Around this time last January, Kyle Korver single-handedly slayed the notion that a traditional three-point shooting role player can't also be an offensive focal point.

The Atlanta Hawks’ wing played in the All-Star game and served as the Grade A petrol that fueled his team to its best season in franchise history.

This year's Korver is J.J. Redick, a close imitation who stands a few inches shorter. Perpetually overlooked as the necessary yet replaceable starter on a team that features two Hall-of-Fame-caliber talents, Redick now moonlights as his team's second best player, and the Los Angeles Clippers are seemingly as potent as ever.

If you’re not a fan of statistics, stop reading now. If you enjoy them, go pour yourself a glass of wine, sit back, and enjoy a brief yet deep dive into the scorched planet formerly known as Earth before Redick decided to set it on fire:

  • Redick’s 50.0 3FG% leads the NBA. Only two other players in NBA history have ever been that accurate while launching at least three attempts per game—Redick’s launching an astronomical 5.6.
  • On the second night of back-to-backs, Redick’s shooting 44.7 percent from behind the three-point line. Only four players are shooting above that mark on the season.
  • He’s knocking down 47.7 percent of his threes when a defender is between two and four feet of his release, per SportVU.
  • His effective field goal percentage on catch-and-shoot attempts is 76.1 percent. Stephen Curry’s is 73.8 percent.
  • The Clippers are outscored by 5.9 points per 100 possessions with Redick on the bench— which ties Chris Paul for highest on the team—and throttle their opponents by 14.5 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor. No Clipper has a higher net rating.
  • He’s the most efficient spot-up shooter in the league, per Synergy Sports.
  • He’s napalm curling off a screen, per Synergy Sports.
  • The Clippers are 10-1 when he scores at least 20 points, and 11-3 when he plays at least 30 minutes. 

All the more important: Redick’s 8000-degree hot streak over the past few weeks has saved L.A.’s season. Since Blake Griffin went down one day after Christmas, Redick’s shooting splits are 53.7/58.6/97.4. He’s averaging 20.2 points per game, good for 25th highest in the league; more than teammate Chris Paul and MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard.

He dropped 40 points on the Houston Rockets in L.A.’s most recent game, a masterful effort that showcased just how blatantly his shot opens the floor for teammates.

 

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute sets a solid down screen on Trevor Ariza, drawing Clint Capela out of the paint to contest Redick’s long two. Redick then flips the ball down low—a la Ray Allen—to a rolling Mbah a Moute and the Clippers get two easy points.

(From the opening tip, it took about four minutes for Rockets head coach JB Bickerstaff to realize putting James Harden on Redick was a mistake, so he quickly gave Trevor Ariza the assignment. This change usually has the desired effect of road stars on a tire, but instead it just filled the game’s hottest shooter with air.)

Redick has one of the strongest gravitational pulls in basketball. Just look at the decision Sacramento’s Ben McLemore makes as Redick breaks to the corner:

 

There are many problems with the Kings’ defense, and, technically speaking, McLemore made the right decision on this play. But it’s still comical to see a defender leave Paul Pierce wide open instead of trusting a teammate to rotate over to cover Redick. Nobody’s willing to take that risk.

Redick’s entire career is built off the fear his jump shot puts in opposing players, and has more than earned the respect defenses are giving him now. He’s made half his threes in clutch situations this season, and when the Clippers absolutely need a basket—at any point in the game, actually—they run this play. It’s their baby, and almost always results in an open look.

Jordan fakes like he’s going to set a high screen for Paul but then darts over to set a simple flare for Redick. More times than not it leads to a straightaway dagger that makes opposing coaches want to throw things. 

In today’s NBA, where space and efficiency are at an all-time premium, Redick’s illogical three-point accuracy makes him arguably L.A.’s best player. He can’t create his own shot on a consistent basis, though—only 69 of his minutes have come without Paul on the court—and that ultimately creates the same dilemma Atlanta faced with Korver in last year’s postseason: Can Redick sustain his precision against defenses that are geared up to slow him down? He’s a career 36.9 percent three-point shooter in the playoffs and “only” made 39.8 percent of his attempts last season.

A Redick slump, at any point, does not completely neuter the Clippers because they can always lean on efficient basket-creation from their two perennial All-Stars. But it’s still cool to see him go on the tear he’s on, at a time when his team needs him the most. Redick is an integral part of the Clippers’ offense, and ramping up his opportunities should be a priority for their coaching staff—even after his shooting splits drift down from the sky.