Philadelphia 76ers: 5 goals for J.J. Redick in 2017-18
By Simon Smith
5. Maintain first quarter niche
The first quarter was a sticking point for the Sixers last season — understandable considering the lack of experience on the roster. Overall, the Sixers ranked dead last in field goal percentage in first quarters, shooting at a 43.1 percent clip from the field while averaging 25.0 points.
Conversely, this is an area where Redick excelled. For the season, Redick 5.1 averaged points per game on 46.0 percent shooting from the field and 47.1 percent from 3-point land. This ranked 38th among all players for points per first quarter, where just two players ranked ahead of him averaged less minutes per first quarter.
With the Sixers’ core rotation set to be even less experienced this season with the introduction of Simmons and Fultz, having a steady veteran such as Redick to settle any early nerves and get the team going on a nightly basis will prove to be vital throughout the course of the season.
Over the course of last season, Redick had eight games of scoring double figures in the first quarter, which featured a season-high 14 points in a win against the Sacramento Kings. In fact, Redick eclipsed the eight-point mark on 23 occasions, a phenomenal effort.
When watching the Clippers in recent seasons, seeing Redick run off screens to be fed the ball by point guard Chris Paul to commence games was almost like a formality. And when Redick played at least 10 minutes in first quarters, he averaged 8.2 points in 10.6 minutes per first quarter.
With the likes of Simmons and Fultz still learning the ropes, and center Joel Embiid likely to garner even further attention this season, there Sixers are more than likely to look for Redick to ignite them in the early stages of each game.