JJ Redick had a 15-year NBA career and played with some of the biggest names of the modern era. He’s had some sensational teammates and he decided to name the best starting five from all his former teammates. All players selected will be in their prime version, not necessarily how they were when Redick was their teammate.
“Point guard, Chris Paul. Shooting guard, Vince Carter. Small forward, Jimmy Butler. Power forward, Blake Griffin. Center, Joel Embiid.”
Redick’s co-host alerted him that he had left out Luka Doncic, prompting Redick to remove Vince Carter from his list and add Luka while apologizing to the Slovenian guard.
“Oh f**k! It was only two months! F**k that. I love you Vince, but CP, Luka, Jimmy, Blake, Joel. Luka, I apologize.”
Redick played alongside two of his all-time teammates at the same time during his time with the ‘Lob City’ Clippers. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were the two stars of that team but Redick was the starting shooting guard for that era. That was his best shot at a championship but it never materialized.
Another two teammates that he played with simultaneously made it onto this list with Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler. The three were teammates during Redick’s two-year stint with the 76ers, even shorter than Butler’s half-season spent with the franchise as Redick’s teammate.
Redick initially named Vince Carter in his starting five, with the pair playing together earlier in Redick’s career on the Orlando Magic. Instead, he named Luka Doncic, the final superstar teammate he had in his two-month stint with the Mavericks in 2021, after which he announced his retirement.
This Starting Five Would Be Hard To Stop
Despite the length of Redick’s career, the only name on his list that isn’t in the league right now is Blake Griffin. Since Redick said all players would be in their primes for this exercise, he selected Griffin for his nine-year stint with the Clippers where he averaged 21.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.
Chris Paul arguably was a better individual player during his time with the New Orleans Hornets but enjoyed a lot more success with the Clippers. He averaged 18.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists during his stint with the Clippers.
Jimmy Butler is arguably still in the prime of his career, though he may have reached an athletic peak during his time with the 76ers, Timberwolves, or Bulls. He’s had the most success in Miami, averaging 21.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.8 assists since 2019 and led the team to two Finals appearances.
Luka Doncic is currently in his prime, averaging 34.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 9.8 assists this season.
Joel Embiid is the most accomplished name on this list, as the reigning league MVP is clearly in the prime of his career. He averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists last season to win the trophy and seemed destined to repeat with 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists averages this season before a meniscus injury ruled him out.
This team on the same floor would be fierce, though the ball-handling ability of Paul and Doncic would create overlap. Taking one of them out for Carter would have led to a more functional lineup, but the quality of the players here is so elite that they’d likely figure it out.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
