JJ Redick
RETIRED

Player Facts

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 200lbs.

Wingspan: 6'3.25"

Date of Birth: June 24, 1984
College Experience: Duke (4 years)

Selections

All Star: 0
All-NBA: 0
All-Defensive: 0

Player Grades

Speed/Explosiveness: 7
Physical Strength: 6
Positional Size: 6
Positional Wingspan: 2
Paint Scoring: 6
Midrange Scoring: 7
Three-Point Scoring: 10
Dribbling: 6
Passing: 5
Perimeter Defense: 5
Interior Defense: 3
Rebounding: 2

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JUMP TO SECTION

> Intro

> Just the Right Time

> Self-Created Threes

> Tricky Two-Man Games

> Off-Ball Assassin

> Swishing in Transition

> Historic Free-Throw Shooting

> Team Defender + Charge-Taking

> Physical Shortcomings

> Stuck on Screens + Low Steals Rate

> Offensive Nitpicks

> Beacon Bacon

>Link to Player Contract & Salary Info

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*All statistical data courtesy of NBA Advanced Stats

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STRENGTHS

Intro

The former Duke star was able to maintain his foothold in the league through consistent three-point marksmanship. JJ possessed all the elements of a prime-time 3pt shooter. His ability to shot off movement at a high level unearthed further value in the half-court besides just being a spot-up guy.

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Just the Right Time

JJ's entrance into the league coincided with the early stages of the three-point boom. A shooting specialist since college, this worked out perfectly for the 6'4" guard.

After a few years of getting adjusted to the speed of the NBA game, Redick became a mainstay as a knockdown shooter. The way he went about his on-court business as a shooter has paved the way for players like Joe Harris, Buddy Hield, and Duncan Robinson.

Self-Created Threes

JJ Redick's offensive impact began and ended with his incredible perimeter shooting. A good area to start analyzing it is his more self-created threes. These included pull-ups off the ball screen for instance.

The sharpshooting guard loved to unleash his ultra-quick release after a quick pick. The screener was best served to slip it rather than set it in hopes of causing some defensive miscommunication. If the defenders were not talking and/or a switch wasn't smooth, JJ would light it up.

Redick also destroyed drop coverages by taking one-dribble into a clean three or even two. All in all, he was in the 94th percentile scoring as the pick-and-roll initiator in 2019-2020. His sky-high 1.11 points per possession mark bested guys like Trae Young, Luka Doncic, Bradley Beal, and Donovan Mitchell.

Tricky Two-Man Games

DHO's were another viable way JJ could be featured in the team offense. He tended to develop strong two-man games with a prominent bigger player from Ben Simmons to Zion Williamson. The most prolific tandem here that he's been a part of is likely the Joel Emiid partnership.

JJ came screaming off multiple off-ball screens to receive the handoff. With an advantage already in tow, he could rise and fire right off the rip. Alternatively, he could continue to weaponize his uphill gravity by pump faking off the catch or taking a dribble sidestep.

With Joel Embiid as his DHO partner, JJ led the entire league in points off handoffs in 2018-2019. He paced the Association by a gargantuan margin, 224 points ahead of second-place Jamal Murray. His prowess in this area continued as a Pelican in 2019-2020, getting in the 81st percentile for handoff scoring.

JJ's underrated passing was on display mostly through these very DHO's. He was adept at simulating he will shoot before whipping it down low to his now-diving big. Redick was also skilled at promptly bouncing it over to his five-man if that second defender gravitated toward JJ.

Off-Ball Assassin

Off-the-ball was where JJ could shine brightest. His conditioning was always on point, allowing him to curb fatigue after regularly sprinting around pindowns and staggers. On the catch, his feet setup (ten toes to the rim), shoulder squaring, and shot motion would all happen in quick succession while not compromising technique in the process.

The Tennessee native was excellent at coming off screens to score, and the numbers helped show it. He was third in 2019-2020 with 222 points coming off screens. What is more, his 1.10 points per play figure was highest among the top-five volume scorers here.

Redick has curled into boatloads of above-the-break three-balls in particular. His outstanding ability to shoot off movement allowed him to stay very accurate after decelerating nicely into the catch. JJ's focus was also off the charts as he canned threes with defenders right beside him or tightly rear-view contesting him.

Next to high-usage penetrators, he could play more of a stationary role. He could drift to the corner, lift up, or simply just bide his time in the corner. All of these options alone commanded defensive attention as JJ was such a deadeye shooter.

From 2013-2014 to 2019-2020, he had never posted a season below 42% on his catch-and-shoot threes. He even had a campaign north of 50% on these sorts of looks (2015-2016). By all advanced measures, JJ was a certified spot-up monster.

Swishing in Transition

The former Blue Devil was super dangerous in the open court. On the fast break or in delayed transition, JJ set up shop behind the arc as quickly as possible. Unless someone's right in his airspace, he's catching and firing, and it's more than likely going through the net.

JJ benefitted most from teammates that are opportunistic with their pace-pushing. Players like Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Lonzo Ball, and Brandon Ingram have acted as the delivery man for a Redick transition triple. In 2019-2020 he scored 187 points in transition, in the 88th percentile for his combination of productivity and efficiency.

Historic Free-Throw Shooting

The free-throw shooting of JJ Redick was insanely impressive. The formidable jump shooter carried that greatness to the charity stripe. He was always the guy to take the technical freebie, and is the player who was your last resort to foul down the stretch of a close game.

He's been in the top ten for best free throw percentage in seven different seasons. His best at the line came in 2013-2014 where he shot 91.5% on 3 attempts per contest. JJ sits at just under 90% for his career.

Team Defender + Charge-Taking

JJ was an astute team defender with a good understanding of where to position himself. This strong veteran grasp of schemes prevented him from being a clear liability on this end. Redick would up the physicality as he attempted to wrangle opposing shooters whizzing around off-ball.

Redick's charge-drawing also added some much-needed value to his defensive profile. That team defensive intellect helped guide him to the right spot to take it on the numbers. He tied for the tenth-most charges taken in 2019-2020 at 14 of them.

WEAKNESSES

Physical Shortcomings

JJ always had some physical limitations as a player that could hold him back. These were namely in the form of a short wingspan and non-elite lateral mobility. Both things negatively affected his defense more than his offense.

With a wingspan a hair above 6'3", one thing that suffered was Redick's 3pt defense. Players could calmly wind up and fire off a spot-up jumper right over the Duke product. He hustled hard to try and mitigate this issue, however.

The middling size, suboptimal reach, and less-than-stellar lateral quicks all limited JJ's ability to guard higher-level perimeter players. He would often be "hidden" on standstill shooters. When defending on-ball, he could be solid but larger, longer players (which are almost every wing) gave him fits.

Stuck on Screens + Low Steals Rate

An aging JJ has also saw a downtick in his point of attack defense. He played with energy here, but declining athleticism couldn't help but dampen his effectiveness. 2019-2020 saw him place in just the 44th percentile defending pick-and-roll ball-handlers.

The 6'4" sniper had always been a low steals guy. While the defensive intelligence may have been there, the burst and length to really be a difference-maker in passing lanes was not. He only averaged 1+ steal per-36 minutes in a single NBA season (2013-2014).

Offensive Nitpicks

JJ stayed within his role so commendably on offense that his shortcomings didn't loom very large. He did not try to isolate, force foolish shots inside the arc, or try and play "hero ball". One weak point that did have tangible effects on his game was his middling paint finishing (due to lack of size/vertical pop).

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Players Appearing in This Analysis – Check Out Their Profiles
bacon
Beacon Bacon

While he's participated in a couple of Three-Point Contests, JJ has surprisingly never won one despite being an elite in-game shooter for so long