Murray_17 wrote:OakleyDokely wrote:
VV is an elite defender. Maxey's a terrible defender. That's a pretty big difference.
You guys need to really put your arguments together....
Are undersized guards really able to be good defenders or not? because if we can accept FVV as an "elite" defender then why cannot Maxey, who's actually taller than FVV, reach that?
See, this is the problem when you argue about ceillings based on abstract prototypes without taking on the real atributes of those players. We have to accept that a mediocre 35% 3 point shooter on 2 attempts like Achiuwa is some kind of good spacer and that make his ceilling amazing.
Undersized Maxey is a bad defender tho because he's just undersize, no way to overcome that. FVV tho? "elite" defender
I think we are putting our arguments together just fine. We aren't the ones creating new arguments out of thin air.
Fred made this team and got playing time because he could defend. You have to have high basketball IQ, awareness, technique, skills and the desire to be a good defender. Fred has always been a disruptor on defense. He's always had high steal rates and has always been able to get deflections. Fred also has excellent defensive instincts and shows a commitment on that side of the floor. Gary Trent Jr is another example. He actually wasn't a good defensive player in Portland. He gambled too much and was inconsistent on that end. But he showed flashes of being one. He had a stretch in Portland where he led the league in deflections and steals and showed he could be an effective on-ball defender. Your very own Matisse Thybulle is an absolute beast on the defensive end. These are instincts he has always shown. What flashes has Maxey shown on the defensive end? Didn't Doc sit Maxey last year because of his defense? Maxey's steal rate and deflections rates are bad for his position. There is nothing to suggest that Maxey can be an elite defender in this league.
No one is saying that Achiuwa's an amazing shooter.
After the all-star break, Achiuwa averaged 12ppg and 6rpg on 46% from the field, 39% from three and 61% from the FT line in 24 minutes per game. Obviously that fg% and ft% need to improve but there is no reason why that can't improve. Check out the shooting numbers of Pascal Siakam and OG in college and in their first couple of years in the league. What if those percentages do improve? That's why his ceiling is higher. A 15ppg Precious on solid efficiency with great defense is already more of an impact player than Tyrese Maxey. What Achiuwa is weak at is easier to improve than what Maxey is weak at.
Achiuwa's size, athleticism and developing skills make his ceiling higher. He may not ever reach that ceiling and Maxey will continue to be better than Achiuwa for the remainder of their career. And that could be the most likely outcome. But that still doesn't take away the fact that Achiuwa has a higher ceiling than Maxey.
