BigO wrote:German Athens wrote:KPJ is a higher priority for me than Trent. We’ve proven lately that shooting can be a cheap commodity - Trent, Beasley, AJ Green, Grayson, Merrill. I expect that to continue with Giannis.
What KPJ offers is much harder to find.
Shooting is not a cheap commodity, unless you define shooting as a standstill shooter who can't shoot any other shot (Prince).
It's why a guy like Kneuppel is so highly coveted, despite limited athleticism.
Don't lump Trent and AJ Green with the rest of the guys you mentioned. Green can shoot on the move, as can Trent. KPJ was
mediocre in his career until the last quarter of last season. Was he worth Marjon-yes. But he may be on a long list of coveted athletes with potential that this board has always adored and then are disappointed in.
I’m not saying shooting ability isn’t necessary, it absolutely is, I’m saying it’s cheap to acquire, and it’s probably the most prevalent skill across the basketball world.
I listed 5 recent Bucks examples where we acquired very good to elite level shooting at very little cost. I think with Giannis, that will continue.
I completely agree that the type of shooter they are is far more important than just staring at percentages. Movement and pull up shooters are much much more important than stand still guys. And if those shooters have other NBA skills, their value quickly rises.
But, some of the guys I mentioned are absolutely the same caliber of shooters as Trent. Beasley literally finished 2nd in the entire NBA this past season in 3pm. He also had a significantly higher percentage of his attempts come off screens than either Green or Trent. Frankly, he’s probably the best movement shooter of the bunch, but I’d say they are comparable.
Merrill also had a higher percentage of his shots come off screens than either Green or Trent, but it’s closer, and when you factor in handoff% , it’s comparable with Green.
Regardless of that, Green was an UDFA, Trent and Beasley came to the Bucks on the min (thank you Giannis), Merrill was the last pick in the draft, and Grayson was acquired with a couple 2nds. That’s my point.
I’m perfectly fine giving Trent 8-10m like is rumored. He’s a very good shooter, who can get to his shots in various ways, and he’s still only 26. There’s not much downside to him on that contract, but if I’m forced to pick between him and KPJ, I’m picking KPJ, because we could probably find another cheap shooter, like we have for years, fill the void of Trent.