Qwigglez wrote:Here we are yet again not making the playoffs but what are some of the positive things to take away from this season.
1.) Devin Booker - This kid has surprised everyone. I remember watching him in summer league, he missed several NBA threes hitting the front iron. I remember thinking, well that is easily adjustable, his shot is dead on he just needs to put a little extra mustard to make the net splash. His mid-range jumper however, he was clanking a lot of those. I thought, well he can improve that next summer, he can be a three point specialist off the bench as a rookie and that's a pretty good accomplishment for his rookie season. I did not expect him to make in season adjustments as well as he has. I believe he can take his game to the next level, and it's gonna be fun when he averages 20 points per game next season and people are complaining that he should be getting 23-25 a game.
The thing I want Booker to work on most over the offseason is his ball-handling. Second would be shooting, and third would be defense. I put defense last because I'm not sure how he can work on his defense over the offseason.
2.) Alex Len - I know the board is pretty divided on Len supporters. I've always been a Len supporter and I believe he's had a very good season staying healthy. Next year should be his best season yet. Not really much to say, except I hope he works on his post moves this summer and conditioning.
3.) TJ Warren - He was having a solid second season campaign and I actually don't know how he broke his foot. I really didn't think he could hit a 3 pointer with consistency mostly because his shot mechanics is more suited for a mid-range jumper (if that makes sense). Hopefully he continues to make strides and comes back even better next season.
4.) The pick. We have a small chance to move into the top 2. It's hard to be hopeful about something that just comes down to luck. There's actually a thread on the GB about who everyone wants Ben Simmons to play for, and I think the Suns were one of top two choices. I didn't think others fans wanted the Suns to actually be good, but it's very enlightening. If we don't get a top two pick then I don't really care much if the Suns trade the pick, they can do whatever they want with it at that point.
5.) Eric Bledsoe - It sucks that he got injured because he was becoming the leader of the team and that started over the summer. He was having an incredible season racking up stats that not many other players can do. Really hopeful that he comes back healthy next season.
6.) Mirza Teletovic - I was very very happy when the Suns signed him because I thought he would fill the void that Frye left. He's actually exceeded my expectations and I hope he comes back next season for a good price.
All in all, it's seems like we've walked under ladders, broken mirrors, walked by black cats, the whole nine yards of bad luck this season. I hope our luck changes in about 6 weeks starting with the draft lottery and we'll go from there.
Bledsoe was having a good season when he went down, but I would not call it "incredible." The only major difference in his numbers was that he shot the ball from the field a lot more than ever before, thus bumping his scoring average into the 20-points per game range. Otherwise, he was basically the same guy statistically that he had been in the past: the same type of field goal percentage, the same average of free throw attempts, the same average of assists and the same awful assists-to-turnover ratio (awful for a starting point guard, at least).
Bledsoe's offensive skill level (ball-handling, passing, shooting) did seem to have improved. Unfortunately, his judgment had not improved, meaning that his level of statistical value remained static.
Bledsoe could be a really valuable player on the right roster, but he is analogous to a talented pitcher in baseball who is more a "thrower" than a "pitcher." Like many other "point guards" around the NBA these days (Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose, Brandon Knight), Bledsoe spent just one year in college and is thus, years into his NBA career, still learning how to try and function as a point guard and how to play the game offensively beyond sheer talent. He would be more viable as a building block with a passing forward such as Draymond Green to complement him.
