Eyes on the Internet: Praising J.J. Redick, Shooting Extraordinaire
Here’s a look at how the internet has reacted to the best play of J.J. Redick’s career, helping the Los Angeles Clippers to an 8-0 record without Blake Griffin.
If the internet is the medium you choose to decide whether a person is underrated or overrated as a basketball player, the last week may be enough to thrust J.J. Redick from the conversation of underrated.
It’s not his fault he’s underrated: after an excellent career at Duke, many believed he’d translate to the NBA as he did in college, lighting it up the minute he touched the field. Instead, from college superstar to role player, Redick was forced to work his way out of the barracks and prove he was worthy of playing time on both ends of the floor.
Fast forward years later and Redick is proving that and much more, and in the last two weeks of play, as the Clippers continue on without Blake Griffin, it’s been Redick who’s received a ton of coverage on the internet for his play in the time period, which includes leading t
With that said, here is a brief look-in to what excellent writers across the web have had to say about the streaking shooting guard:
J.J. Redick makes his case for Clippers’ offensive MVP (Bball Breakdown)
"His gravity is so critical to the rest of the game, the Clippers run some sort of set for Redick in their first half court set nearly every game. Doc Rivers like to set the tone to focus the defense on Redick from the onset to help make life easier for the rest of his team. Redick rivals Kyle Korver for the best screen user in the league, and he’s only gotten better over the past few seasons. He is elite at setting his man up before the screen, often getting separation before he even runs off it. If his man is tied tight to him after his initial cut, he’ll rub right off his teammate, forcing his man right into the screen. Either way, he gets a step coming off the screen and is elite at converting these opportunities."
J.J. Redick’s Quietly Having An Awesome Season (Hoops Habit)
"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 he creates, teams could have an extra help defender to pack the paint against a Paul-Griffin or Paul-Jordan pick-and-roll."
J.J. Redick film session: The NBA’s second-best shooter hones his craft (Sporting News)
"In addition to being the second best shooter in the NBA this season, Redick has been the most valuable player to the Clippers’ success. The team’s offensive rating jumps by 15.9 points (from 99.2 to 115.1) when Redick is on the floor, which is basically the difference between the Warriors and the Lakers offensively. The Clippers are also 19-6 when he hits multiple 3-pointers (2-5 when he doesn’t) and 9-0 when he scores 20 or more points."
The Transformation of J.J. Redick (The Sports Quotient)
"Redick’s maturation and development has not been limited to his persona, as evidenced by his strong on-court production this season. Redick has been remarkably consistent on both offense and defense, leading some to dub him the real MVP of the Clippers. For a team with two perennial MVP candidates on his roster, that’s truly saying something, and the numbers back it up. Offensively, when Redick is on the floor, the Clippers score 112.6 points per 100 possessions, a rate that would lead the league. However, when he sits, the Clips offensive rating drops to 95.6, a rate better than only the two-win 76ers. No statistic is more telling than this one: when Redick plays, the Clippers outscore opponents by 12.1 points per 100 possessions; when he sits, the Clippers get outscored by 6.2 points. This difference of 18.3 in Net Rating is the largest discrepancy on his team – more than Blake Griffin or Chris Paul."
Next: 5 trade targets to finally fix the Clippers' bench
J.J. Redick Has Been Rather Tremendous This Season (The Fastbreak)
"It’s weird that a player reaches their literal peak of their powers at the age of 31. Most hit them in their mid-to-late 20s, then begin to taper off after hitting their 30s. I’m not sure if the difference here is that Redick is a shooter and many other are athletic marvels, as he isn’t solely some sort of shooting specialist. He’s gone a long way in developing his overall offensive game — which means, he should be reverting back to only being a specialist by now. NOT continuing to get better."