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Slava wrote:D'Antoni liked him, not sure how Scott would use him though. He's a heady, smart and skilled player who'll surprise you with a complete game than just be a shooter. Average defensively. Like with a lot of 2nd year players, the coach will dictate a lot of their minutes.

Sofa King wrote:We had a thread about him before. Someone thought he would be the next Dirk. Then we all laughed and smiled and had a good time.

milesfides wrote:The Lakers are probably hoping Ryan Kelly makes the kind of jump that Dirk did after his first year. Meaning, not into MVP Dirk, but the 17.5 point, 6.5 rebound solid player.

Dirk's never been a great rebounder for a 4 - probably because he played more like a wing anyway. That's not really going to change for Kelly, because he plays like Dirk.

First, calm down. I'm talking overall skill set.

1. Range.
He can hit the three. 33% isn't great. It's pretty solid for a rookie who didn't play in a consistent system, without any healthy point guards to give the ball to him in his spots. Eye test showed me that Kelly was reaching for too many shots instead of shooting it in rhythm.

Why is that important? Because he's 7 feet tall. He's going to be matched up against a big who has to come all the way out, opening the floor for Kobe, Hill, and Randle. Also because of his height, he can get that shot off over anybody.

This is unique.

2. Playmaking
For a 7 footer to be able to pass like him is unique. 1.6 assists isn't amazing. In 22 minutes, a bit more impressive, in fact, his assist per minute is close to top 10 among power forwards, which is impressive for a guy who doesn't get the offense run through him...as the fourth option. His assist-to-turnover ratio is 2nd among all power forwards. His assist ratio, the percentage of his possessions that end up in an assist, is higher than Tim Duncan's or Kevin Love's - this isn't a just a shooter.

Why is that important? Because he's 7 feet tall. He can see the entire floor and pass over the defense. That means he'll be another playmaker on the floor, and his unselfishness will help get his teammates involved instead of just being a spot up shooter.

3. Ability to put the ball on the floor and attack the basket.

Block, coast to coast layup against the Spurs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7A7XlCZ-50

33% of Ryan Kelly's shots came right at the rim. 10% of Dirk's came at the rim. And Ryan Kelly isn't living in the post - he's on the perimeter. This means Kelly is attacking the basket, often. A 7-footer who is able to do that is very unique.

He can move without the ball:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUdvoj8mQuI

Or put it on the floor and get past his defender.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIMt1RG676s

All of the above happens in the NBA all the time. But not when you're a 7 footer.

Kelly steals the inbounds pass (cause he's 7 feet), then avoids a defender with a quick behind the back and a few big strides for the dunk.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cna7mcESLaU[/youtube]


Bottom line...

Ryan Kelly isn't that raw. He knows how to play the game, and he's got a little niceness (or nastiness) to his game. His biggest issue is he needs to get stronger - again, like Dirk. Not change his physique and mess up his game, but just get stronger and acclimated to the physicality after rookie year. And of course his shot needs to get better, despite obviously having a good stroke - again, like Dirk. That comes with summer training, learning how to get into rhythm within the speed of the game. But really, even his shooting numbers for a rookie are pretty good. I expect them to get even better.

The Lakers are very high on him, because if you combine all the skills he has, he's less Ryan Anderson, Rashard Lewis, Andrea Bargnani...and much more Dirk.

A legit 7-footer who plays the game like a guard. Pretty damn rare.

Obviously Dirk made that huge jump his sophomore year and became one of the greatest to ever play.

I'm excited to see what Kelly brings this year, because apparently he's been working his ass off every day. Confident guy who has high expectations of himself.

http://www.twcsportsnet.com/videos/2014 ... f-the-year


I know a lot of people want to start Randle right away. I think Randle would be a lot better coming off the bench and getting more shots and punishing second units.

I want to see Kelly playing 30mpg and getting plenty of touches.

Metta World Peace on Ryan Kelly:

"He's stronger than Kevin Durant was when he came in and can do basically the same things, but he has to start now."

I see more Dirk than Durant, but I think the point stands...free Kelly, we don't have much to lose, let's see if we got a major piece on our hands.