cgf wrote:spree8 wrote:cgf wrote:
I didn't mean he can shoot a little more than Mitch, just that he's not going to drag the Embiid's and KP's of this conference away from the rim with his shooting. And we brought KAT in to give us more shooting from our big men. This is still a thibs team, we're not just going to sacrifice rim protection & rebounding to play 5 out.
KAT's improved a lot as a defender, but a big part of that has been not being asked to be that rim protector / last line of defense. That's why I think Thibs would play Achiuwa over Stew next to Towns without even batting an eye. So unless you think Precious is good enough to start next to KAT in the playoffs, we'd still need to find a better rim protecter / rebounder.
We'll probably see more of Towns at the 5 than we did Randle...but I don't think it'll be too much more if we consider Achiuwa the 5 and KAT the 4 when those two are out there together.
Why wouldn’t a 38% 3pt shooter who takes 4 attempts per game drag out Embiid or KP to guard them on the perimeter? With him and Towns out there, are these guys just going to hang around the paint? They would if Mitch or Precious is out there tho. That’s my point. I also think Thibs would get more out of Stew on the defensive end like he does everyone else including Precious.
Maybe you're right, I just haven't seen teams respect Stew's 3ball like that even with Detroit's offense as the alternative threat. I'd imagine that Philly & Boston will happily keep the paint occupied to slow down Brunson, even if that means Stew hits a couple 3s.
And with Precious the potential was at least there pre-trade he just kept doing stupid stuff because Toronto enabled his bad habits. So some folks like Zach Lowe were able to predict that Thibs could iron out those stupid decisions and get Precious to focus on the things he can do well.
I can see Stewart's rebounding improving, but I just don't see the quickness or length to protect the rim like Precious...much less Mitch.
Having watched a ton of both Beef Stew and Precious while following both the Pistons and the Raptors, I'd agree with this take.
I'd put it this way: Stewart has a higher floor, but Precious has a higher ceiling. I can see Stewart as a 3rd big on a very good team, but I don't think he starts on a .500 or better team. OTOH, I think Precious could contribute at a higher level, but is far less consistent, and often fades to nothing when coming off the bench. 3 pointers kind of epitomise this: Stewart plays within himself despite a reputation as a hothead, and on 3pointers in particular, he rarely takes a bad/contested shot, which helps the percentages. Precious, OTOH, has much better form, and can make against good contests, but will have fans screaming in frustration about some of his low-IQ choices about when he takes 3s.