Grading J.J. Redick's Debut with the Milwaukee Bucks

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After the biggest trade of the deadline, J.J. Redick made his debut with the Milwaukee Bucks in their 103-102 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

While Redick came off the bench, he played starter minutes, registering a solid 35. He played shooting guard and small forward, depending on whether or not both Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings were on the floor.

Redick put together 16 points and seven assists on 4-of-9 shooting, sinking all seven free throws and a three-pointer.

While he struggled to get his shot going, the Bucks actually looked a lot smoother with him on the floor.

He made them more threatening offensively when he was in for Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and helped space the floor more in place of Monta Ellis.

Let's break it down and really take a look at how well he worked out for his new team.

Look: B

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One of the most important, yet superfluous, things we always tend to analyze when a player gets traded is how he looks in a new uniform.

The first look at Redick, as it is with any guy who has been on the same team for an extended period of time, was weird. Then I got used to it, and it wasn't too bad.

J.J. Redick makes his Bucks debut: twitter.com/BeyondTheBuzze…

— Beyond The Buzzer(@BeyondTheBuzzer) February 24, 2013

Redick in these Bucks uniforms is something.

— Sean Highkin (@shighkinNBA) February 24, 2013

J.J. Redick is on the floor in Milwaukee! In the giant deer '90s uniform, no less.

— SBNation NBA (@SBNationNBA) February 24, 2013

It's hard to do, but Redick made that horrible, superimposed buck on the front of his jersey look just fine.

Three-Point Shooting: C-

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One of the biggest reasons that the Bucks went out to get J.J. Redick is his prowess behind the three-point line.

In his debut, he left a lot to be desired for his new hometown fans, but they cheered their asses off for him nonetheless.

A lot of Redick's earlier shots were incredibly flat, hitting the front of the rim and dying as soon as they touched any iron.

It seemed as if he was nervous, so there's really nothing to worry about after one game, but it was a poor performance nonetheless.

Offense: B+

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It appears J.J. Redick fits in incredibly well with the Milwaukee Bucks. The only problem is they've got a bit of a logjam in front of him.

He's either going to have to come off the bench or steal a starting spot away from Mbah a Moute, unless of course Monta Ellis is ready to come off the bench.

Small sample size,but the Bucks offense looks much better with JJ Redick on the floor.

— SportsDivide (@Sports_Divide) February 24, 2013

What Redick does for their offense is a lot more unique than what Ellis does for it.

Rather than having just another guy who can score a lot but is inefficient, they've got a very good shooter who can work off the dribble and pass incredibly well.

The offense was smoother, more diverse and just seemed to work better when it was either Ellis or Jennings at the point and Redick in at the shooting-guard spot.

Defense: B

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Redick continues to be an underrated passer at this point in his career, and he's even on the verge of becoming an underrated defender.

He's a bigger dude than Monta Ellis, so when he's in for him at the shooting-guard spot, there's a distinct difference in terms of guys being able to get their three-pointers off and defenders keeping ball-handlers in front of them.

Bucks closing with the Jennings/Ellis/Redick perimeter trio. Can probably get away with that against Kyle Korver.

— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) February 24, 2013

 

While Ellis is better at staying in front of guys, Redick is better at altering shots, which is definitely beneficial in the long run. 

In the few instances that he was in with Mike Dunleavy and either Ellis or Jennings, the defense obviously struggled without Mbah a Moute.

Initial Chemistry: A

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

One of the most impressive parts of Redick's performance in his first game with the Bucks was just how well he worked with his new teammates. It looked like he had been playing with them all season long.

There were very few miscues, a good deal of assists and some extremely heady passes along the way for Redick.

Redick's already zoomin' around off-ball screens in Milwaukee. Bricked his first jumper, though.

— SBNation NBA (@SBNationNBA) February 24, 2013

He's just got a game that lends itself to quickly developing chemistry with his teammates. He's a smart player who doesn't demand a ton of shots, so it's going to be relatively easy to fit him into any system.

Overall: B+

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There were a few hiccoughs here and there throughout the game, but in terms of a debut with a brand-new team, 16 points and seven assists is a damn fine start.

Much love has to be given to Monta Ellis for playing hard to win the game at the end of the fourth; it just didn't work out for them.

Moving forward, it's going to be interesting to see the rotations that Milwaukee ends up using with Redick. There's no doubt he gives the Bucks a multitude of options on offense.

While he's essentially the same player as Mike Dunleavy in the public eye, a three-point shooter who can occasionally score elsewhere, he's a much better passer and potentially even a solid complement to Dunleavy at times.

Milwaukee has a lot of room to grow with Redick added to the team, and it seems as if it's well on its way so long as it gets a few bounces here and there.