The TJ Warren Thread!

[Krush32]

I need a new tony buckets sig. Who can hook me up?

[bwgood77]

I agree with that, and neither is terribly athletic, but TJ is a much more aggressive and gifted scorer. JJ was a better defender. But I was never a huge fan of JJ's game, even when it warranted appreciation.

JJ was a guard, TJ clearly is a forward. You learn nothing about defense from summer league. Horny said that the think about Warren that impressed them most in individual workouts was his defense. I do know that Horny knows what good D looks like after playing and coaching under Sloan for so long.

Its really funny with all the analytics and measurements leading up to the draft, that sometimes teams just get too cute. Its like they forget about actual production.

I mean, we can all talk about hindsight, but yeah, actual production often seems to be forgotten. I remember in past drafts looking at players who were much better than where they were picked and noticing how, often, their numbers were much better than a lot of guys who got picked ahead of them. This year, I saw Tony Buckets's numbers, the descriptions, the videos, and thought, here is an obvious case of a guy being underrated for no good reason. I searched out reasons why he was rated so low, and heard a lot "he can't shoot." I thought it was BS. Now here we are. There were some others around here who really on board with him, but I pimped him hard, said we should be thankful if he's available at 14, and thus far, there's no reason to think he can't be one of or the best player(s) in this draft.

It's a good lesson. I'm just gonna keep patting myself on the back about this one. But I was far from the only one around here who liked him. IIRC, you were also on board, as was Kerrsed, and Ryu... can't remember everyone, but there was a contingent.

I was high on him too. I never saw anyone mention him in our forum until this... viewtopic.php?f=27&t=1264339&start=1104

After that I watched him quite a bit and started to really like him. I wanted him or Stauskas and was hoping we didn't go with Payton or LaVine.

[gaspar]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/deanondraft/status/490878103896354816[/tweet]

[WeekapaugGroove]

I've heard some people throw out a Joe Johnson comparisons for Warren I don't really see it. Joe was a hell of a distributor and more of a pure wing.

The comparison I like more is big dog glen Robinson. same size the sweet midrange game, natural scoring, and even a similar calm and smoothness to their games.

Sent from my SM-N900V using RealGM Forums mobile app

[Jarlaxle0204]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/deanondraft/status/490878103896354816[/tweet]

Really good read. Thanks for posting.

[Cutter]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/deanondraft/status/490878103896354816[/tweet]

Great read!

[Blackification]

SI's analysis of TJ at the summer league

Analysis: The 6-8 small forward was one of the most comfortable scorers in Sin City, topping 20 points in three of five games (he logged only seven minutes in a fourth after taking an inadvertent elbow to the eye). Warren, 20, is already a smooth, polished player inside the arc. His game is laced with the kind of devices (spins, cuts, hesitations) that rock a defender off balance, after which he uses his strength and touch to finish. He's a confident mid-range shooter, too, with the potential to add the three-pointer to his arsenal. -- R.M.

http://www.si.com/nba/2014/07/21/las-ve ... dante-exum

[Bogyo]

TJ getting some recognition from Grantland:

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/t-j-w ... rt-jumper/

[JTrain]

The truth is that even the world’s best inner midrange shooters offer only marginally more scoring value than an average 3-point shooter. Not only is the league taking more 3s (and fewer midrange shots) than ever before, but rosters and salaries are beginning to reflect these trends. As a small forward trying to find a place in today’s NBA, it doesn’t bode well for Warren that he made just 17 of 88 shots (19 percent) beyond 16 feet last season. For him to maximize his value, Warren will not only have to continue his success close to the hoop, he’ll also have to improve both his frequency and his efficiency out on the perimeter.

[aIvin adams]

The truth is that even the world’s best inner midrange shooters offer only marginally more scoring value than an average 3-point shooter. Not only is the league taking more 3s (and fewer midrange shots) than ever before, but rosters and salaries are beginning to reflect these trends. As a small forward trying to find a place in today’s NBA, it doesn’t bode well for Warren that he made just 17 of 88 shots (19 percent) beyond 16 feet last season. For him to maximize his value, Warren will not only have to continue his success close to the hoop, he’ll also have to improve both his frequency and his efficiency out on the perimeter.

Basically if he could stroke it from deep he would never have fallen to the suns

I hope we got somebody on staff who can give a young man confidence in developing his shot...

[bwgood77]

TJ getting some recognition from Grantland:

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/t-j-w ... rt-jumper/

Nice, I just noticed this on Grantland and was about to post it...in case anyone didn't click on the link...

Last week, in the arid Vegas desert, I saw the steal of the 2014 NBA draft. Phoenix’s T.J. Warren lit up the night against Philadelphia, scoring 28 points on 12-of-22 shooting. The next day, against Minnesota, he put up 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting. Warren was dominant, but as strong as those performances were, questions still remain about his ability to perform in the real NBA.

The Suns selected Warren, the ACC player of the year and third-leading scorer in Division I last season, with the 14th pick of the draft. Despite his obvious scoring prowess, it’s how and where he scores that make him so intriguing. Warren is a true throwback, scoring in ways and in places that the league has largely forsaken....

......(after comparing him to Bernard King) King was masterful in an area you might call the inner midrange, the 2-point areas between four and 16 feet from the basket. It’s a highly defended court space in which only truly skilled athletes can score effectively. Warren is one such player, and he enters the league looking confident, athletic, and in possession of a freakishly soft and effective short jumper.

During the 2013-14 regular season, 78 NBA players attempted at least 150 shots between four and 16 feet. Only two made more than half of their attempts: Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki. Last year at NC State, Warren made just more than 50 percent of his 183 attempts from that same range. That may seem like an obscure stat, and in the 3-point era it kind of is, but looking at the list of top shooters in that inner midrange zone should still encourage Suns fans.

[drewsprocket]

As long as he can finish well he'll be fine. Knocking down the corner 3 is easy enough for most players.
Grant Hill had a great mid range and ability to score in the lane -- TJ will find his way so long as he gets the reps. I suspect that we'll see Marcus and Tolliver will be scrapping for minutes at the 4 slot and TJ can play alongside them off the bench.

It would be amazing if Warren really developed into a top notch SF. I can see his game being somewhere in between Cedric Ceballos and Paul Pierce. Hopefully he'll continue to demonstrate the ability to rebound well for his position and just close out on open shots.

[Suns Court 23]

As long as he can finish well he'll be fine. Knocking down the corner 3 is easy enough for most players.
Grant Hill had a great mid range and ability to score in the lane -- TJ will find his way so long as he gets the reps. I suspect that we'll see Marcus and Tolliver will be scrapping for minutes at the 4 slot and TJ can play alongside them off the bench.

It would be amazing if Warren really developed into a top notch SF. I can see his game being somewhere in between Cedric Ceballos and Paul Pierce. Hopefully he'll continue to demonstrate the ability to rebound well for his position and just close out on open shots.

Yeah I completely agree. I am so high on him due to the fact that he has such a great work ethic. He will figure out that 3 ball eventually and when he does he will be an offensive nightmare for opposing teams.

[u2nloth]

TJ Warren signed with Nike Yesterday

[NapoleonII]

The NBA is a league of trend-setters and group think.

Defenses will react by trying to shut down the three, which the Spurs have already began to do since last year when they forced James and Wade to beat them in the mid-range. Having a guy like TJ will be invaluable when teams try to lock in on the perimeter. A good mid-range shot will always be better than a contested three. Look at Harden, who is the analytic godsend in the regular season, getting to the line and taking loads of threes, but his mid-range game SUCKS and he can be shut down quite easily in the playoffs.

Horny will teach TJ the right mechanics and the importance of having 3pt range, especially in our system. But having an old school, mid-range game is only beneficial and gives you more options, more ways to take advantage of defenders and zones.

[Damkac]

Looks like with Hornacek everybody shoot more threes and do it more efficiently

Green
Last season: 2,5/6.2 (0,4) in 28,4min
Season before: 1/3,1 (0,314) in 18min

Dragic
Last season: 1.6/3,9 (0,408) in 35,1min
Season before: 1,1/3,6 (0,319) in 33,5min

Tucker
Last season: 0,9/2,4 (0,387) in 30,7min
Season before: 0,3/0,9 (0,314) in 24,2min

Bledsoe
Last season: 1,2/3,3 (0,357) in 32,9min
Season before: 0,4/1 (0,397) in 20,4min - % dropped but he shoots threes 2 times more frequently

So I don't worry about TJ's shooting

[Sun Scorched]

I'm trying to figure out what I want to call TJ

"Old School" seems too canned and "Old Man" seems too disparaging.

Thoughts?

[nevetsov]

^^ Throwback?


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums mobile app

[NTB]

I'm trying to figure out what I want to call TJ

"Old School" seems too canned and "Old Man" seems too disparaging.

Thoughts?

"Old School Man" ?

[PackSuns]

I was on him since he was in 9th grade. He's the real deal. #tonybuckets!!!!