A look at how Clippers performed: Spotlight on J.J. Redick

During the Clippers’ off-season, we will take a look at how each player on the team performed this season. Here’s an evaluation of sharpshooter J.J. Redick.

Redick had career highs in scoring average (16.4 points per game), field goal percentage (47.7%) and three-point percentage (43.7%).

Ever since his second season in the league, Redick’s stats have consistently improved. After averaging 4.1 points a game in 2007-08, he has increased that number each year.

Redick had a slow start this season, averaging only 10 points a game on 21% shooting in November, followed by 12.9 points on 43.3% shooting in December. But his play improved as the season progressed.

Over the months of March and April, he averaged 20.3 points a game while shooting 49.5% from the field and 45.9% from beyond the three-point line, helping the Clippers remain successful while Blake Griffin (staph infection in his right elbow) and Jamal Crawford (right calf bruise) each missed a significant chunk of games.

“I get pretty mad at him when he misses because he’s not supposed to,” Chris Paul said of Redick in March. “I think that shows the trust we have in him. He’s been lights out.”

Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said that when Redick is hot, it means the whole team is clicking on all cylinders because Redick relies on his teammates to get open looks.

“I think our guys understand when J.J. is on the floor, he’s a weapon in itself,” Rivers said. “The dunks are great, but when J.J. gets open, the ticker is exciting. When the ball is in the air, you can see the team react because they did something. Usually when J.J. scores, it’s more of a team score. He gets the shot, but it’s been created by someone else.”

One of the highlights of Redick’s season was when his son, Knox, then 11 weeks old, was taken to Staples Center in November to watch his father play for the first time. Redick poured in 30 points on 11-for-13 shooting, including two of three three-point attempts. But that didn’t matter much to him.

“I could have gone 0 for 30 tonight and it still would have been one of the top three or four days of my life,” Redick said after that game. “To have my son at my NBA game, it’s incredible.”

Another highlight was when Redick was selected to participate in the NBA’s three-point shooting contest during All-Star weekend for the first time in his nine seasons in the league. The event, however, didn’t quite go as planned, as several of his shots were waved off because he had his foot on the line.

Tweeted Redick: “Just found out that I set the record for most long 2s in a 3 Point Contest. Ever. Couldn’t be prouder.”

During the Clippers’ playoff run, Redick averaged 14.9 points on 43.5% shooting from the field and 39.8% shooting from beyond the three-point line. He struggled at times against the Clippers’ first-round playoff opponent, the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, scoring only seven points on two-for-seven shooting from the field in Game 3.

But he also had some strong performances in the postseason, such as opening a potential elimination Game 6 against the Spurs with 14 points on five-for-eight shooting in the first half, helping the Clippers stay in the game while both Griffin and Paul struggled to make shots. After that game, Griffin had some high praise for his sharpshooting teammate.

Said Griffin: “J.J. was all over the court tonight and I would hate guarding a player like that because it seems like he never stops moving. If you do that, you will end up getting shots and good looks.”

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