Absence of J.J. Redick Will Leave Void in Sixers Offense
While Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid get most of the attention, the Sixers need their role players to excel if they want to make a playoff run this season. However, they are going to be without, perhaps, their top role player; J.J. Redick for a few weeks.
A 12-year pro, Redick is in the midst of his best NBA season, scoring a career high 17.3 points per game, second on the Sixers behind Embiid (23.8).
The scoring ability of Redick was never a question. He's posted at least 10 points per game every NBA season dating back to the 2010-2011 season.
His health, on the other hand, will keep him off-the-court for approximately 10 days to two weeks due to a bone edema and a small cortical crack in the fibular head of his left leg.
From Sixers Press Release:
With 4:37 remaining in the fourth quarter of last night’s game, JJ Redick sustained an injury to his left leg resulting from contact with an opponent. He underwent X-rays following the game last night, which were negative. An MRI was performed late this afternoon that revealed bone edema and a small cortical crack in the fibular head of his left leg. Redick is out and will be re-evaluated in approximately 10 days to two weeks.
As much as the Sixers will miss the offensive output Redick brings, it is likely that Embiid will miss him more.
One of the premier three-point shooters in the NBA, Redick, gives the Sixers a legitimate threat from beyond-the-arc, without him, teams will now pay even more attention to Embiid, leaving Robert Covington as the top three-point threat.
As one of the younger teams in the NBA, the Sixers rely heavily on Redick's shooting, and he's been playing well during this stretch where the Sixers have won five-of-six, averaging 19.6 points per game over that span.
Without him, look for guys like Jerryd Bayless, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Justin Anderson and T.J. McConnell to share more minutes, with McConnell stepping up on Monday afternoon, scoring 18 points with six boards, eight assists, one 3-pointer, three steals, one block in 32 minutes off the bench.