by Patrick ‘Rey’ Reynell
I probably need to clarify that I have no invested interest in what I am about to write concerning one of the most celebrated and equivocally detested college basketball players of all time. I’m not a Duke fan, nor am I a Duke hater.
Former Duke University star, J.J. Redick, is much more valuable to the Orlando Magic than the stat sheet may reveal. In fact, the Magic cannot win a playoff series without him.
(Please refrain from coarse language and crass comments until further reading).
Sure the numbers don’t jump off of the stat sheet thus far in the playoffs (6.1 points, 2.1 assists in just about 23 minutes a game), but he brings to the game certain qualities and a basketball IQ that makes everyone around him a little bit better.
Redick has played a more active role since the injury to Courtney Lee in the Philadelphia series. Prior to game five in that series, he played only 12 total minutes. From game five onward he averaged nearly 27 minutes per contest.
The increased minutes did not result in increased points from the regular season. The point was not for Redick to replace Lee, because quite frankly, Courtney Lee Redick’s game is not. Redick rather has filled in as a quintessential role player.
Redick’s contributions have Orlando coach, Stan Van Gundy, realizing Redick is not someone he can just part with now that Lee has returned.
Offensively, Redick’s execution of the high pick-and-roll with All-Star center, Dwight Howard, has been masterful. He has not shown much of an ability to create for himself off of it (he’s shooting below 40 percent in the playoffs), but he is successful at drawing both defenders and making a timely pass through the trap.
If the defender follows him over the screen, Redick takes a sharp angle as Howard creates space on the roll. Howard’s man, mostly in the Boston series, looked to close out on Redick and force him into a trap especially off the baseline side of the screen.
Reading the defender the whole way, Redick has been making pinpoint bounce passes to the rolling Howard. Few times has the defender gone underneath the screen because Redick is still feared as a shooter.
How valuable is this? Many players might become a little too greedy off the pick-and-roll and get caught in a trap or force a shot. Not Redick. He knows the game plan and follows it precisely. It establishes their best offensive threat early and potentially puts opposing big men in foul trouble.
It also establishes an inside-out game plan that completely opens the floor in the latter stages of the game. Boston had trouble defending this even though they knew when it would be run because Redick executed it so well. And Redick does it without turning the ball over (4 total in the 2009 playoffs).
When the pick would not come, Redick became an ideal perimeter teammate. If open, he shot (though not too well). If not, Redick would allow the defense to close down on him and quickly reverse the ball. With defenders committing on one side of the floor, a quick reversal opened up backside options for the Magic.
Hedo Turkoglu, Mikael Pietrus, and Rafer Alston benefited from such altruism; they often found themselves with open shots or, in Alston’s case, an open lane with an opportunity to attack the basket when the defense did not rotate quick enough.
Redick has been no slouch defensively either. Most of the Boston series he had to defend Ray Allen. This is where the little, subtle things make a player quite valuable to his team.
In the Boston-Chicago series in the first round, Ben Gordon spent most of his time defending Allen. He followed Allen through all screens. Mistakenly, however, Gordon would allow himself to get widened out on cuts and not work to keep between Allen and the basket. As a result, Gordon chased Allen more than defended him. Any time Allen used multiple screens and rescreens Gordon became completely lost.
Redick defended Allen much more aggressively. He would stay in front and force Allen to go through him to reach the screener. This often caused Allen to round off his cuts through screens and gave Redick’s teammates opportunities to bump him as well. Because Allen was not cutting as precisely and sharply, it was easier for Redick to close out on his shot.
Whereas Gordon relied too much on his speed to defend Allen, Redick never really chased, probably because he knew it would have been in vain. Instead he made it a wrestling match between the two as Allen tried to run the resilient Redick into screens, but often to no avail.
Allen’s field goal and three-point percentage took a big dive between the two series. Against Chicago, he shot 45 percent from the floor and 47 percent from beyond the arc. In the Orlando series, Allen only managed 34 percent from the floor and an abysmal 19 percent (8-42) from three point range.
Was Allen’s decline due solely to J.J. Redick? Certainly not, but the way in which Redick defended had to play a role on Allen’s comfort level and fatigue late in games.
Redick will probably never live up to the expectations of being a lottery pick, but he doesn’t have to. His merit isn’t in the points column. His merit is something more intangible.
Contrary to popular anti-Duke belief, J.J. Redick will be an NBA player for years to come. And if you are a Duke fan, than that gives you yet another NBA veteran and even more haters.
All that and Redick never gets called for the fouls he commits … it’s amazing … just like when he played for Duke.
Seriously, Rey, did Casey pay you to write about JJ?
Actually, I found myself admiring the game 7 he had vs Boston. I agree that he can bring a lot to the table. Good, Post!
Now, if the next one is about how Hedu Tirkoglu deserved some MVP votes, we’ll know for sure that Casey put you up to it 🙂
Appreciate it, Wally.
Everyone in the NBA plays like that. A lot of it doesn’t translate well to television. I went to a Cavs-Celtics game this year and Mo Williams would literally clothesline Ray Allen when he cut through the lane or a screen. Nothing was called all game.
Like I said, I have no invested interest in Redick. Don’t love him, don’t hate him, just think he did a great job playing within himself and contributing more than the stat sheet says.
Rey
Great job with getting below the surface. Too often a player’s contributions can be overlooked by those glued to stat sheets.
Redick has become the antithesis of himself. While at Duke Redick dominated the stat sheet. Coach K and staff structured their offense around JJ’s exploits. Redick didn’t have to worry about creating scoring opportunities and staying out of traps. That was done for him. As for his defense – that was a liability the Devils were willing to put up with because of his staggering offensive numbers.
Now Redick grasps the finer points of the game. It is great to watch. He’ll never earn the title of lock-down defender, but his positioning allowed him to take away much of Ray Allen’s strength. Even though Redick doesn’t defend well off the dribble, he kept Allen from getting the upfake – two dribbles and pull up jumper.
Rey – you accomplished the feat of putting into words what many people watch.
Again – great job. Check out https://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/05/19/redick-out-lee-in-for-magic/ They linked this article.
‘lottery pick expectations’ is kind of a catch 22 (for lack of a better wording). Certainly, Redick doesn’t rate with LeBron, Howard, Yao, and probably not even with Derrick Rose. But he is above Bogut, Olowakandi, Oden, and going back 14 years – Joe Smith
Yeah – I think lottery picks all have unrealistic expectations. People have already labeled Redick a bust, and why? Mainly because of where he was taken. Also look at Antwan Jamison. Picked fourth overall – some say he hasn’t lived up to expectations though he’s had a very respectable career.
The NBA is funny like that. I guess they think because it is only two rounds, you should get your pick right every year. It’s not that easy. Some players don’t translate well to the pros and get put into the wrong system.
Or they’re drafted by the Clippers.