2013-2014 NBA Thread - IND @ WAS and OKC @ LAC on ESPN

[awwsome]

It's not that easy there's a reason why he "fell" in love with the jumper. It takes some serious elite ability to put it on the deck and get to the rim / line consistently.


Happy birthday to the young god Kyrie

PG need to be tryna workout with KD instead of Bron in the offseason so he can steal his ball handling regimen

PG also suffers from playing with basically no offensive talent besides David West (who doesn't create offense) and Lance

 

[RayCashhhh]

No. Davis is better than Paul George. When PG was setting the world on fire it was because he was scoring in unsustainable ways. Paul George's flaws in his game are things that historically don't improve. He takes tough contested long jumpers because he has a hard time putting it on the floor and creating shots for himself and others and getting to the line, which is why his efficiency suffers. Conversely, AD's level of play is relatively, sustainable, and he's been playing more or less on this level the entire season. There's something to be said for someone who can get upwards of 22 a night on over 50% from the field. Offensively, PG is essentially a chucker.

So it's hard to imagine George improving over the summer to the point where he can create for himself and others? Maybe I'm expecting too much from him, but it's not like he can improve some more. Hell two years ago he was only averaging 12 ppg, look at how far he has came from that.

 

[bhzmafia14]

In 3 years, I'll take Anthony Davis over Kevin Durant if I was a GM. Sue me.

 

[rook]

Fair enough I guess. I just hate the fact the George has fell in love with the three ball. He should be getting to the rim constantly now, and with improved ball handling over the summer, he should become a 25 ppg scorer, along with excellent defense.

It's not that easy there's a reason why he "fell" in love with the jumper. It takes some serious elite ability to put it on the deck and get to the rim / line consistently.


Happy birthday to the young god Kyrie

This. Anyone who balls understands this. Its easy to fall inlove with the jumper if your legs are tired from driving to the hoop constantly

What do you guys think of Drummond?

 

[awwsome]

In 3 years, I'll take Anthony Davis over Kevin Durant if I was a GM. Sue me.

Hmmmmm now I think we're starting to go too far

AD has potential to be historically great but Durant already is, not only that he'll only be 28 in 3 years and with his skill set he's going to have a long prime

 

[victor page]

Hmmmmm now I think we're starting to go too far

AD has potential to be historically great but Durant already is, not only that he'll only be 28 in 3 years and with his skill set he's going to have a long prime

Troll statement.

You fell for the bait.

 

[dt43]

Davis is a lot more efficient though. One player is scoring 22ppg on 43% fg (56% TS), the other is scoring 22ppg on 53% fg (59% TS).. who would you rather have?


Paul George's shot selection and efficiency have been a problem all season, it's just that those bad shots aren't going in anymore like they were in November and December. Even if you say George is more valuable on defense (which won't be the case for long), Davis is much more valuable on offense.

Fair enough I guess. I just hate the fact the George has fell in love with the three ball. He should be getting to the rim constantly now, and with improved ball handling over the summer, he should become a 25 ppg scorer, along with excellent defense.

Yeah, I wouldn't put it past PG to improve again. That's one thing he's done, he's improved every year.

However, IF he doesn't become more dangerous off the dribble he's not gonna take that next step offensively. Right now he's a #2 option on a good offense, #1 on a bad one. He needs to improve his efficiency to become a #1 option on a good offense (ala KD, Lebron, Melo, Curry, Harden)

 

[awwsome]

What do you guys think of Drummond?

Think the world of him, he's probably never going to be a 20 ppg but he can be a 17/14/3.5 defensive anchor for a contender

 

[mjsaver]

I was never sold on PG as an elite player but dudes were very quick to group him with KD and Bron but it's way to early for that, he's nowhere near a carry your team type of player.

Just interesting to see how the NT narrative changes on a player in half a season.

 

[RayCashhhh]

If John Walls jumper improves even more in the summer he's on there. 2nd in steals, 1st blocks and 4th rebounds for PGs right now. Has more total assist then any player this season. Shooting above league average from 3pt 36.4% before the LA game Friday. Can't be stopped getting to the rim and can finish, current dunk champ. Fastest player with the ball and top 5 handle. As the Wizards improve as a team his status will rise.

John can definitely become top ten next year, he just needs to limit his turnovers. I don't see him ever being top five tho, with players like Harden, Blake, Westbrook and Curry in the way.

PG need to be tryna workout with KD instead of Bron in the offseason so he can steal his ball handling regimen

PG also suffers from playing with basically no offensive talent besides David West (who doesn't create offense) and Lance

Exactly what I've been saying, all he needs is better handles and he'll be right up there.

 

[Bert.]

In 3 years, I'll take Anthony Davis over Kevin Durant if I was a GM. Sue me.

no thanks jeff

 

[awwsome]

Troll statement.

You fell for the bait.

bhz usually a quality poster.

 

[dt43]

Davis is better than Paul George right now, the gap will probably widen more next year.
6'8 Tony Allen with the #2 pick in the draft though? A draft that featured multiple All-Star caliber talents?

The problem with MKG is that he may never become a valuable offensive player. Right now he kills his teams spacing to the point where they have to cut his minutes for McRoberts. What good is his defense if he can only play 25mpg?

He's gonna be a great defender but let's not act like that 'bust' label isn't floating above his head. If he doesn't improve offensively next year, I can guarantee you Charlotte will start shopping him (heck they already tried to earlier this year). When a top 5 pick is traded on his rookie contract, they're usually considered a you-know-what

maybe, but other than andre drummond, who at 2 is unquestionably better. I just think so much of this is hind sight 20/20/

I would trade from him so fast, like I've said before, It took Gerald Wallace a couple years to find his path in the league, but he found it, MKG is a hard worker, already has an NBA skill, I still think he can get there.

I wanna reiterate that I do think he'll be a good player (I've defended him a lot on here actually)

But it's far from guaranteed that he'll ever be a good offensive player. When you draft a guy at #2, you expect him to have perennial All-Star potential. From that draft:

Beal
Lillard
Drummond
Henson (borderline)
Terrence Jones

have perennial All-Star *potential*. Jury is out on Waiters and Ross (btw, Ross is basically a better version of MKG. He's long and athletic, a good defender- though not quite as good, and also has much more value on offense with his elite 3pt shooting. He's 3 years older though)

If MKG becomes an elite defender and improves his offense greatly, he can join that group. He could be a more athletic Shawn Marion type who makes multiple All-Star teams. But if he never becomes competent offensively, and one or several of those ^ guys go on to become perennial All-Stars, the pick will be looked back upon as a disappointment.


And Wallace didn't become an All-Star until his 9th season, and that was only a one-time selection. If MKG takes that long to develop, that would be considered a disappointment for where he was drafted. I'm pretty sure the Bobcats would have lost patience with him by then and traded him.

 

[big j 33]

If MKG can be average on offense.. along with elite defense.. he won't be a bust or a disappointment. I don't always get hung up on draft position.. so I don't care if he was #2 rather than #5.

Drummond needs to improve his FT%.. and as soon as possible. But I can see him being a 20 ppg guy... I'm also higher on him as a more complete center, rather than just a defensive anchor with average offense. I don't expect him to do it all offensively, but I think he'll be very good.

 

[awwsome]

Drummond has a great feel around the rim and pretty good footwork but he doesn't really have any post moves. He can still get 20 off rim runs and putbacks though.

He'd get 20 if he could just actually make a free throw, son shooting 42%

 

[certifiedflyboi23]

Didn't Drummond lose his starting job?

 

[ill steelo]

Free throw is a significant issue.

Dwight maxed out at 13.3 FGA per game, because it became much more preferable to just foul him.

If Drummond even starts to approach Dwight's effectiveness down low, he's going to get fouled even more, and he's significantly below Dwight's career average from the line.

The 20 ppg barrier is contingent on improved FT shooting.

 

[awwsome]

ill steelo pretty much.

 

[rook]

Didn't Drummond lose his starting job?

To who? He was injured and missed some games but once he was healthy he was starting again

 

[shoeking2101]

So it's hard to imagine George improving over the summer to the point where he can create for himself and others? Maybe I'm expecting too much from him, but it's not like he can improve some more. Hell two years ago he was only averaging 12 ppg, look at how far he has came from that.

Yes it is hard to imagine. For one, although that 12 to 22 ppg jump is significant, it can be argued that is due more to his increase role (S/o danny granger) and usage rate, rather than a jump in his ability, at least IMO.

And second, and perhaps more importantly, certain things don't change. Historically speaking, certain aspects of people's games don't generally take a "Jump." Putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim and the line is an essential quality for a top tier two IMO and generally speaking, if it isn't a part of your game by now, it probably won't be. Compare him to other contemporaries like Lebron, KD, Melo, Wade, Harden, these are guys who have been high volume attackers and free throw shooters dating back to before they even hit the NBA. Then again, I truly believe unless you're truly special (like KD or something) it's really rare to improve on something like ball handling and FTA's.

So it'll be interesting where Paul George takes it next. He isn't an elite shooter but in order for him to be a truly elite wing IMO he'll have to become someone who can put it down on the deck and get to the rim and the line instead of just settling for long two's. It'll be his biggest hurdle offensively. He's already elite defensively, so we'll see.

 

[Bert.]

Didn't Drummond lose his starting job?

uhhh no

he recently got sidelined with a head/neck injury and missed 2 games i think

 

[C.Magneto]

Does Wiggins and Parker's value drop with the early exits?

 

[clyde the glide]

 
Does Wiggins and Parker's value drop with the early exits?

did durants?

 

[100027]

 
Does Wiggins and Parker's value drop with the early exits?

Embiid didn't even play...  Who's going to vault over those guys?  Randle?  I don't see it happening.

 

[C.Magneto]

fair points. I'm a casual college fan so I usually don't keep up with the transition and start following guys until they get in the NBA.

With that said, wiggins looked extremely passive in what I saw today