Without JJ, would the Clips win many games? Is he your favorite player on that team? See what the fans over at AthletiQA are saying about him. AthletiQA.com is an intelligent and social sports Q&A website where athletes and experts are directly answering questions for their fans on the most relevant sports topics. Check them out at www.athletiqa.com.
Here is what Elliot Thornton – devoted journalist, sports enthusiast, and Athlete – has to say:
Playing the shooting guard position is probably one of the toughest, if not the toughest positions in the NBA. In today's context you must think think like a point guard and have the athleticism of a small forward while being expected to make plays for your team. J.J. Reddick might not fit into every part of that description of a wing player but he is inevitably a crucial element to the L.A. Clippers‘ franchise.
Being seen as a guard who could only spot up from three coming into the league, the 10-year veteran has put in the work necessary to consider himself reliable and one of the most dependable swingmen in the NBA – especially on a team where a veteran captain like Chris Paul holds all of his teammates to a higher standard. If you don't believe me, just take a look at his stats.
In his three years with the Clippers, Reddick has averaged 16.0 points per game, shot .470 percent from the floor, and started 187 of his 188 games played. Seeing an average of 29 minutes on the floor every night he suits up, there is no question that his presence is a fundamental component of winning games.
Criticize his 6-foot-4 190 pound frame, talk about how he isn't able to match up against elite shooting guards in the league like a James Harden or DeMar DeRozan, emphasize how he isn't a player who won't pose as a threat when he drives to the basket. Judge him all you want but the fact of the matter is that J.J. Reddick holds a very important role for the Clippers.
As a precautionary action by his organization, Reddick was indefinitely ruled out of last Wednesday's preseason match against Toronto. Due to symptoms of “work overload” by the Clippers' biometrics technology tracking system, the sharpshooter watched new teammate Raymond Felton take the start pull out a 104-98 victory.
What happens without Reddick?
While this shows that his team can find other ways of winning, the question of Reddick being out will be a concern heading into the regular season. Are the Clippers in trouble if Reddick is unable to have his body ready before then? Not necessarily as a testament to other role players like Felton, Austin Rivers, and Jamal Crawford but his presence would definitely be missed.
So in conclusion, the question of how effective are the Clippers without J.J. Reddick can be answered in a mixture of ways.
One, they can be effective as they are a team with a plethora of veteran leadership that is necessary in pulling out close games. Yet at the same time missing Reddick would be missing a respectable amount of offense on the floor. His 2015-16 was the best season yet as far as staying healthy and contributing on both ends of the floor.
There is something about development in the league that Reddick embodies head on. An element of maturity starting from a pure shooter to now a scorer chip on his shoulder much like his floor general Chris Paul. The Clippers could use every bit of J.J. Reddick now and heading into mid-April.
Thanks to the AthletiQA team for sharing this exclusive with us. Join this discussion here and get your other questions answered by athletes and experts at www.athletiqa.com. Support the cause of #BridgingTheGap between athletes and experts here: https://thndr.me/lWDgfk.
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