BetterCallSaul wrote:And making them at an efficient rate of 55%ts
Thanks
Nope. TS% considers more than just rate of shots; it includes drawn fouls. That has nothing to do with the quality of his field goal attempts. It's certainly true that he is aggressive going to the rim, but it's when he DOESN'T go to the rim and takes dumb-ass two-point jumpers that we have a problem.
Also, 55% is +0.9% above league average, which is more "not inefficient" than something you want to promote as noteworthy efficiency. It's certainly the best we've seen from him and, in the RS (not the PS), it helped us a lot. He showed some improvements which he didn't carry through into the playoffs.
RonaldArtest wrote:Demar's bbiq isn't off the charts, but it's good.
No, no it isn't good. He's simplistic, slow to learn and has weak improvisational/adaptive skills. His bball IQ is fairly limited. His understanding of passing, for example, is like junior high-level after years of exposure and opportunity. Intuitive play is not his strength, he's a very dim player. He's got good size, above-average athleticism and he bulls to the rim, but in many ways, he's like a durable poor-man's Corey Maggette.
so there's a strong case to be made that he's playing the way his coach wants him to play
So because Demar doesn't argue with Casey being stupid, that's an indication of a positive trait? It's one of the worst things about Casey that he gives free reign of that sort to Kyle and Demar. Being coachable isn't a component of basketball IQ; it's a component of overall mental makeup, but it isn't a reflection of his understanding of the game. Demar is many things, and there is a baseline truth that he is a useful player as he played in the RS. We push his skill set and mental tools past the point where we should. It's pretty clear given how LONG it's taken him to make what should be fairly minimal improvements, and how some things don't change, and how he still reverts to type under pressure, however, that his actual basketball IQ is pretty low.
Keep in mind: low basketball IQ doesn't mean he does EVERYTHING wrong, just that he's a poor decision maker overall. His shot selection is ass to the point that no coach could ever be happy with it, particularly given the results. He's a poor shooter overall but he shoots a lot, which isn't smart. He's frustratingly inconsistent as a playmaker and evidences exceedingly limited vision, and he's a very one-step kind of thinker. He doesn't do anything interesting or with forward planning in mind. He tries to drive, and if that doesn't work, he tries to shoot a J and if all else fails, he passes. Sometimes, he'll drive and then pass, but he's a very linear, simplistic player. You cannot sensibly look at him and see strong basketball IQ.
That's okay, as long as his role doesn't burden him with a lot of decision-making responsibility. This is part of why he works so well alongside Kyle, who is generally a much smarter player. He isn't the dumbest player in the league, but he's definitely a lower-ball IQ kind of guy.
