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hobojoe · 07-13-2007, 07:54 AM

Quote:

ORLANDO -- Few topics among NBA executives and scouts bring about more debate than J.J. Redick.

When he entered the league last year, opinion seemed to run about 50/50 on whether the former college player of the year would find NBA success. After a nondescript season slowed by injury and full of DNP-CDs, league opinion entering this year's Orlando summer league seemed to be more like 20/80 -- about one out of five believed he would eventually become a legitimate player.

Three games into summer league, Redick's doing everything he can to get that other 80 percent on his side.

Here's a breakdown of how he's performed:

Offense

Redick's strengths on this side of the ball are well-documented -- he's one of the purest shooters in college basketball history. But the knock on the former Duke star always has been that he might be too slow and small to get off his shot against quicker, taller NBA defenders.

While I agree that he isn't great at getting good shots off his own dribble drives and the triple-threat position, I believe that within a team concept he can be very effective using screens or attacking open spaces created by a good post scorer or another great shooter/slasher. In other words, being the second or third option can be a great role for him.

And Redick has two things going for him that allow him to be a go-to guy, at least on occasion -- incredible confidence as a shot-maker and the ability to draw fouls. Thus far in Orlando's summer league, he is showcasing both of those talents.

In the Magic's first three games, in an offense that is all about getting Redick involved, he has taken 44 shots from the field (and 24 from the charity stripe). The shots have come in a variety of ways, from transition layups to deep curls, and everything in between. In short, he looks like he did while dominating the ACC, brimming with confidence while constantly moving around screens in search of his quick and deadly jump shot. Few guys can make the deep 3 coming off of a pin down, but Redick is one of them.

He has shot 21-for-44 despite being the only real scoring threat on the team and facing a defense stacked to stop him.

Though he's not a great penetrator, his array of exaggerated shot fakes and his body control on dribble-drives allow him to create scoring space for himself. And when his defender gets slightly off-balance, Redick is terrific at creating the contact that compels the official to call the foul.

In his first game, he scored a cool 30 points on 18 field goal attempts (7-for-18), going 12-for-12 from the line. He showed a strong ability to create points out of tough situations, and hitting 4-of-6 from the 3-point line reminded everybody of his college days -- he should have many nights to come when his 3-point shooting will be the important story of a Magic victory.

Game 2 is when Redick displayed his excellent passing and overall unselfishness, recording six assists as the Pacers were quick to rotate to him. A few of his assists went to his backcourt mate, Kevin Kruger (undrafted rookie out of UNLV), who led the Magic in scoring with 18 points on the way to another easy Magic victory.

(Kruger, perhaps the biggest surprise in Orlando after two games, is the perfect complement to Redick's offensive game, a true point guard who always looks to get Redick the ball where he wants it, as opposed to where Redick is when the point guard can not get a shot off and is forced to pass. These two tough, feisty, and exceedingly smart guards have shredded their two opponents, perhaps giving new head coach Stan Van Gundy something to consider when devising his offensive strategies. Redick is clearly in his element when he is more of a focal point of the offense.)

Redick is moving well, suggesting that his back issues are dormant, if not eliminated altogether. He is not a fun guy to defend, in part due to his frenetic energy and also because his quick release forces defenders to close out on him in a hurry and a little out of control.

He is also showing a far better feel for passing than he is normally given credit for. He is making many "easy passes" -- passes to open guys that come in a natural flow of the offense instead of ball-beating and only passing when he can't get a shot.

LINK

Interesting read, I hope Redick can be on the court and play significant minutes this year and show why he was a lottery pick.

MickyEyez · 07-13-2007, 09:37 AM

i read that the other day...

I really like how SVG has said that he was pleasantly surprised by Redick's defense during the summer games. I would love to see JJ fit in as a 3 offensive option... he could be a great roll player for this team, similar to a steve kerr.

**X-Factor** · 07-13-2007, 11:59 AM

Redick had a few flashes of brilliance last year when he got some minutes. He just needs to be able to knock down his shot more consistently.

Captain Obvious · 07-13-2007, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X-Factor

Redick had a few flashes of brilliance last year when he got some minutes. He just needs to be able to knock down his shot more consistently.

Redick's offense is not the problem at all. SVG said he didn't care if JJ scored 3 or 30 ppg in the summer league, he wanted to see how he defended. It sounds like SVG was pleased with his defense, and of course he did well offensively. Right now it sounds like the starting SG spot is JJ's to lose.

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