Comparing Philadelphia 76ers 1983 NBA Champs vs. 2018 roster

Shooting guard Andrew Toney vs. J.J. Redick

Andrew Toney contributed for years for the Philadelphia 76ers. Well, for eight years to be exact. When he played in that 1982-1983 season, he was coming into his prime. He had nearly a 20 points per game average in the regular season, and sustained that rate of scoring in the postseason.

Toney was a player who had unlimited offensive prowess. And yes, that was without a three point shot. Or rather, without an extensive three. He did shot from the perimeter, and he ended his career with a .342 shooting percentage.  But much like the modern day team, he had strong skills in scoring and in distributing. He averaged 4.6 assists per game. Like Doctor J, his shooting was nearly 50 percent for his career from the floor. The ball in his has usually meant points.

Redick ice cold

Where Toney was fire and passion, J.J. Redick is the cold calculating assasin. His forte is not so much taking over the game as it is icing it.  Shooting 41.7 percent from the perimeter, he is the guy other teams must account for the entire game. While he won’t put up Toney level points, he’s a good player to have on the court to balance out the post game attack of Joel Embiid and the driving to the basket points of Ben Simmons.

And there is a fit, a mesh, of J.J. Redick on this team which is tough to explain. When the Philadelphia 76ers needed offense to stave off the Cleveland Cavaliers, Redick delivered 28 points. That’s on 9-19 from the floor, including 4-11 from three-point range,  and 6-7 from the foul line. In fact, in April 2018, he’s up to nearly a 22 points per game average.  And he plays solid defense as well.  Heading into the playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers will need J.J. Redick’s offense, and defense.