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Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers: J.J. Redick is the NBA’s best mid-range shooter

By Matty Breisch

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Known for his prowess on the outside, Philadelphia 76ers guard J.J. Redick is the NBA’s most effective mid-range shooter so far this season.

Fun fact: J.J. Redick made more 3-point shots against the Orlando Magic, the team that origionally drafted him 11th overall than he did in the first two games of the season combined.

Now granted, that’s far from a revolutionary observation, as Redick only made three of the 11 shots he attempted from deep over the first two games of the 2018-2019 NBA season, but still, who expected the team’s new certified sixth man to knock down 8-11 from downtown for 31 points while coming off of the bench for the first time in almost half of a decade.

Three games into the season and the Philadelphia 76ers may very well have a shooting guard controversy on their hands.

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However, and I know this may be hard to imagine, but there is one aspect of Redick’s game that’s even better than his 3-point shot and that’s his midrange game.

That’s right, not LaMarcus Aldridge, not DeMar DeRozan, not even Carmelo Anthony, but J.J. Redick is the NBA’s mid-range king, and thus far, it’s not even close.

Over the first week of the season, no one has a better mid-range shooting percentage than Redick, not even his runner-up Steph Curry.

And it’s not like Redick achieved such an average by only attempting a few mid-range attempts. No, as of Sunday, October 21st only one other player, the San Antonio Spurs‘ Bryn Forbes, had earned more of their points from the mid-range game, and he’s only averaging 11.5 shots a game.

Redick? He’s averaging seven buckets on 16 attempts thanks to his monster performance against the Magic.

No wonder Joel Embiid wishes he could play with Redick for the next 10-years.

While the mid-range game is slowly becoming extinct in the modern NBA, as many coaches will actually discourage a player from attempting the shot and instead suggest taking a higher percentage shot inside, or a higher upside shot from outside, having a 15-foot assassin on the roster can still provide value, especially when they can also knock down an open 3 at a similar clip.

Unlike, say, DeRozen or Aldridge, most of Redick’s mid-range attempts are not meant to be mid-range attempts at all but actually start out as contested 3s that the wily veteran bypasses in favor of a much easier inside shot. With plus-vision, limitless range and a thorough understanding of the game, Redick can knock down a shot from pretty much anywhere on the court, he just needs to find an open look. While it may not be the ‘sexy’ shot of the moment, those midrange jumpers are typically available for Redick all day long, especially when his 3-ball is dropping.

Next. J.J. Redick has found a home with the Philadelphia 76ers. dark

For the low-low price of about $12.25 million, or about $150,000 for each regular season game, then-interim GM Brett Brown locked down a player who has not only proven himself as an invaluable veteran leader both on and off the court, but one who also just so happens to be one of the best all-around shooters in the game, capable of complementing Ben Simmons in an absolutely lethal ying-yang backcourt assault. If his shot continues to fall like it did against the Orlando Magic, J.J. Redick looks like an absolute bargain for the Philadelphia 76ers.