Van Gundy sees Redick’s improvement
By Marc D'Amico | October 2, 2008
Training camp is a time to get back into the swing of things for players like Dwight Howard and Rashard. For players like Anthony Johnson and Mickael Pietrus, it’s more about getting acquainted with new teammates. For every player in camp, it’s about battling against teammates two times a day on the court. For J.J. Redick, training camp is about all of those things, but most importantly he’s battling for a spot in the regular rotation, a place he’s never been before.
This year, it may be more realistic than ever. Although he continues to weigh in at his normal 196 pounds, his physical appearance has certainly changed. After trimming his body fat to a slim 4.6 percent, his appearance has changed on the court as well, and his head coach is taking notice.
“That’s been evident,” Van Gundy said, speaking of muscle mass Redick gained this summer. “The added strength has definitely helped him. He’s always been in good shape, but he’s taken that to another level and those things are going to help him.”
That strength has helped him enough to make Coach Van Gundy label him as a top-eight player on the roster.
“We need to find a way to play as many of those four guys (Courtney Lee, Mickael Pietrus, Keith Bogans and Redick) as we can,” he said. “I think that’s four of our better players when we get beyond, obviously, Dwight, Turk (Hedo Turkoglu), Rashard and Jameer. You could almost make a case that might be your four next best players.”
Redick has come into this season looking different physically, but acting different as well. His attitude is a much more calm and he is taking each day one at a time. He, himself, has even acknowledged that he has lived and learned in his two seasons in the NBA.
“That’s just part of growing up, I think,” Redick said. “Carrying yourself as a professional both on and off the court is something that’s learned.”
It has all combined to make Redick a serious player on the Magic roster. He has increased all of his lifts by 10 to 20 pounds and that has allowed him to absorb more contact on both the defensive and offensive ends. He has also increased his lateral quickness, making him much more effective on the defensive end.
Even with his coach publicly acknowledging his solid play thus far in camp, Redick is taking a different rout this year in camp. He’s not making any predictions or saying he should be playing this much or that much. Instead, he’s just practicing hard every day and letting his play do the talking.
“I can’t put too much stock into this week and I can’t put too much stock into pre-season games,” said Redick. “I did that last year, and it didn’t always work out. I think if I keep working hard and playing hard, you know, putting forth the effort defensively, good things are gonna happen. That’s all I can do.”
His newly developed strength and persona may be the two factors that push him into a regular role with the Magic for the first time in his career. With the impression he’s making on his coach, we might finally see Redick join Orlando’s 3-point when Atlanta comes to town on October 29.
