OT: Does Kevin Durant Have Too Much Leeway?

[girlygirl]

I'm watching the Lakers-Soncs game (which is in OT), and the Sonics have gone totally away from the pick and roll with Thomas or Collison, which has totally destroyed the Lakers. Instead, they keep giving the ball to Durant, who is just chucking shots up left and right. While he hit the 3 that sent the game into OT, he is 6-26 on the night and shows a poor understanding of shot selection. I know they want the kid to be the main man, but there's a reason why he's shooting barely 40% this season -- he is a chucker! He needs to learn to trust his teammates a little more if he is going to be a great player

[Rerisen]

It's certainly about a 180 from the way the Bulls are choosing to develop their young players. The state of the Sonics team was no doubt a bit different than the Bulls coming into this season, though if the Bulls keep losing you might have to question just how different they really are.

In any case, it should be interesting to see how the free hand he is being given this year affects his development and growth going into next year. Are the Sonics risking creating a life long chucker, or is the freedom he is allotted going to help him slowly learn how to be more efficient and what shots to take and which not to?

[Hold That]

Thats why they call him the 6'10 Jamal Crawford. He's never seen a shot he doesnt like.

[Mr. Tibbs]

I think you let them experience the individual glory early..then tighten the leash and try to get them to play within a system. I think a great example of this is carmelo anthony. He was nothing but a chucker under Bzdelik then Karl came in taught him shot selection and man did melo become so much more efficient. I also think the fact that he saw that the team was worse with him as a chucker before..helped him buy into the notion of taking better shots with no problems.

[SensiBull]

It also helps you identify areas of his game where his physical abilities give him an advantage that's hard to stop. With some players, it's lateral quickness or crossover dribbling. Change of direction type of stuff. With others, its leaping/elevation/high point of release. Still even others have specialized, customized moves. Everything from hook shots, banking off the glass, up and unders, floaters, or even tomohawk dunks.

Allowing a player to demonstrate that range by experimentation allows you to get a look at what you might settle on as a focal point or 'fast ball', as it were, allowing you to use later years to develop the 'change ups' and 'curve balls' in the analogy, to make the repetoire unpredictable and, therefore, deadly.

[SensiBull]

In the early years, when Jordan got the ball in isolation in the post, you knew he was going to spin around and dunk on you. You just didn't know if it was going to be a spin to the left or to the right. And, when he was young, he was so quick, sometimes it didn't matter.

When he got older, he added that fadeaway from that same isolation in the post, and that third variable had mathemeticians and NBA defenders, alike, all just putting their pencils down and crying for their Mommies.

But it was a systematic, logical, well-thought-out progression.

[sk33]

Yeah. He should be sitting on the bench watching the whole game like the Bulls' young guys

[Magilla_Gorilla]

Yeah. He should be sitting on the bench watching the whole game like the Bulls' young guys

lol...

[Red Larrivee]

He's only 19 Years Old though, and he's got spectacular talent. He will get better, and he'll move out of the Chucker-Phase soon enough once he starts developing a better overall game.

[BrooklynBulls]

Lebron's Rookie Production per 36 minutes:

19.1 points on .488 TS, 5 reb, 5.4 assists, 1.5 stls, .7 blocks, 3.1 TO

Durant's Rookie Production (so far) per 36 minutes:

21.4 points on .500 TS., 4.6 reb, 2.3 assists, .9 stls, 1.3 blocks, 3.2 TO

Basically, Durant is doing just fine for his rookie season. Whether he'll be able to gain the weight he should, play a LOT less SG (He's really a PF/SF imo), is anyone's guess. But to say he's given too much leeway on the Supersonics, who suck anyway, is just wrong. He's their star.

[theanimal23]

Yeah. He should be sitting on the bench watching the whole game like the Bulls' young guys

[Red Larrivee]

Lebron's Rookie Production per 36 minutes:

19.1 points on .488 TS, 5 reb, 5.4 assists, 1.5 stls, .7 blocks, 3.1 TO

Durant's Rookie Production (so far) per 36 minutes:

21.4 points on .500 TS., 4.6 reb, 2.3 assists, .9 stls, 1.3 blocks, 3.2 TO

Basically, Durant is doing just fine for his rookie season. Whether he'll be able to gain the weight he should, play a LOT less SG (He's really a PF/SF imo), is anyone's guess. But to say he's given too much leeway on the Supersonics, who suck anyway, is just wrong. He's their star.

Yea, they basically threw away whatever plans they had with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, and decided to start fresh. They gave Durant the team. It's his team now, so he's going to have the green light alot.

But I agree, Durant has no business playing the 2-guard. He should be a 3, and when he gains weight, I could see him being a 4. For the Sonics future, I'd play Green at the 3, Durant at the 4, Collison at the 5. Their backcourt has too many questions, but I'm sure they'll solve it in the draft.

[cark]

Allowing a player to demonstrate that range by experimentation allows you to get a look at what you might settle on as a focal point or 'fast ball'...

Yep. Since the Sonics were going to suck anyway, using this season as a sandbox is a fine idea.

That said, I hope they don't forget to have Durant focus on the interior game that he displayed in college. The guy's true strength is as a possession-gaining machine. If he played inside, there's no reason he couldn't nearly double his blocks, steals, and rebounds.

[girlygirl]

I understand he's the star and he needs to play through all kinds of situations in order to learn. But last night his shooting was off all game, yet he cotinued to try and force plays rather than give the ball to teammates who were open and having excellent games of their own. I assume he will learn quickly and get better in these situations, but it was frustrating to watch last night (I hate the Lakers, so was rooting hard for Seattle)

Meanwhile, the Lakers are in 1st place in the entire Western Conference! But with Bynum out, keep an eye on whether Kobe tries to do too much at the expense of team play. He had 48 points last night, including the game-winning basket, but took 44 shots! On the call-in radio show after the game, the host and a lot of the callers were worried about him reverting to selfish Kobe, fearing that will cause the Lakers to lose a bunch of games...

PPS: Nick Collison had 24 points and 18 rebounds for the Sonics. His last 7 games he's averaging 13.3 PPG and 13.4 RPG in 32 MPG while shooting 53%, despite not having many (if any) plays actually run for him on offense. That's the kind of production I hope the Bulls can get from one of their young bigs sooner rather than later

[Dieselbound&Down]

PPS: Nick Collison had 24 points and 18 rebounds for the Sonics. His last 7 games he's averaging 13.3 PPG and 13.4 RPG in 32 MPG while shooting 53%, despite not having many (if any) plays actually run for him on offense. That's the kind of production I hope the Bulls can get from one of their young bigs sooner rather than later

Do you get daily updated stat emails from some Rockchalk site? :P

[Johnston797]

PPS: Nick Collison had 24 points and 18 rebounds for the Sonics. His last 7 games he's averaging 13.3 PPG and 13.4 RPG in 32 MPG while shooting 53%, despite not having many (if any) plays actually run for him on offense. That's the kind of production I hope the Bulls can get from one of their young bigs sooner rather than later

Sounds almost as good as Chandler.

[Johnston797]

I don't ever see Durant as a full-time 4. I would like to see him bulk up and play with his back to the basket at times catching the ball at 10 feet out. He was very dangerous at UT like that.

[DJhitek]

Hell no, the more he shoots the better it is for him and that franchise. He isn't shooting terribly and has a knack for taking the tough shots when needed.

[kyrv]

Yeah. He should be sitting on the bench watching the whole game like the Bulls' young guys

Of course! Or in the weight room!

Please read my sig - has JeffJordan taught us nothing?

[UGA Hayes]

Kobe actually took 47 shots if you count FT. I think its an interesting experiment with durant regardless of what happens. We see good young players all the time, but almost never with the ceiling of Durant. One wonders what you would do as a coach given the oppurtunity to coach him. What is the correct way to mold him.