Clippers considering sidelining J.J. Redick for rest of season

J.J. Redick is averaging a career-high 15.7 points per game this season, but hasn't played since February 3. (Rocky Widner/Getty)

Last summer, when the Clippers acquired J.J. Redick from the Milwaukee Bucks, the team envisioned him providing the perimeter shooting that would fuel a deep-playoff run. For the first three months of the season, Redick provided that floor spacing, averaging a career-high 15.7 points per game on 39.6 percent three-point shooting.

But Redick hasn't played since February 3, due to a bulging disk in his back. In his absence, the Clippers have gone 12-3 and are currently riding a nine-game winning streak. Jamal Crawford and Darren Collison have picked up much of the scoring burden from Redick, averaging 21.7 and 12.5 points per game, respectively, in that span per NBA.com/stats.

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Now it looks like the Clippers may be without Redick for the rest of the season, per a report from the Orange County Register:

The team will determine in the upcoming weeks whether Redick is healthy enough to rejoin the team. If he’s not, the club will likely shut Redick down for the rest of the season in an attempt to have him ready for training camp next year.

Redick, who hasn’t played since Feb. 3 because of a bulging disc in his back, has recently ramped up a shooting program, though Doc Rivers said the team doesn’t know when and if he’ll be able to return.