That’s Not Your Game
Andre Iguodala (photo. Kelly Turso)
Following the highlight clip of Michael Redd raining a barrage of jumpers on the OKC Thunder over the weekend, the analysts in the NBA TV studio quickly agreed that Redd is one of the best “pure shooters” this game has ever seen.
I’ve thought the same thing before, and like the NBA TV crew, didn’t give it much debate. But during a recent Bucks/Pacers game — as Redd was in the process of bricking two crucial free throws in the fourth quarter — Indiana announcer Quinn Buckner said he always felt Redd was more of a rhythm shooter, and that the “pure shooter” label he’s had for so long isn’t accurate.
At the very least, QB made me reevaluate Redd’s game. As smooth as his shooting stroke is, Redd does throw up more airballs and ugly bricks than certified pure shooters like Ray Allen and Glen Rice. So while Redd’s J might look prettier than Rashard Lewis or Dirk Nowitzki’s, is it really as consistent?
If not, Redd wouldn’t be the first NBA player to have earned a reputation he doesn’t really deserve. Andre Iguodala became known as an elite defender as a rookie, but the knowledgeable Philly fans I know will tell you his D is slightly overrated. A lot of people figured O.J. Mayo had to be a fantastic raw athlete because he dominated the high school circuit for so long (and, admit it or not, because he’s a Black two-guard), but O.J. really thrives because of his floor game. And going the other way, Monta Ellis is classified as an offense-only stat pig, but I’d say his defense deserves more credit. It works for coaches, too. Mike D’Antoni is known as this offensive genius, but would it be closer to the truth to say he just lets his athletes run and relies on a smart PG to make it all work?
Which players and coaches do you think have been given inaccurate reputations?
January 5th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
the cynic says:
Redd is a scorer not a shooter; just because he became the designated “shooter” for the olympics doesn’t make him an all-time great shooter
January 5th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Detroit Dave says:
Totally agree with this article especially the part about Coach D’Antoni. He is an average coach and his scheme doesn’t work unless Steve Nash, CP3 or D Will (olympics)is envolved. A good coach puts a competitive team on the floor no matter what personnel that he has. EXAMPLE : RICK ADELMAN and Jerry Sloan (Sloan was competitive when the Jazz started Derek Fisher as his PG)
January 5th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Dee says:
People say QRich is a great shooter….he was just an okay shooter, never a great shooter.
January 5th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Rafa23 says:
the jazz also had some losing seasons before deron got there, so lets not act like he wpuld lead a team like knicks to a great record. and when did derek fisher start at pg in utah again? u sure you did not dream it?
January 5th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Big V says:
You can tell just by looking at his jumper that he’s not a fluid shooter.
I never considered him a pure shooter in any sense of the word, much like I don’t consider Stojakovic one either.
January 5th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Ant says:
Good article..I agree
January 5th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
flavur says:
People call David West an all-star when really he just benefits from all the shots he gets created for him thanks to CP3.
January 5th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
lsuhornet17 says:
Um, people call David West an All-Star because he was voted on to two All-Star teams. That’s a fact, it has nothing to do with perception.
January 5th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
leeroy says:
People call Tony Parker one of the best PGs in the league when it fact he is actually quite a bit worse than the league’s most underrated PGs: Earl Watson. The NBA’s biggest mistake in the past decade is Watson never making an All-Star game.
January 5th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
b says:
Nice post
I think Stephen Jackson gets slighted when people consider him a bad teammate or selfish player. He makes players on his team better even if he is a little bit loco.
Artest’s defense is a little overrated. He overplays everything so he gets a lot of steals but he gets burned off the dribble. I also think he’s less versatile as to who he can guard in his older age but people still consider him a stopper. In the post he’s a force on d, but not as much on the perimeter.
January 5th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
eyes says:
Ron is slipping on the perimiter because he looks like^^ the incredible hulk. He bulked up to guard big 4’s & hurt his overall game. He needs to slim down because he’s already 7.30 strong.
January 5th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Boogie says:
Yh I’m gotta give Captain Jack some love. He consistently “make(s) love to pressure” and quite honestly loves the game. He gets a bad rep as a teammate and branded as a thug cos he stood up for his teammate one (rather infamous) time…
Maybe he is thuggish but that’s what this life made him. He however made himself into one of the best ballers in the league and someone who his teammates love and respect despite the media putting words into all their mouths at once….
January 5th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Tom says:
The funny thing about Dantoni’s teams is that their offence is always over-rated and their defence is always under-rated. People tend to look at total scoring numbers, but ignore the pace of the game. In evaluating a team’s offence and defence, it’s far more important to look at how many points they score per possession and how many points their opponents score per possession.
January 5th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Tom says:
I know I just completely botched D’Antoni’s name. I was distracted.
January 5th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
D'Antonio says:
The comment on D’Antoni si ridiculous. Yes, his system requires smart players to make the “extra pass” and score easy buckets. Obviously this works better with a good point man. But there’s a whole system underlying, with floor spacing and offensive sets that go beyond the bread and butter iso and PnR used by most coaches.
Come on, Nashy was nowhere near MVP territory before he joined the Suns. Even this NY squad of smallish second rate players is outperforming…
January 5th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
high release says:
I watch most Bucks games, and Redd’s poor shooting has been a thorn in my side for a long while. Complete myth. And of course he bought into it. Mo Williams was the better shooter of the two when he was here. Fact is, Redd is pretty good at cutting to the hoop–I’m happy with him getting buckets that way. But those ill-advised, long-range clonk-babonk lefty horks are uuugly. Rhythm shooter, sure, but everyone is a rhythm shooter.
Other than that, is it still obligatory to say “former all-star” when talking about Jamal Magloire? Gary Payton’s bunk “glove” reputation cost us Ray Allen once upon a time. And I think if Ben Wallace never had a fro he would look a lot like Antonio Davis, without the longevity.
January 5th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
QQ says:
Peja immediately comes into mind. He was a pure shooter back in Sacramento, and he carried that label until he went to different teams. But it’s pure bullshit, since you see that bitch throw up more bricks than makes every single game.
Honorable mentions:
Q-Rich – ‘pure shooter’
Amare – ‘franchise player’
January 5th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
In-N-Out Lucas says:
That Joe Johnson is underrated… I think he’s appropriately rated, just because your average person knows nothing about him, doesn’t make him underrated.
January 5th, 2010 at 11:03 pm
athome says:
Kobe = lockdown defender. = not true. Good yes, lock down no.
Domonique winning the 88′ dunk contest but being cheated because Jordan was at home. Watch it again. Nique does the same dunks over and over and over. I mean he literally does a windmill in every round, but somehow thought doing it from the front and the side were different. Jordan did cheese by jumping from the FT line twice, but thats the only dunk he repeated.
January 6th, 2010 at 12:29 am
big_ticket says:
kobe=aint lockdown d. hehe!!
kobe for me is overrated tryin hard like mike,
January 6th, 2010 at 12:50 am
Pet Society Help says:
With that ackward stroke, rhythm shooter not pure shooter is the best way to describe him.
January 6th, 2010 at 2:44 am
gregory says:
Redd does not have a more “beautiful” stroke than Nowitzki? How can you classify a shooting motion of bringing the ball behind you head and slinging it at the hoop beautiful? Coming out of college, shooting was actually Redd’s biggest flaw. He shot 32 percent from threes and 65 percent from the line at Ohio State. He had the reputation of being an athletic two–and really, I know he’s never been thought of as very athletic, but I saw him in college and then recently saw a video of him during his freshman year and he was an ATHLETE, finishing in all kinds of acrobatic ways around the rim–who couldn’t shoot and didn’t look like he could shoot and that’s why he dropped into the second round. It’s a testament to his work ethic that he’s made himself into as good a shooter as he has become but to say he’s a pure shooter is wrong.
Other undeserved reps:
Dahntay Jones, not a stopper.
Joe Johnson, not an elite scorer, just a good one
January 6th, 2010 at 9:06 am
Guitar Hero says:
tay prince is not an elite defender.
January 6th, 2010 at 10:33 am
weng santos says:
Never Liked Mike D’Antoni.
Not really an offensive genius, doesn’t get the most of his role players, can’t coach defense.
What else is there?
Put him in a team with no Nash and there you have it, the ugliness that is the New York Knicks.
He should at least let Nate run amok.
January 6th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
MSkittle says:
Jason Kidd as a penetrator.. When he was on the Nets, everyone made it seem like he was a great driver.. Not the case!! He either hits open outside shots or gets his in transition.