Egg Nog wrote:Local_NG_Idiot wrote:Not that I subscribe to MrBojangelz71 ways of thinking, I will rebut with the point that if you do not consider team role, team needs, and overall game impact when evaluating a player and then exile them based upon a single fault, heck, you might as well want to boot every player out of the league save 5-10 guys.
I mean if you only want to judge a player based upon his shot selection and shooting efficiency, why aren't you posters here begging on the board to send DD to the Clips for Redick or Crawford, or to NYK for Jose, or to Minny for Shabazz?
I agree somewhat with what you're saying, and I do agree (and said before) than DeMar is a genuinely talented player. Lots of players have faults... Steve Nash/Dirk Nowitzki/Amare Stoudemire all had their defensive shortcomings and were able to perform at a high level in spite of that. DeMar is able to warrant play based on his various strengths, but he is our primary shot-taker on offense and he is one of the least efficient shooters on the team. This is like trying to get Amare to anchor a defense.
Your glaring fault should not be in the same category as what you consider your role to be. DeMar takes shots like a 1st option and makes shots like a 4th/5th option. If you're supposed to be a scorer and you act like it, TS% rules all. If you can't score efficiently, change your game and stick to what you're good at...otherwise you'll just become Josh Smith.
...and for what it's worth, I would blame Casey for letting it happen as much as DeMar for making it happen.
Solely looking at TS% as a scorer to rule all is flat out silly. Furthermore, defining a players role as scorer based upon a single statistic as a barometer of success is ever sillier.
There are multiple factors that dictate what type of shot and the quality of shot a player is going to get based upon their team role and the team's style of play. One factor is the WHEN (at what point in the shot clock are you taking that shot). If it is early, the first 10 seconds, those shots are fast break opportunities and early offense opportunities where the defense isn't set yet. If it is late in the shot clock, those shots trend towards those where defenses have done their job and the offense is forced into shots that are from lower percentage areas and will be contested at a higher rate.
For example, DD this season has taken 27% of his shots within the first 10 seconds of the shot clock and 41% of his FGA in the last 8 seconds of the shot clock. Contrast that to say Klay Thompson 48% of his FGA in the first 10 seconds and only 24% of his attempts in the last 8 seconds.
Now Clay is still a far better and more efficient shooter than DD there is no denying that, however his individual TS% will be inflated to the positive side based upon his role as an early offense specialist where he gets far more wide open looks and driving lanes as compared to if you put him in a role of late shot clock attempts.
So no, TS% is not a rule all. It is one statistic that is a tool to help understand how a player performs within their role.