The streets of New Orleans twinkle with Christmas lights. Newly minted draft pick Zion Williamson is still rehabbing his knee and coach Alvin Gentry may be out of a job soon.

The Pelicans have fallen far from a speculated playoff contender to a joke in the Western Conference. An intriguing Christmas Day game against Denver has turned into an afterthought.

It’s hard to blame GM David Griffin for signing veterans Derrick Favors and J.J. Reddick and retaining Jrue Holiday to buoy this young roster. But his gambit has slightly backfired.

A string of questions linger about the future of this franchise.

When will Zion return to the Pelicans?

Should Griffin trade Holiday or wait for Zion to return?

What is the ceiling for Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball?

Griffin might also be looking to trade Reddick to add another prospect or free-up additional salary. Reddick, a three-point artist, is well-liked in the NBA and when not downing tagliatelle at Scarpetta in Miami Beach, is honing his shot in the gym. His fine-tuned ability to create slight separation and consistently make off-balance three-pointers with hands in his face is one of the joys of watching basketball.

There are plenty of Christmas lights in New Orleans. But the holiday lights in this picture actually live in the Barceloneta, a beachside neighborhood in Barcelona.

At 35, Reddick continues to ripen with age and remains remarkably durable. He is shooting nearly 46% from three-point territory, averaging 15.9 points per game, mostly on catch and shoots and pullups. He’s slinging about nine three-pointers each game. And over 63% of his shots come beyond the arc (~83% shots from midrange and three-pointers).

He favors pull-up jumpers over driving the ball like guards Wayne Ellington and Iman Shumpert. But is able to curl into the paint and collapse two or three defenders creating an open inside or perimeter look for his teammates when he does decide to drive.[1]

In theory, Reddick’s shooting shouldn’t be better than last season with the 76ers. He is getting 7.9% less open or wide-open shot attempts relative to 2018-19.[2] With less open shots, Reddick is in turn forced to take more dribbles before launching his shot.

Reddick’s relatively cheap and flexible contract makes him the perfect trade target. But this may also be an incentive for the Pelicans to keep Reddick even if they are unlikely to make the playoffs.

[1] Reddick owns an 8.2 pull-up jumper to drive ratio this season through December 15th.

[2] Before taking a jumper, Reddick is dribbling the ball two or more times at a 25.8% rate compared to 19.3% last season in Philadelphia.

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