Sixers’ JJ Redick having an All-Star type season

DENVER – Why not JJ Redick?

That’s a question the 76ers are asking in regards to the shooting guard being voted an NBA All-Star reserve by Eastern Conference coaches.

“Why not?” coach Brett Brown said Saturday. “Like look at him. I just know what he means to me.”

Redick is known primarily as a sharpshooting floor spacer during his 13 NBA seasons, but Brown realizes his starting two-guard gets taken for granted.

“But you take a deep dive into his numbers and what he’s really doing,” Brown said, “you can put up a fight.”

Redick is showing no signs of slowing down at 34 years old. He’s actually having one of his best seasons.

He took a career-best scoring average of 18.4 points into Saturday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Redick is also averaging 2.8 assists while shooting 38.9 percent on three-pointers and 90.1 percent from the foul line. Oh, and he’s logging 31.1 minutes per game.

The 11th overall pick of the 2006 draft has the look of someone in the prime of his career – not a guy expected to retire in a couple of seasons. He’s had the best five seasons of his career after turning 30. That’s rare for a basketball player’s career.

“I think some of that is training efficiency, being in the right situation, and luck,” Redick said. “It all goes together. Not just to grind out a few more years, but to play well."

Redick won’t put a number on how many more seasons he wants to play.

“I just want to keep playing and enjoying playing,” he said. “Whether that’s three years or five years, I don’t know. You can’t really predict.

“But how I felt the last couple of years, I’d like to keep playing for a while.”

Redick has played a major role in the Sixers' success for the second consecutive season. He initially signed a one-year deal with the Sixers in July 2017. Then Redick re-signed with them last summer.

He's a perfect fit for a Sixers squad in desperate need of an outside shooter for two reasons:

One, point guard Ben Simmons is not solid outside shooter.

Two, the Sixers need an outside shooter to keep defenses honest whenever Joel Embiid posts up.

As a result, Redick occupies a defender and spreads the floor for the Sixers.

And you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better-conditioned player than Redick in the NBA. He’s constantly moving without the ball and wearing out guys in some instances 10 or more years younger. And Redick is one of the team’s leaders.

“He’s a pro," Brown said. "Anyway you want to slice up pro, that’s him,” Brown said.

But will the Eastern Conference select him as an All-Star?

That’s not Redick’s focus. He actually thinks there’s more deserving candidates than him.

“If we were 45-4 right now, you could probably make a good argument that we deserve four All-Stars," he said. "To me, it’s probably a long shot.”

Embiid was named an All-Star starter for the second consecutive season on Thursday. Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons could get voted in as All-Star reserves by the coaches.

Jimmy Butler is expected to return to action on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center.

The four-time All-Star swingman missed the last three games with a sprained right wrist. Embiid (rest) and power forward Wilson Chandler (left hamstring tightness) also missed the game against the Nuggets. Embiid is dealing with back tightness.

Butler flew from Los Angeles to Denver to attend Saturday’s game. Chandler was with the team. Meanwhile, Embiid will meet the squad on Sunday in L.A.