Trav_NYK wrote:moocow007 wrote:Trav_NYK wrote:Does anyone wonder how Hardaway Jr would be as a point guard? Im definitely not comparing him to Westbrook butttt i can see him as a Westbrook type of point guard lol Am i the only one? ......yea? ...ok ill just stop
If he actually had the handles to play PG he'd be able to create shots for himself. At which point, giving his size, his athleticism, his shot and his confidence, he'd have been a top 5 pick. The reason he fell was because folks were worried that he'd not be able to create his own shot off the dribble which combined with him not exactly being a lights out shooter type at Michigan (he's shooting in the NBA better than he ever did in college) had some (including myself) believing that he'd have no real role in the NBA.
ohhh ok i gotcha, i didnt watch him in college so i really didnt know that people didnt look at him this way. And its crazy that no one thought of him as a lights out shooter im guessing since your able to guard a little harder at the 3 point line in college that may have been the reason he didnt shoot like how he is now.
Part of what I think may have put Hardaway in such a negative light was the role the John Beilein (head coach) used him in at Michigan. Michigan had a lot of talented players and everything ran through Trey Burke who dominated the ball. Hardaway was sorta the defacto 2nd option but they also had Stauskas , Glenn Robinson Jr and super sub Mitch McGary who were all more offensive centric. A lot of times he would be relegated to just spot up shooting and as a floor spreader to open up the lane for Burke to attack the basket. With the Knicks, with slower and less ball dominant Felton and Prigioni, Hardaway Jr isn't used as the trailer as much and it has allowed him to get a lot more involved in terms of attacking the basket which, in turn, has made him really more energized. Honestly, he just seems to have a much better flow when he's on the floor with the Knicks than he has had in 3 years with the Wolverines. Also with his personality I think the bigger the stage the more energized he gets and which is why when you watch him play he seems to step up more like a vet than a rookie.
