(Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard J.J. Redick expressed his desire to stay with the Philadelphia 76ers for a long time, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
“This is something that I’ll reiterate that I said last summer when I signed here. I want this to be a long-term thing,” the shooting guard said Sunday morning.
…
“I love playing here,” Redick said. “I love playing with these guys. I love playing for Brett [Brown]. This has been a fantastic experience.”
Redick has fit in splendidly with Philly’s young core. The 33-year-old guard is one of the league’s premier sharpshooters and is a natural target for pass-first rookie phenom Ben Simmons.
Redick has quietly enjoyed perhaps the finest season of his career in his first year as a Sixer, posting career-high averages in the following categories: minutes per game (31.6), points per game (16.7), rebounds per game (2.6), 3-point attempts (6.6) and makes (2.7) per game, plus free-throw shooting percentage (93.1 percent). His 3-point percentage of 40.5 percent isn’t anything special by Redick’s standards, but it’s still elite.
At 33, Redick is far from young, but he keeps body in great shape and doesn’t rely on athleticism; he could feasibly have quite a few great years ahead of him. Think of guys like Kyle Korver and Ray Allen who are/were able to succeed into their late thirties thanks to their ability to spot up from deep. Redick has that same ability, and, at age 33, is still probably a better defender than Korver ever was.
