippers stars to shine.

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