Denton: Redick’s Road to Success
By John Denton
November 8, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – When J.J. Redick was awarded a WWE-style title belt on Saturday as the winner of the Orlando Magic’s ``Iron Man’’ award, he jokingly ranked it alongside other career highlights such as playing in the NBA Finals and being mentioned in a Lil’ Wayne rap song.
Just prior to training camp, each Magic player was tested in eight different categories ranging from bench press, vertical leap, 3-minute run, agility and three-quarter-court sprints.
No one was more surprised by the ultimate winner than Redick himself. He laughed at the assessment that he is the Magic’s best pure athlete, insisting instead that he won because ``I’ve always been good at standardized tests.’’
But deep down, the ``Iron Man’’ accomplishment was a tremendous one for Redick because it shows just how far he has progressed as an NBA player. Doing this would have never been possible four years ago when he was fresh out of Duke, new as a NBA player and maybe not quite ready to be a steady contributor.
But Redick has progressed to the point now where he is one of the Magic’s most trusted players in coach Stan Van Gundy’s eyes. It’s why Redick has filled in admirably for the injured Vince Carter, and why he’ll likely start again Sunday when the Magic face the Oklahoma City Thunder. Redick has come a long way, and he knows it.
``I really think a big part of having success is being in the right spot at the right time. But you have to be ready for it,’’ Redick said. ``Maybe I wasn’t ready to do this sort of thing last year or a couple of years ago. Back then I probably couldn’t have stepped in and played a lot. It’s a testament to the coaching staff who has helped me improve.’’
And improve Redick has, so much so that there’s little consternation from Magic fans now even with Carter struggling to overcome a nagging ankle sprain. Redick was phenomenal in his first game in relief of Carter with a career-best 27 points against Toronto and he’s hit double figures in scoring in five of the Magic’s six games this season.
At 14.7 points per game, Redick ranks fourth on the Magic in scoring. But that number alone doesn’t begin to tell his overall improvement. He’s averaging three rebounds and three assists a game and he routinely gets raves from Van Gundy for his defense because he rarely gambles and rarely makes mistakes.
``J.J. has played really well. He came up really big for us last year in the playoffs, starting against Philadelphia and Boston, and played a big role. I think that helped him,’’ Van Gundy said. ``He’s a guy you can really trust because you know he’s going to be in the right spot and not make a lot of mistakes.’’
Redick’s biggest mistake last season, oddly enough, was not being able to hit enough shots for his liking. He carved out a role in the Magic’s rotation by improving his defense and his playmaking abilities, but one of the best shooters in college basketball history was puzzled as to why his shot betrayed him. Redick shot 39.1 percent from the floor last season and 37.4 percent from 3-point range – well short of his goals of 45 percent overall and 40 percent from beyond the arc.
So Redick went to work on his shot over the summer. He took just two weeks off after the NBA Finals, getting back into the gym and the film room along with assistant coach Bob Beyer. Redick launched hundreds of shots a day – some on the move, some spot-up shots and dozens of others off curl screens.
The results so far have been spectacular for Redick. Through six games, four of which have been starts, the fourth-year shooting guard has made 44.8 percent of his shots and a dazzling 51.6 percent of his 3-pointers. His shooting in the Toronto victory – he made a career-best five 3-pointers – helped the Magic get off to a strong start and led the way for 17 3-pointers that game.
Redick is very much a deep thinker and often philosophical and analytical when it comes to his performances. He analyzes the process as much as he does the result, and truly believes his success now is because of his growth and maturity as a player. He says he simply might not have been ready to succeed when he first came into the NBA. Now, he added, everything has come together for him and he’s reaping the benefits.
``I learned how to be a pro. I worked on my body, worked on my game and worked hard in practice,’’ he said. ``I’ve put myself in a position when I could improve and I think I’ve done that.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
By John DentonNovember 8, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – When J.J. Redick was awarded a WWE-style title belt on Saturday as the winner of the Orlando Magic’s ``Iron Man’’ award, he jokingly ranked it alongside other career highlights such as playing in the NBA Finals and being mentioned in a Lil’ Wayne rap song.
Just prior to training camp, each Magic player was tested in eight different categories ranging from bench press, vertical leap, 3-minute run, agility and three-quarter-court sprints.
No one was more surprised by the ultimate winner than Redick himself. He laughed at the assessment that he is the Magic’s best pure athlete, insisting instead that he won because ``I’ve always been good at standardized tests.’’
But deep down, the ``Iron Man’’ accomplishment was a tremendous one for Redick because it shows just how far he has progressed as an NBA player. Doing this would have never been possible four years ago when he was fresh out of Duke, new as a NBA player and maybe not quite ready to be a steady contributor.
But Redick has progressed to the point now where he is one of the Magic’s most trusted players in coach Stan Van Gundy’s eyes. It’s why Redick has filled in admirably for the injured Vince Carter, and why he’ll likely start again Sunday when the Magic face the Oklahoma City Thunder. Redick has come a long way, and he knows it.
``I really think a big part of having success is being in the right spot at the right time. But you have to be ready for it,’’ Redick said. ``Maybe I wasn’t ready to do this sort of thing last year or a couple of years ago. Back then I probably couldn’t have stepped in and played a lot. It’s a testament to the coaching staff who has helped me improve.’’
And improve Redick has, so much so that there’s little consternation from Magic fans now even with Carter struggling to overcome a nagging ankle sprain. Redick was phenomenal in his first game in relief of Carter with a career-best 27 points against Toronto and he’s hit double figures in scoring in five of the Magic’s six games this season.
At 14.7 points per game, Redick ranks fourth on the Magic in scoring. But that number alone doesn’t begin to tell his overall improvement. He’s averaging three rebounds and three assists a game and he routinely gets raves from Van Gundy for his defense because he rarely gambles and rarely makes mistakes.
``J.J. has played really well. He came up really big for us last year in the playoffs, starting against Philadelphia and Boston, and played a big role. I think that helped him,’’ Van Gundy said. ``He’s a guy you can really trust because you know he’s going to be in the right spot and not make a lot of mistakes.’’
Redick’s biggest mistake last season, oddly enough, was not being able to hit enough shots for his liking. He carved out a role in the Magic’s rotation by improving his defense and his playmaking abilities, but one of the best shooters in college basketball history was puzzled as to why his shot betrayed him. Redick shot 39.1 percent from the floor last season and 37.4 percent from 3-point range – well short of his goals of 45 percent overall and 40 percent from beyond the arc.
So Redick went to work on his shot over the summer. He took just two weeks off after the NBA Finals, getting back into the gym and the film room along with assistant coach Bob Beyer. Redick launched hundreds of shots a day – some on the move, some spot-up shots and dozens of others off curl screens.
The results so far have been spectacular for Redick. Through six games, four of which have been starts, the fourth-year shooting guard has made 44.8 percent of his shots and a dazzling 51.6 percent of his 3-pointers. His shooting in the Toronto victory – he made a career-best five 3-pointers – helped the Magic get off to a strong start and led the way for 17 3-pointers that game.
Redick is very much a deep thinker and often philosophical and analytical when it comes to his performances. He analyzes the process as much as he does the result, and truly believes his success now is because of his growth and maturity as a player. He says he simply might not have been ready to succeed when he first came into the NBA. Now, he added, everything has come together for him and he’s reaping the benefits.
``I learned how to be a pro. I worked on my body, worked on my game and worked hard in practice,’’ he said. ``I’ve put myself in a position when I could improve and I think I’ve done that.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
