JJ lighting it up in early NBA action

[ohiodukefan]

Duke's JJ Redick, free form the Dwight Howard saga in Orlando, has lit it up for the Magic in their first two NBA games. JJ has scored 21 and 24 pts in the Magics two wins, is shooting 75% (6 out of 8) from the three pt line, and leads the Orlando team with 12 assists (6 in each game). Remember when ACC and national fans said JJ would never make in in the NBA?? :)

[camion]

JJ is a professional in the best sense of the word.

[crote]

Has anybody actually watched either of the Magic games so far? I haven't been able to, and I'm curious to know how JJ is being used with Afflalo. JJ is coming off the bench, but both are playing in ~30 minute range, so they're out there together a lot. Is one of them playing the point in those situations, or is Orlando going with a three guard lineup?

[hq2]

Has anybody actually watched either of the Magic games so far? I haven't been able to, and I'm curious to know how JJ is being used with Afflalo. JJ is coming off the bench, but both are playing in ~30 minute range, so they're out there together a lot. Is one of them playing the point in those situations, or is Orlando going with a three guard lineup?

I believe they have J.J. at 2 and Afflalo at 3 (he can swing). Not sure about their prospective starting arrangements.

[mike88]

I believe they have J.J. at 2 and Afflalo at 3 (he can swing). Not sure about their prospective starting arrangements.

Afflalo is starting and JJ is coming off the bench. In the first game, Turk started, but broke his hand; last night, Dequan Jones (U Miami) got the start. Afflalo and JJ played together a good bit, with Afflalo at the 3 spot (guarding Michael Beasley much of the time)- and I expect we will see that combination a good bit until Turk comes back in a month or so.

[Jeff Frosh]

Turkoglu will throw the same number of passes to JJ while he is out with a broken hand as he does when they are on the court together.

[elvis14]

Turkoglu will throw the same number of passes to JJ while he is out with a broken hand as he does when they are on the court together.

Jameer Nelson will throw the same number of passes to JJ as Turkoglu... (Howard wasn't holding JJ back!)

[mike88]

Jameer Nelson will throw the same number of passes to JJ as Turkoglu... (Howard wasn't holding JJ back!)

Although a few of the players remain, the magic are running a different offense this year without Dwight and SVG. While i agree to a certain extent about Jameer (he just really isn't a good distributor), JJ and Turk have played well together before and I bet they will continue to do so when they are on the floor together. More importantly, E'twan Moore seems like a significant upgrade over Duhon so far, and he and JJ make a much better pairing (Moore is 6'4") than JJ and Duhon or JJ and Jameer. I think we will continue to see JJ coming off the bench b/c he gives the second unit some offensive punch that is otherwise missing, but he will also be in the game at the end b/c of his FT shooting and overall smart play.

[House G]

Jameer Nelson will throw the same number of passes to JJ as Turkoglu... (Howard wasn't holding JJ back!)

...and Jameer didn't play last night--I barely noticed. JJ is very unselfish and has had 6 assists in each game. He and Josh play well together and epitomize team basketball. The Magic play at Chicago Tues night--perhaps worth watching if you are a Duke fan.

[OldSchool]

Having JJ play with the second unit helps to maintain a high level of basketball IQ and discipline and effort even when the starters are not out there. At the same time, JJ and Davis have proven to be a very effective combination together, and JJ runs the pick and roll as well as any of the other Magic guards. Accordingly, JJ is seeing a lot of time with both the second unit and some of the starters.

The Magic currently are an odd collection of parts and there will no doubt be some adjusting of their roster. JJ would be valuable either as a part of the Magic solution on the floor or in trade in order to bring in a more balanced roster.

If I were the Magic I would focus primarily on getting a high quality point guard. Jameer has his limitations and Ish Smith is not the answer, even as a backup.

[OldSchool]

E'twan Moore seems like a significant upgrade over Duhon so far, and he and JJ make a much better pairing (Moore is 6'4") than JJ and Duhon or JJ and Jameer.

Moore has a lot of talent but playing him at point guard gives you even more of a score-first PG than Jameer. It's essentially playing with two SGs.

[SupaDave]

And I thought as much during the summer...

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?28982-JJ-Redick-Franchise-cornerstone