When JJ Redick signed with Philadelphia in free agency in 2017, many of the local media accounts focused on how the guard, then 33 years old, surely would be able to help one of the NBA’s youngest teams as a leader and presence in the 76ers’ locker room. Redick appreciated receiving the kind of respect that comes with being deemed a seasoned pro that teammates should look up to, but there also was one missing element to the coverage: Hardly anyone mentioned that Redick was still a very good player on the court.
“They kept talking about this veteran mentor, veteran mentor,” Redick said, with a wry smile. “But I was like, ‘Yeah. But I can still play.’ It’s fine to write that narrative and talk about that, but I still feel like I can go get buckets.”
Indeed, during Philadelphia’s trip to the second round of the Eastern Conference semifinals last season – which ended with Kawhi Leonard’s multiple-bounce Game 7 buzzer-beater – Redick proved that he’s still one of NBA’s elite shooters and scorers from the two-guard position. The Duke University product accomplished the rarity of averaging a career high in scoring (18.1 ppg) in his 13th season, something that seems virtually unprecedented in the league. Most players “peak” production-wise by their eighth or ninth season, at the absolute latest.
There are several very good reasons for why the 6-foot-4, 200-pounder has defied the normal aging curve of players, including that as the 18th-best three-point shooter of all time (career 41.3 percent), his skills are a snug fit in any modern offense. He’s also developed a reputation for being maniacal about his day-to-day preparation and habits.
“Whenever you have a career in the professional ranks that spans 10-plus years, it means you’re taking care of your body and doing things the right way,” said Pelicans General Manager Trajan Langdon, who like Redick was a four-year player at Duke. “With each year, he’s learned something and applied something new to himself, whether that’s nutrition, the way he works in the weight room, stretching, core work, using pindowns in different ways, getting his shot off faster.”
“I’ve certainly benefited from the three-point line and the emphasis on shooting them,” Redick said, when asked specifically about how the evolving NBA has affected his career. “The style of play and pace have all changed. A lot of that is because of the personnel – you don’t play two bigs anymore, or you rarely do. If you do play two bigs, one of them better be a playmaking big (who can pass and shoot). It’s changed a lot.”
One thing that hasn’t changed throughout Redick’s NBA career is his teams’ repeated success. Playing for four franchises, the now 35-year-old has never missed the playoffs. He’s been on 10 squads that won 50-plus games, including all four of his LA Clippers seasons and both Philadelphia campaigns. The last time he was on a team with a losing record was ’12-13 with Milwaukee, but the Bucks still reached the postseason as an 8 seed. For Redick to continue his streak of appearing in the postseason, the Pelicans will likely need to make a double-digit improvement from their 33 wins of last season, but when he joined the 76ers, they were coming off a 28-win campaign. While weighing his options in free agency this summer, Redick eventually realized that New Orleans checked off many of the boxes for what he was seeking at this stage of his career.
“This was a unique opportunity to make an impact on the court and off the court,” Redick said of the Pelicans. “It’s not that I wanted to get into this cycle of going to a young team with potential like I did in Philly, but it just kind of worked out that way. I was open about going back to Philly – that wasn’t a secret.
“There are a few (factors) when you are making these decisions, and I’m analytical person. I go through in my mind every scenario, factor pros and cons, might even use some data to evaluate decisions – I’m on my calculator,” he said, smiling at the thought of being so methodical and detail-oriented. “If I were to summarize the things I’m looking for, it’s on court, off the court, what’s my salary and how is it going to impact my family. This is going to be a work environment I’m looking forward to being in every day, and that’s exciting. I’ve been very fortunate to be on some great teams and in great locker rooms. I’m not naïve – I think it’s rare in the NBA every day to actually be able to enjoy being around the people you’re working with.”
In Year 14 of his career, Redick figures to be a vital contributor for the ’19-20 Pelicans, who should receive a major boost from a player who’s shot at least 39.5 percent on three-pointers each of the past six seasons (New Orleans ranked 24th in percentage last season). Not bad for a player who – as Langdon recalls – wasn’t initially even sure he’d have an NBA career.
After Redick’s sophomore season at Duke in ‘04, Langdon – a Cleveland Cavaliers first-round pick in ‘99 – sat down with Redick to help prepare Redick for what to expect in the league. When Langdon broached the subject of Redick’s NBA future, Redick responded, “Next level? I don’t know about that.”
Langdon: “I said, ‘No, you’re going to be there for a long time.’ He didn’t know if he was going to be able to make it at the next level.”
A decade and a half later, Redick is still going strong.
