JJ Redick
Much like Ignas Brazdeikis, current New Orleans Pelican shooting guard JJ Redick experienced immediate stardom at the collegiate level. Redick stuck around for four years and won National Player of the Year, but the comparisons between the two players are valid.
Much like Redick, Brazdeikis is a sharpshooting wing who doesn’t get the credit he deserves for his ability to create for his teammates as a ball-handler and playmaker.
Brazdeikis, nor Redick, will be tasked with running an offense on a full-time basis. However, both players are capable of relieving pressure from the primary playmaker by handling the ball and getting the team into the proper sets.
That’s an invaluable skill for a Knicks team that remains in desperate search of creativity on the offensive end of the floor, even if it isn’t Brazdeikis’ primary contribution.
The key for Brazdeikis studying Redick will be understanding the balance of creating for others and knowing your own role within the offense. Redick has become a master of this, blending elite three-point shooting with playmaking and even shot creating without overextending himself.
If Brazdeikis can master the art that Redick has perfected, as well as make the improvements that Redick managed on defense, he could be a massive success story.