Cory Joseph had a very productive first season in Indiana. Let’s look back on how Joseph’s versatile contributions propelled the Pacers to success.
Who doesn’t love free stuff? “Buy one, get one free” is probably the most popular marketing technique in the world. “Free money” is a common saying for bets that are sure winners, and everyone wants free money. Free throws are a great way to score easy points in basketball. Also, getting Cory Joseph for free was a great way for the Pacers to win basketball games.
Well, essentially free. All the Pacers had to send out to get CoJo was the draft rights to Emir Preldzic, a player who will likely never play in the NBA. The cap-strapped Raptors were desperate to get off some salary, and Kevin Pritchard made a brilliant move to snag CoJo for nothing.
He was awesome for the Pacers this season. Joseph got his turnover rate down to a career low, he shot above his career average from deep, and he continued to be a solid team defender. He did a lot of little things that aren’t flashy or noticeable when watching the team play, but they are still important plays.
All in all, CoJo was incredibly useful as a player, and he had one of the most infectiously happy personalities on the team. Let’s travel back and examine what Joseph brought to the table in the first season in Indiana, and then let’s figure out what comes next for the Canadian National team member.
The Good
The best thing about Cory Joseph is that he loves and excels at a skill many players don’t shine in; team defense.
The Pacers had a 105.9 defensive rating when Joseph was on the court, the second-best figure amongst Pacers guards. Caitlin Cooper of Indy Cornrows recently wrote about CoJo’s defense, and how his skills stopping opponents at the point of attack was always an integral part of the Pacers D.
He always knew how to send opponents into the help, and he made life hell for ball handlers. Don’t dribble any of that weak stuff around Cory:
He’s always in the right position, and his quick hands make steals come naturally for him. Doing the little things well is incredibly important, and Joseph is the master of the minutiae on defense.
Offensively, Joseph kept his turnovers down at career low levels, which is awesome from a lead ball handler. His 1.1 turnovers per game were his lowest career figure since he cracked 20 minutes per game. He always seemed to move the ball to the right person, and he never mucked up the spacing by being out of position when dribbling.
Joseph just does tons of little things well on O, too. Diving for loose balls, cutting at the perfect time, hustling both on both ends. He’s a real team player, and those things are unbelievably important. CoJo knows that better than anyone.
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.
A gif to describe Cory Josephs season
CoJo played in a wide variety of lineups this season. He was very useful and versatile as a player, and he came in whenever there was an emergency.
CoJo was a “break glass in case of emergency” guy. And he was perfect for the role.
What comes next for Cory Joseph?
Cory Joseph made this section easy by opting into his player option early in May. He will either be a member of the Pacers next season or he will be traded.
Joseph has played for three organizations over the course of his seven-year career. He hasn’t had a ton of stability. He seems to like Indiana given that he opted into his contract for next season so early, so there is a reason to believe that he would want to re-sign with the Pacers in the summer of 2019. But that is all speculation.
He is useful as a player who can play next to any other type of guard. That makes Joseph very valuable and effective no matter who surrounds him on the roster. Because of this, the Pacers will probably want him back when his contract expires. There is an obvious long-term fit for CoJo in Indiana.
Next: The Indiana Pacers could have been in the NBA Finals
Joseph was as useful as they come off the bench for the Cers’ this season. His value as a defensive catalyst and a smart player goes far beyond the box score. His infectious personality makes him awesome to be around. He has made the playoffs every season of his career. Put it all together, and its no secret that Joseph was an unheralded part of the Pacers success. And he should be again throughout next season.