Duke’s J.J. Redick should be the ACC Player of the Year. He has been the most dominant player in the league and at times has carried a very thin Duke team through one of the toughest schedules in the country.
The top scorer in the conference has expanded his game beyond just shooting deep threes. His improved conditioning has allowed him to lead the league in minutes played and elevate his defensive play.
Redick has become Duke’s unquestioned leader, demanding the ball late in games and taking big shots. He has been the go-to scorer in all of Duke’s key games, averaging 26 points per game against ranked opponents.
Redick’s main competition for ACC Player of the Year will likely be Wake Forest sophomore Chris Paul. Although Paul is a great point guard for the Demon Deacons, he is basically the same player he was last year—Paul has not significantly improved his numbers in any category. In addition, Paul only averages 14.9 points per game, and no player in the last 20 years has been named ACC Player of the Year while averaging less than 17 points per game.
This will not be an issue for Redick, who has scored 22.5 points per game, sixth nationally. He has also grabbed more than three rebounds per game and has dished out 2.8 assists per game, second on the team.
Redick is also more valuable to his team than Paul. Paul’s impact, though missed when absent, can be somewhat replaced by senior guard Taron Downey. The Blue Devils have no substitute for Redick’s scoring ability, and Duke’s offense has been stagnant during the few minutes he has not been in games. Even when Redick isn’t scoring, the attention he demands from teams opens up opportunities for his teammates. Against N.C. State, for example, Redick only scored eight points, but he set up four of his teammates for double-digit scoring nights.
Redick’s accurate shooting still remains his staple, as he currently ranks fourth in the ACC in three-point shooting despite receiving more defensive attention than ever before. He is often face-guarded for the entire game and must run through multiple screens on each possession to free himself from defenders.
Redick has diversified his shots this year, adding effective fade-aways and runners to his arsenal. Using improved ball handling skills, he has been able to drive to the basket and draw fouls. When fouled, Redick remains nearly perfect at the line, as he shot 93 percent this season and has the highest career percentage in history.
“He’s the most phenomenal shooter I’ve ever seen,” Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said after Redick dropped 31 on the Seminoles in Tallahassee. “It’s almost automatic.”
Redick is also the ACC’s iron man, and he has had to be for a Blue Devil team that goes at most eight deep. He averages more than 37 minutes and has played eight complete games, more than double the number of his closest competitors. One of Redick’s complete games came at Maryland Feb. 12, where he not only played the 40 minutes of regulation, but also all of overtime—something no one else in the ACC has done this year.
Redick has also shown the ability to have breakout games like few players in the country. Three of the top four scoring performances in ACC games belong to Redick, including a game at Florida State in which he hit eight three-pointers, the most in one game by an ACC player this year. Redick averages 3.8 made threes per game; his nearest competitor averages 2.7.
All these things show how Redick has carried the Blue Devils and has been a more consistent scorer than his Wake Forest rival. In addition, Paul has possibly hurt his chances with his recent suspension because of an altercation in a win over N.C. State March 6.
Redick will become Duke’s 12th ACC Player of the Year because of his explosive scoring ability, his improved all-around game and his value to an overachieving Duke team.
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