Duke basketball: Ranking the three remaining Bayou Blue Devils
By Matt Giles
Sizing up the Duke basketball talents in New Orleans: No. 3 JJ Redick
Unlike Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, who are both sure-thing starters for the Pelicans, JJ Redick enters this season seemingly on the fringe of a starting nod. However, it’s more likely — barring an injury or two in the New Orleans backcourt — that the picture-perfect quick trigger will be one of the first weapons off the bench.
Redick, who is now 36 years old and almost 15 years removed from setting the Duke basketball career scoring record, is coming off his first season in the Bayou and his first NBA campaign that did not include his team making the playoffs.
After averaging a career-high 18.1 points as a regular starter for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2018-19, Redick’s mark fell to 15.3 as a new Pelican. But the 6-foot-3, 200-pound shooting guard shot 45.3 percent from deep, good for second in the league last season; plus, he sits seventh among active players in career 3-point percentage (41.6) and second in free throw percentage (89.1).
It’s also worth considering that Redick has already played under new New Orleans head coach Stan Van Gundy, during his time with the Orlando Magic. Furthermore, remember that the seasoned veteran has consistently added various jukes and spin moves to his repertoire from one year to the next.
Some projected 2020-21 stats for JJ Redick: 14.0 points per game, 1.9 rebounds per game, 1.5 assists per game, 42.5 percent from three