New Orleans Pelicans: J.J. Redick left his mark on young teammates

J.J. Redick was brought to the New Orleans Pelicans to add shooting and veteran leadership to a very young Pelicans team. On Thursday it came to an end, as J.J. Redick was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

It wasn’t a surprising move, as he has been mentioned in rumors for most of the season, but it is still tough to see him go, even if this season didn’t go as planned.

Redick’s legacy on the New Orleans Pelicans will be more about his influence off the court than what he did on it.

New Orleans Pelicans: Redick was a mentor who had a few big moments

In his two seasons with the Pelicans, Redick averaged 13 points per game coming off of the bench. He was one of those guys that the Pelicans could always count on when they needed someone to step up. He was also a father figure to most of these players because of how he taught them to mature in the league.

The average age of the Pelicans is one of the lowest in the NBA, so having someone like Redick be able to teach them the rights and wrongs only helped the team grow. He was a more of the behind-the-scenes type of player.

J.J. Redick had some great moments with the Pelicans. In the NBA Bubble, he put up 31 points and had 8 threes against the Spurs. In 2019, Redick put up 26 points and six threes against the Golden State Warriors.

One of the best 3 point shooters ever, Redick had a lot on the line coming into New Orleans. Through his first 13 seasons, Redick made it to the playoffs every year. At the start of the season, JJ said this to Rookie Zion Williamson,

"Don’t [Explicit] this up for me."

Unforentently for Redick, that streak ended in the Bubble when the New Orleans Pelicans did not make the playoffs. JJ is one of the funniest guys that I have seen in press conferences always bringing that sense of sarcasm and humor wherever he goes.

The creator of the “Bayou Brotherhood” is now gone, but JJ has left more to these young guys than any coach has; the practicality of the sport of basketball, and a guy they all can look up to.

Thank you, J.J.!