JJ Redick will provide the New Orleans Pelicans with 3-point shooting and tons of leadership given his experience in the NBA
There has been lots of buzz surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans as of late, from getting Zion Williamson with the No. 1 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft to shipping off Anthony Davis to LA in exchange for three young, exciting players in Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart.
They have now made another splash on the free agent market, agreeing to a deal for sharpshooter J.J. Redick, who spent the last couple seasons in Philly.
Personally, this seems like a really great move for the Pelicans. They have a lot of fresh talent on their roster, but not many players with a lot of NBA experience. Bringing in a guy like J.J. Redick who has been in the league for years is going benefit this team in several different ways.
More from Sir Charles In Charge
- Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
- Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
- Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
- NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24
Lethal from downtown
Redick has always been known for his ability to drain shots from downtown. He can make it rain from 3-point range once he gets in a groove. The 35-year-old is a career 41.3 percent shooter from long range, attempting at least five 3’s per contest every season since 2012-13. Redick has made a name for himself from his sharpshooting.
The Pelicans shot just 34 percent from beyond the arc this past season, which ranked them in the bottom five of the NBA. Most notably, they didn’t really have a legitimate shooter this past year. Jrue Holiday attempted 5.2 3’s a game this past season, but only for a 32 percent clip. Nikola Mirotic was their best long-range shooter before he left for Milwaukee.
Bringing in Redick is definitely going to make this team more of a threat from the 3-point line this upcoming season. Add in Holiday, Josh Hart, and Brandon Ingram, who can both shoot it a bit, and they should be in good hands.
Redick/Holiday backcourt could be solid
Jrue Holiday and Redick will form a nice partnership at the guard positions on this young team. Holiday is a top-notch playmaker, averaging over seven assists a night last season, which led the Pelicans.
Redick likes to hover around the arc and we could definitely see him getting lots of open looks playing alongside an elite passer in Holiday. They both like to shoot the 3 but also have the ability to get to the rim and finish, a very important trait for any guard in today’s game. They both bring lots of NBA experience to this team which will be vital considering how many players are under 25.
Redick’s leadership and wealth of the game is important
Aside from Redick’s abilities on the court, he will be a fantastic mentor to all the young players on this team. With two fresh teenagers in Zion Williamson and Jaxson Hayes, along with other youngsters like Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, it will be such a benefit to have a player like Redick to help these guys get through the struggles of the NBA.
He has been in the league for over 10 years now and has tons of knowledge and experience that he can share.
Redick is coming off his best season from a scoring standpoint, averaging 18.1 points per game, attempting a career-high eight 3-pointers per night. He also played a career-high in minutes last season with the 76ers, averaging 31.3 per game. The former Duke Blue Devil ranks 18th all-time in 3-point shooting and ninth all-time in free-throw shooting (89.5%).
J.J. Redick is one of the best shooters we’ve ever seen in the NBA and he will definitely be a great asset to this Pelicans team.