Exhibition games are often a catch-22 when examining them for takeaways. On one hand, it’s an environment where players are typically focused on personal development rather than team wins. However, trends often begin in exhibition games and morph into regularities when the games start mattering.
The scrimmage games for the Pelicans have featured very little long-term takeaways largely due to circumstances out of New Orleans’ control. Game one came against a wildly undermanned Brooklyn Nets team while game two came against an undermanned Denver side forced to play five forwards or centers in their starting lineup.
Monday was the only time the Pelicans faced a team not facing a roster crunch as the Bucks came in at essentially full-strength. New Orleans started slow before a strong third quarter fueled them to a victory.
Prior to the league coming to a stop, Milwaukee had built the league’s best defense largely on allowing non-corner three-pointers and protecting the rim. No team allowed more above-the-break threes in the league than Milwaukee, yet no team allows fewer attempts at the rim and the Bucks are by far the best in the league at defending the rim.
Much of that is due to how Mike Budenholzer gameplan defensively. The bigs stay in the paint and force teams to shoot outside. This is most prominently seen in ballscreen actions where bigs like Brook and Robin Lopez play drop coverages, hanging back in the paint and daring opponents to shoot off the screen or mid-range pull-ups.
Pick and roll ballhandlers have attempted 1366 field goals against Milwaukee, again the highest mark in the league. And while the Bucks still defend those shots well with opponents scoring just a 0.83 points per possession off ballscreens, it can backfire pretty quickly in the wrong situation.
Enter JJ Redick on Monday. Redick exploded for 20 points in a little over five minutes in the third quarter. Many of those baskets featured him and the Pelicans taking advantage of the Bucks’ defense.
Redick’s first field goal of the game came at the 4:24 mark of the third shortly after he knocked down a free throw that seemed to really get him going.
Redick gets the ball on the wing and rather than take a semi-open three, he waits for a Jaxson Hayes screen. Hayes screen completely takes Donte DiVincenzo out of the picture and, even against a player like Redick who offers little threat in attacking the rim, Robin Lopez has hardly any interest stepping out of the paint, allowing Redick to bury the long two.
The Bucks then experiment with a zone defense. Redick attacks and kicks to E’Twaun Moore, who pump fakes and dribbles to his left to get the defender to commit. Redick wisely relocates to the spot left open by Moore and has his easiest shot of the night.
At this point, a shooter like Redick is on fire. Redick continues to use Hayes as a screener knowing Lopez won’t step out of the paint, this time coming from the baseline off a screen.
While DiVincenzo defends the initial action well, fighting over the screen to contest the shot, he bites on Redick’s pump fake. Redick takes one dribble to his left and steps back behind the line. Lopez comes flying out this time but he’s already too late and Redick buries another shot.
The Bucks are still in a zone with Lopez hanging around the rim. Hayes continues setting off-ball screens for Redick but with Lopez not around, they don’t have quite the same effect. So, Redick takes matters into his own hands, overloads one side of the defense and casually hoists from 33 feet.
While this isn’t an advisable shot in most circumstances, Redick is one of the handful of players in the league with this sort of range. And that’s before factoring in that he’s red hot. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s contest is too late and Redick’s three is absolute cash.
At this point, everyone knows where the ball is going the next time New Orleans touches it. Moore does a great job getting the strip and steal. Josh Hart picks up the loose ball and the Pelicans sprint upcourt.
Whether as they cross initially or when he’s trailing him, Redick almost certainly is communicating with Hart to let him know where he’s at. Hart does a great job of finding Redick in a great spot and there’s not a second of hesitation. Redick buries the three through a foul. He’d convert a handful of free throws to close the quarter in one of the best quarters of his career, exhibition or not.
Redick has been a bright spot all season for the Pelicans. Despite moving in and out of the starting lineup, his 45.2% three-point shooting is easily the best mark on the Pelicans ahead of Brandon Ingram’s 38.7%. And as impactful as he’s been on the court, he’s had just as big a role off it.
Lonzo Ball recently referred to him as a Grade A teammate. He and Ball are also apart of the Social Justice Leadership Coalition as he’s been one of the more outspoken veterans of the team on social justice matters.
If the Pelicans are to make a run at the playoffs, Redick will have a big say in the matter. And if Monday is anything to go off of, the bubble has done little to throw him off his game.
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