Frank Vogel's request to Damo Rudež was simple. Make every shot. That's all. Just don't miss, and you'll keep playing.
Lately, Rudež has been doing a decent job of living up to that impossible and less-than-sincere job description, and it's keeping him firmly in the playing rotation. He happens to be the NBA's best 3-point shooter since Jan. 25, when he scored 18 points – 16 in the fourth quarter – and hit 4-of-7 3-pointers and he's best among rookies for the entire season.
Rudež hit all three of his 3-point attempts in the Pacers' 93-74 victory over Charlotte on Friday, and scoring nine points in his 12-minute appearance off the bench. That was perfect enough to satisfy Vogel, and indicative of his play over the last 31 games.
Thirty-one? Hey, that's Reggie Miller's number. Which brings up a good point. Miller, who retired as the NBA's all-time leader in 3-point shots made and attempted, hit 41 percent or better in six of his 18 seasons with the Pacers. Rudež is doing it in his first and only season, so far. That's not to suggest Rudež is as good a 3-point shooter as Miller, only that he's a good one who's found his stride.
Rudež, a 28-year-old rookie, is shooting .410 following Friday's display. That's best among all NBA rookies. He's hit .505 percent of his attempts (43-of-85) since that Jan. 25 turning point, after shooting just .309 up to that point. Friday, he passed Oklahoma City's Anthony Morrow into first place among 3-point shooters since Jan. 25.
There was nothing magical about what happened in Orlando. That game just happens to be the dividing line between his stuttering start and his sprint toward the season's finish line. From a 31 percent shooter to a 50.5 percent shooter, who's hit seven of his last eight attempts beyond the line over the last four games.
“I needed some time to catch some rhythm,” he said in the Pacers' postgame locker room.
“I had to be patient with myself. The coaching staff and players kept telling me the form looks good, and it was going to take time to get adjusted to it.”
Rudež hit better than 40 percent of his 3-pointers his final three seasons in Europe, including a .482 percentage three years ago for his Croatian team. When he came to the NBA, though, he found the line to be longer, the defenders to be quicker and the pace of the game to be faster. Although he hit his first attempt in the preseason, he struggled early on, hitting 3-of-19 in his first five games. As his shooting gradually improved, however, his playing time gradually grew, which only improved his confidence, which improved his shooting, which further improved his playing time.
After enduring a 10-game stretch in December and January when he didn't play at all, and a four-game stretch leading up to Jan. 25 when he hit just 1-of-13 3-point shots, he's been fine. It was before the game against New York on March 4 that Vogel issued his request to Rudež that he not miss any shots. A recalcitrant Rudez hit just 2-of-3 3-point shots that night, but he's kept close to perfection most games.
“I just said, 'Look, come in the game and make all your shots,'" Vogel recalled. “Then you're doing your job.
“His response was, 'That's what I do.'”
Solomon Hill can relate to Rudež' early woes, and his recent revival, too. Hill hit just 30 percent of his 3-point attempts in his limited appearances as a rookie (28 games) but has improved to 32 percent this season. He's hit 10-of-21 attempts in his last eight games.
“He's playing,” Hill said of Rudež. “When you play and you're allowed to go out there and shoot, your confidence skyrockets. When I was a rookie I wasn't playing as much, but the competition level was (much better) then with guys like Paul George and Danny Granger and Evan Turner.”
His shooting wrinkles ironed out, Rudež' greatest challenge now will be on defense. He lacks the quickness to ever become an above-average defender, but he gets by on fundamentals and knowing the scouting report. Assistant coach Dan Burke says Rudez rarely makes the same mistake twice on defense regarding his specific assignment in a game. But just as with 3-point shooting, defense in the NBA is a different matter than in Europe.
“There are certain things you just have to go through,” Rudež said. “You have to go through somebody kicking your ass out there, scoring 10 points in two minutes. Guys in this league will do that to you. There's nothing easy about defense in this league. Every night you have to be ready. The (last) players on the roster can come in and get hot and score in bunches.”
He only has to be average on defense, though. The harder part will be being nearly perfect on offense. But he expects that to continue. For seasons to come.
“I most definitely feel I belong in the NBA,” he said. “There's no doubt in my mind about it.”
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