Sixers' JJ Redick has fond memories of his days as a Clipper

LOS ANGELES – JJ Redick did a little bit of reflecting late Saturday night through Monday morning about his tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers.

But in a roundabout way, the shooting guard made it clear that he's now a 76er.

"My focus is on this team and trying to win games," said Redick, whose new squad beat his old Monday night, 109-105. The game ended too late for this edition. "I think it will be a little surreal coming back for the first time as a visiting player."

The Clippers honored Redick with a video tribute in the first quarter.

For the 33-year-old, Monday night was similar to returning to Orlando for the first time on April 10, 2013, to face the Magic after they traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 21, 2013.

"When you are in one place for a long time, there's familiarity and a comfort level that you have," said Redick. "But again, looking back, my four years here, they were wonderful. I can't say anything bad about them."

These days, the Sixers can't say anything bad about Redick, one of this summer's two free-agent additions.

The 12-year veteran headed into Monday's game as the Sixers' fourth-leading scorer at 15.6 points per game. Redick was also second on the team behind Robert Covington in three-point percentage at 41.5.

As good as those statistics are, they don't come close to showing how dominant Redick has been the last four games. That was when he averaged 20.5 points, 5.3 assists and shot 48 percent on three-pointers.

On Saturday, he made his 1,298th three-pointer of his career, passing Terry Porter for 38th on the all-time list.  Redick is six treys behind Mike Dunleavy (1,304) for 37th on the list.

His ability to make three-point shots is far from the only reason Redick has been a great addition to the Sixers.

His work ethic and attention to detail are good examples for the young players on the Sixers' roster.

"The reality that he's one of the best shooters the league's ever didn't just happen because he clicked his heels," coach Brett Brown said. "There's work. His health, his longevity, all those things are a result of his professionalism and his discipline to be professional."

But blessed with an ability to knock down long-range shots, Redick has been a dream teammate for point guard Ben Simmons and center Joel Embiid.

Redick isn't the only Sixer making a homecoming.

Reserve center Amir Johnson, this summer's other free-agent acquisition, is a Los Angeles native and a former McDonald's All American at Westchester High School. The former California Mr. Basketball became the last player to go straight to the NBA from high school when the Detroit Pistons selected him in the second round of the 2005 draft.

On Monday, Johnson had a suite full of family members on hand at Staples.

The 13-year veteran was asked what separates the Los Angeles hoops scene from other places. He talked about looking up to former NBA standout and L.A. native Baron Davis while growing up.

"He was basically like a hoops' street legend out here," Johnson said. "Then you got Paul Pierce, another [future] Hall of Famer. You just got a lot of guys that made a name for themselves coming out of L.A.

"Not only that. You got good weather out here. That's what makes it great."