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2017-18 Pacers Player Reviews: Cory Joseph

By Tony East

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 15: Cory Joseph #6 of the Indiana Pacers brings the ball up court during the game against the Toronto Raptors at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 15, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 15: Cory Joseph #6 of the Indiana Pacers brings the ball up court during the game against the Toronto Raptors at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 15, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Cory Joseph of the Indiana Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 31: Cory Joseph #6 of the Indiana Pacers shoots a jumper against Aaron Brooks #30 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 31, 2017, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

The Bad

Cory Joseph is just about average leaguewide as a three-point shooter. That isn’t inherently good or bad. But his true shooting percentage was 50.3 percent, which is not very good. That is largely due to CoJo’s struggles both getting to and hitting shots from the free throw line.

Joseph rarely got to the charity stripe. HIs 15.6 percent free throw rate was his career worst mark, and it was tied for the ninth-best mark on the Pacers. He couldn’t get to the line, and that is problematic for a guard. Free throws are statistically the most efficient way to end a possession since they are easy points. CoJo struggled to get those simple scoreboard tallies.

Additionally, when he did get to the line, he couldn’t knock them down as frequently as one would like. He made 74.5 percent of his free throws, which isn’t bad per se, but it isn’t good either. Combine that with his low free throw rate, and it is clear why Joseph struggled to be efficient scoring the ball.

Cory also has a tendency to dribble the air out of the ball, a problem he has had throughout his career. He sometimes starts dribbling without a plan and needlessly wastes time without making a positive play. It often ends in turnovers, the worst possible outcome for a possession:

CoJo had only 87 turnovers the whole season, which is a solid number. But 55 of them were live-ball turnovers, absolute killers. They create an easy transition opportunity for the opponent, which you never want to concede. His habit of dribbling with no goal is a huge reason for this, and it is one of the biggest holes in Joseph’s game.

All in all, CoJo does very few things poorly. He is very consistent and does all of the little things, and you need that kind of player on the court frequently, even if they make a few mistakes here and there.

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