Onus wrote:vvoland wrote:Onus wrote:His 3s are close to being elite, especially his self generated 3s. His rebounding from the guard position is elite. His reading of the game defensively is elite (leading the leagues in charges taken - iq). His dawg mentality is elite (willingness to do whatever it takes). That's a good solid base. If he's only able to scale his volume in attempts from 3 that's a highly sought after player.
I'd have to disagree on the things you're calling elite even though we're both arguing for BP in this thread. I think his 3pt % is close to elite but it's also super misleading. He doesn't create much for himself, outside the occasional step-back. He was also pretty hesitant on his C&S attempts. If he fixes both of those while increasing the volume AND keeping the % high, he'd be elite from 3 (e.g. buddy hield). I'm not sure if he can get there, but if he does, he will be an all-star level player considering how well he rebounds and runs the offense.
While I agree he reads the game at an elite level, I wouldn't use charges as the example - more the rebounding and ast/to ratio. The charges aren't that much of a positive for me. The play itself is great - TO and a foul in one? Great! Podz gambles a lot to get those charges, often at the expense of proper rotations and/or solid on-ball defense. He's small, short, and unathletic so I get that he has to gamble defensively more than most. That said, his charge hunting, and the success he's had doing it, may lead to bad habits.
45.5% is elite for 3 point pull-ups
https://www.nba.com/player/1641764/brandin-podziemski/His catch and shoot is not elite.
We agree he needs to increase his volume.
The problem with him gambling isn’t so much the gambling aspect it’s that only so many players can rift and be a defensive playmaker before it breaks down. Dray gambles all the time on defense but we alllow him to gamble because more often than not he’s right and the team knows he’s gambling so everyone adjusts accordingly. Bp isn’t going to be dray but he’s offering his own form of rim protection which can be helpful we just can’t have him and dray and other people doing rim protection at the same time. It’s the fact he’s reading the game and putting himself in position is the exciting part. Sure it makes him slower to rotate and he already is small with a small wingspan but it’s the iq to see the play develop and get in position that is elite. He just needs to learn on when to apply it. It’s season 1 it’s a great starting point.
It's an elite % on tiny volume but the hard part will be keeping the % high while increasing attempts. I just don't really believe in the shot like the % says I should. I think it was all those missed free throws, especially the techs.
The problem for me is that while Dray is reading and reacting when he gambles, Podz, mostly, just gambles. I'm not trying to say he doesn't read the game or anything. I'm just saying Dray's defensive tightrope, isn't something that hurt us. It's doubly impressive considering he's a 'big' and his defensive responsibilities are numerous. In podz's spot, he needs to be much better both on and off ball and he can get halfway there if he stops gambling quiet this much. Both on charges and rebounds, he can get punished by teams looking to take advantage of that aggression/mindset.
I'm not saying it's a bad thing, or whatever. I'm just saying while the 'charge rate' is elite, to me, it doesn't equal elite defensive reads or instincts. With Dray's gambles, you can see both but, with Podz, I often just see the gambles. I think he's elite at a number of things - rebounding, competitiveness, a/t ratio, footwork, and i'm sure there's more. If his shot can ever become elite, he'll be a white brunson but that'll need a high volume to match the high %. If he can do that AND tighten up the defense, he'll be a perennial all-nba player. I'm not sure he has the talent but the work ethic and attitude are certainly there.
