Tag: JJ Redick

JJ Redick talks about Lonzo Ball’s growth with Pelicans: ‘I saw a lot of growth as a leader’

JJ Redick recently spoke with USA Today’s Mark Medina about the growth of Lonzo Ball and his other young teammates this season.

Prior to his season in New Orleans, one of Lonzo Ball’s goals for his season was to become a more vocal leader, an attribute he recognized he did not have after spending two seasons as the point guard in Los Angeles. While he still has a way to go in that aspect, at least one teammate noticed the improvement.

In an interview with USA Today’s Mark Medina, Pelicans guard JJ Redick spoke about the growth the trio of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson made this season.

“Each guy is different. But the disposition of having Brandon be that go-to scorer and he came in hungry. You could see it right away with the talent. He took almost every big shot for us last year. He hit some game-winners and had some monster games where he carried us down the stretch. Lonzo, I think you saw his growth as a player and a person. I saw a lot of growth as a leader this year. Then for Zion, again, I think it’s about consistency, being in the lineup and being available and being in shape. His skill level and his talent is an anomaly. There’s not many people in the history of the game that are able to do what he does with his size. For him, there’s no ceiling on what he can become as a player.”

Redick was particularly complimentary of the young trio in the interview, noting that the franchise should build around those three moving forward.

It’s noteworthy that Redick has seen the strides Ball has made as a leader this season. Ball is still a relatively quiet, unassuming player but has improved in that regard since his rookie season. Playing next to Rajon Rondo in his sophomore campaign appeared to spark something and ignite his desire to improve in that regard.

Ball already is able to control so much of an offense just through his passing. If he can become a vocal leader as well, it could really elevate his game to the next level.

JJ Redick says Pelicans have to build around Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball

In a recent interview with USA Today, JJ Redick talked about what the future holds for the Pelicans and their young core.

Last summer, the New Orleans Pelicans did what teams spend years upon years trying to do during a rebuild. In pivoting from the Anthony Davis era, a few lucky bounces of some ping pong balls and some expert trade negotiations landed the team two former No. 2 picks in Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball as well as incoming rookie Zion Williamson.

Though the trio was sparsely on the court together this season – just 360 minutes – each showed signs of why they were high draft picks and potential franchise cornerstones. Ingram and Williamson took plenty of plaudits this year but Ball was just as impressive. In the 360 minutes, the trio finished with a net rating of 11.3 in 24 games.

Recently, JJ Redick was interviewed by USA Today’s Mark Medina and was asked about what the future holds for the Pelicans.

“I would expect us to compete for a playoff spot next year. There’s room to grow. Even for a guy like Brandon Ingram, who won Most Improved Player and was an All-Star this year. He has such a strong desire to be great and to be one of the greats. I know he’s going to keep working and keep learning and keep getting better. I would expect Zion to be hungry and in shape. Lonzo had a three-month stretch where he was unbelievable with 15 points a game, seven or eight rebounds per game, seven or eight assists per game and shooting 40-something percent from 3. We get that consistency from him through the course of a season, he’s an All-Star level player and a huge difference maker for us.

“You have to build around those three guys and everybody else will continue to develop and get better. Those three guys are going to be the leaders and headliners for the team going forward. They have a lot of potential and excitement.”

Redick also stuck in a little blurb about Ball being a potential All-Star-level player, something he has stated in the past as well.

If Ball is able to play a full season as the level he did from December through March, then the ceiling of the Pelicans rises significantly. Having a trio of young players playing at a high level is both exciting for the future and the present.

It’s also encouraging, though not surprising, that Redick recognizes that the Pelicans should be focused on their future. While some veterans would be more concerned about winning now, Redick is more concerned about building something sustainable.

In this case, that’s not mutually exclusive as the trio of young Pelicans is good enough now to make the Pelicans a playoff contender. If the team can make the right moves to build around them this off-season, including a head coach, then the team very well might make a run at those playoffs next season.

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JJ Redick calls Marcus Smart, Patrick Beverley biggest floppers in NBA

On his latest episode of The Old Man & the Three, JJ Redick called Marcus Smart and Patrick Beverley the league’s two biggest floppers.

JJ Redick is never one to shy from speaking his mind on virtually any matter and often uses his podcast, The Old Man & the Three, as the microphone. On his latest episode on Monday, Redick delivered one of his spicier takes.

While chatting with “bubble correspondent” Duncan Robinson of the Heat, co-host Tommy Alter posed the question of who was the biggest flopper in the league after a brief discussion on Marcus Smart. While Robinson hesitated to answer, Redick dove right in.

“The obvious ones that stick out are like Marcus Smart and Pat Beverley…I feel like Kyle (Lowry) to a degree, maybe, is good at exaggerating contact. I think Harden is good at exaggerating contact. But, to me, it’s not necessarily flopping, it’s more of a skill because often times, like, there’s the really egregious flops or the really egregious calls for, let’s say, a player like Harden where you look at on tape and are like ‘Man, that really wasn’t a foul.’”

Patrick Beverley has certainly been under fire in the last week after the Clippers bowed out of the playoffs in dramatic fashion, blowing a 3-1 lead to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round.

Beverley took plenty of heat from the Blazers backcourt of CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard, largely because of his antics, after the Clippers’ Game 7 loss.

Smart’s antics haven’t led to quite as much criticism as he isn’t nearly as vocal toward opponents as Beverley is. But that doesn’t change the fact that the two have built these types of reputations for themselves.

Pelicans Player Review: JJ Redick’s ridiculously efficient 2019-20 season

JJ Redick was brought into New Orleans for his shooting and he did it a career-high level this season for the Pelicans.

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With the Pelicans season officially over, we begin our look back at each individual player’s season and recap what we learned and where they stand with the Pelicans moving forward.

Overview

Considering how JJ Redick’s career started in Orlando, it’s incredible to see where he is at age 35 in the NBA. Through his first three seasons, Redick played just 2,009 minutes combined while attempting 320 three-pointers and hitting 122.

This season in New Orleans, which was still a shortened one, Redick played 1,581 minutes and hit 180 three-pointers on 397 attempts. Even by the lofty standards Redick has set in his career, this season was especially incredible.

His 45.3% three-point percentage was the second-best mark in his career. His effective field goal percentage of 59.6% was a career-best mark. His true shooting percentage was a career-high 64.4%, his offensive box plus-minus of 2.3 was the fourth-best mark of his career and it all came on a career-high three-point rate of .629.

An underrated aspect of his season was that he performed at that level despite him moving in and out of the starting lineup, particularly early in the season as the team battled injuries and inconsistencies. As one of the only shooters on the team this season, his efficiency was sorely needed and he delivered at a high level.

What was learned?

Redick did what he’s always done in his career this season. That doesn’t, however, make it any less impressive. Take a glance at his Synergy profile, for example.

Redick is a known commodity. Through his years in the league, he’s been able to build a Rolodex of information on how to exploit every type of defense he sees. The versatility in his play types is a testament to the many ways he can manipulate defenses.

In lieu of breaking down what Redick did this season – make long shots at a high rate and volume – here’s a look at some specific Synergy stats to marvel at Redick’s season instead.

  • On guarded catch-and-shoots, Redick shot 50% on 88 attempts, ranking in the 97th percentile
  • Only four players had more possessions coming off screens than Redick: Orlando’s Terrence Ross, Brooklyn’s Joe Harris, Sacramento’s Buddy Hield and Utah’s Bojan Bogdanovic. None of those matched or exceeded Redick’s points per possession mark of 1.104.
  • In transition, Redick took 120 field goals. Though not all of those were three-pointers, he shot 51.7% in those situations.
  • Redick finished in the 94th percentile in offense derived at of pick and rolls when he was the ballhandler

Redick has developed his game to the point that he can hurt teams in a variety of ways. This season was a clinic in how shooters can be effective in many ways for teams in the modern NBA outside of spot-up scenarios.

What does the future hold?

In terms of player development, there’s little more you can expect a 35-year old to improve at. His role with the Pelicans likely won’t change either. It seems most likely that he will be the team’s sixth man off the bench, though he could still yet be apart of a closing lineup that would feature Zion Williamson at center.

In an ideal scenario, he would be one of many three-point threats on the team next season. His ability to space the floor opens up driving lanes for Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

If things go particularly awry next season, Redick at the very least would be a terrific trade chip that would net them a nice return from a contender.

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JJ Redick says Jrue Holiday ‘was a big part’ of him signing with New Orleans Pelicans

On his latest The Old Man & the Three podcast, JJ Redick revealed that Jrue Holiday played a significant role in him coming to New Orleans.

JJ Redick’s decision to join the New Orleans Pelicans last off-season came as a surprise to many. Not only were the Pelicans not a contender – a place most expected Redick to go to at this stage in his career – but Redick quickly signed with a rebuilding New Orleans franchise, hours after the league’s calendar had flipped to a new year.

On his latest The Old Man & the Three podcast with Steve Nash, Redick revealed one of the biggest factors that led to him signing with the Pelicans.

“In conversations leading up to free agency, you know, I wanted to play with Jrue Holiday. I reached out to him and had a couple convos with him. That’s an example of, Jrue and I weren’t even friends but prior to that, we’d just played against each other and competed against each other. But I’d heard so many things about him from teammates and friends around the league that had played with him and knew him well. He was a big part of me going down to New Orleans.”

Considering there has never been anything mentioned about Jrue Holiday and Redick’s relationship, this is a surprising revelation. The extent of their relationship revealed to the public was when Redick spent the month prior to departing for the bubble living in New Orleans living in Holiday’s guest house.

Redick’s addition proved to be a valuable one in multiple regards for the Pelicans, whether in terms of production or in terms of leadership. Interestingly, the teammate Redick spent the most time on the court with this season was Holiday.

This also shows that players can desire to play with one another and not make it public. Had Redick not voluntarily revealed this himself, it likely would not have come out, a big difference from many of the more public declarations many players make.

New B/R trade suggestion has Joel Embiid to Pelicans for JJ Redick

A new trade suggestion has the Philadelphia 76ers sending Joel Embiid to the New Orleans Pelicans for JJ Redick.

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The Philadelphia 76ers obviously had a tough season in 2019-20. They did not come anywhere near meeting any of the expectations the team had for themselves following the acquisitions of Al Horford and Josh Richardson to join Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Tobias Harris.

Of course, letting Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick get away in free agency had something to do with it.

General manager Elton Brand is now tasked with trying to fix his mistakes and Bleacher Report has come up with a trade that they believe would help the team. They propose trading Embiid and Richardson to the New Orleans Pelicans for former Sixers Redick and Jrue Holiday as well as Jaxson Hayes, a 2020 first-round pick, and a 2021 first-round pick.

B/R on the trade:

Whether Philly keeps Ben Simmons at power forward or moves him back to point guard, Holiday would be an ideal piece in the Sixers backcourt. A menace on defense and a talented scorer and passer on offense, he could play either guard position while defending three different positions on any given night.

Redick would come back to a Philadelphia team that craves his shooting, and Hayes (the No. 8 overall pick in 2019) could develop behind Horford until he’s ready for the starting center job.

The Sixers would also get a lottery pick in this year’s draft and a 2021 first-rounder from the Pelicans.

First of all, the Sixers are not looking into trading Embiid or Simmons, and Brand made that very clear with his end of the season press conference. So, any trade involving any of those two is very unlikely this offseason. Now, a trade of Horford to New Orleans for Redick and Holiday makes a bit more sense for the Sixers.

Second of all, the Sixers would not give up Embiid to acquire Redick. They would much rather have Redick with Embiid when considering the chemistry that the two of them had together during Redick’s time with the Sixers. This is a trade suggestion that makes some sense on paper, but it is unlikely to happen. Embiid is the face of the franchise right now. [lawrence-related id=37682,37679,37676]

Kevin Durant blames Sixers for struggles of Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant blames the Philadelphia 76ers for the struggles of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

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The Philadelphia 76ers are still reeling from a tough Round 1 sweep at the hands of the rival Boston Celtics. There are a few schools of thought that believe the Sixers should break up the star duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid as they have not been able to have the success they expect.

One idea that has not been talked about often is the lack of chemistry on the roster. The Sixers have constantly turned the roster over and over again trying to find the right mix around the two stars and that is something that can have a big effect on young players like them.

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant joined former Sixers guard JJ Redick on his podcast The Old Man and the Three and he had this to say about the lack of roster consistency:

It’s hard to become a great team when you’re getting new teammates every year. It’s tough. Especially young players like them, they’re expected…and in Philly they’ve got so many expectations on them, it’s tough.

Durant has a point. The rosters they built around Simmons and Embiid over the years have looked good on paper, but they have not let those rosters stick around and continue to grow. For example, if they could have found a way to keep Jimmy Butler around and keep growing with that, the team could have been able to grow with that. Chemistry plays a big factor in any team’s success. [lawrence-related id=37629,37622,37617]

Kevin Durant calls Jrue Holiday the best guard defender in the league

Kevin Durant was the latest on the list of players to back Jrue Holiday’s defense after his omission from the NBA’s All-Defense teams.

After the NBA announced the All-Defense teams on Tuesday, JJ Redick and multiple other Pelicans and NBA players took note of Jrue Holiday’s exception. Redick, Lonzo Ball and All-Star Damian Lillard all took to social media to express surprise at Holiday’s omission.

Redick took it a step further on Thursday on his podcast, The Old Man & the Three. Former MVP Kevin Durant joined the podcast and Redick brought up the topic of Holiday not making either All-Defense team.

“Jrue Holiday is solidified as probably the best defender in the league at the guard position. When we talk about defense, a lot of people don’t really understand what defense really means. For different positions, especially at point guard, the stuff you have to do to guard, they don’t get a lot of credit for fighting over screens especially now they getting screened at half court, guys are running off of pindowns. ”

Durant has plenty of experience playing against Holiday after both players have spent the vast majority of their careers in the Western Conference. Durant brought up one of the most recent meetings between him and Holiday.

“You put Jrue in any system, any coach is going to ask him to guard the best player. We played them in 2018, second round and he guarded me the whole series. He was picking me up full court, he was guarding me in the post. Actually, it was tough to dribble on Jrue Holiday. He slides his feet so well, he’s got good hands, he’s strong, he’s got good instincts. I gained a lot of respect for him in that series because he went from guarding me to Klay (Thompson) to Steph (Curry) to guarding Draymond (Green), neutralizing picks and rolls. He’s special. He’s special on that side of the ball.”

Even if Durant admitted he gained respect for Holiday in that series, he managed 27.8 points on 50.5% shooting from the field. That, though, shouldn’t be an indictment on Holiday, who has remained one of the elite defenders in the league.

Redick also notes that the Pelicans’ defensive struggles as a team may have led to some undervaluing Holiday’s individual defense. But Pelican fans saw all season long that Holiday’s defense had not slipped.

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B/R trade suggests Sixers acquire JJ Redick, Jrue Holiday from Pelicans

A trade suggests that the Philadelphia 76ers acquire JJ Redick and Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans.

It is now officially the offseason for the Philadelphia 76ers after they were swept in Round 1 of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics to end what was a very disappointing 2019-20 season. Now, all of the trade suggestions are going to come back out to try and fix the roster.

Bleacher Report is famous for these types of suggestions and this is nothing new for them as the offseason begins to take shape. They have a new fake trade suggestion for the Sixers which involved a couple of former players in Philadelphia now on the New Orleans Pelicans.

The trade is that the Sixers send Josh Richardson, Al Horford, the 2020 first-round pick, and a 2022 pick to New Orleans for JJ Redick and Jrue Holiday. Obviously, Philadelphia is in need of some shooting and perimeter offensive help and it would make up for the mistake of letting Redick go in free agency. Holiday was also a very good player during his time in the City of Brotherly Love making an All-Star game in his final season.

B/R on the trade:

Holiday was an All-Star the last time he played with Philly, in 2012-13, and his scoring, defense, passing and leadership is exactly what the Sixers need. Redick averaged 17.6 points on 40.7 percent shooting from three with Philadelphia from 2017-18 to 2018-19 and would help a team that ranked just 19th in three-pointers made per game (11.6) this year.

The Sixers’ saving grace is their draft picks, ones they’ll have to part with to have any chance of dumping Horford and adding Holiday and Redick.

As B/R mentioned, Horford’s contract is too big for a team to just take. They will have to throw in a few sweeteners so that is what the draft picks are for. Not only would the Sixers get Redick back, but Holiday would be a great addition to this current team and allow Ben Simmons to be moved off the ball permanently and the two of them would be able to run a fantastic pick-and-roll.

On the New Orleans side of it, they could use Horford as their starting center and bring a defensive presence to a team that desperately needs it. He is still a very good player when utilized correctly, which is at the center spot, and the Pelicans could use a veteran like him. Richardson is also a very good defender out on the perimeter and he and Brandon Ingram could form a solid tandem. [lawrence-related id=37567,37569,37557]

Lonzo Ball, JJ Redick, Damian Lillard react to Jrue Holiday’s omission from All-Defense teams

Jrue Holiday was snubbed from the ALl-Defense teams on Tuesday, leading to strong reactions from Lonzo Ball, JJ Redick and Damian Lillard.

On Tuesday, the NBA announced the selections for First and Second Team All-Defensive honors. While most focus on the names that did make the list, it was a name not on the list that drew the ire and focus of a handful of Pelicans.

Jrue Holiday, long considered one of the best guard defenders in the league, did not earn a spot on either All-Defense team. Marcus Smart and Ben Simmons earned the guard spots for First Team and Eric Bledsoe and Patrick Beverley earned Second Team honors.

Holiday, though, wasn’t even next in line in terms of voting. His 18 points were third amongst guards that didn’t make the team, trailing Kris Dunn and Kyle Lowry both. Holiday received two first-place votes and 14 second-place votes.

The reaction was a strong one not just from the Pelicans but others around the league. Lonzo Ball retweeted a tweet from the Pelicans about Holiday being snubbed.

JJ Redick’s reaction was much less subtle, as is often the case, as he took to Twitter to stump for his veteran teammate.

Interestingly, one of Holiday’s memorable and notable foes also voiced his surprise on Twitter in Blazers guard Damian Lillard.

Lillard appeared recently on Redick’s podcast and discussed the infamous 2018 NBA Playoffs and sang praises of Holiday as a defender. Twitter user flightsnofeelns also posted a clip of a number of NBA players calling Holiday underrated or a top defender ranging from Steph Curry to Lou Williams and Chris Paul.

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