The TJ Warren Thread!

[lilfishi22]

I don't understand the desire to play Warren at the 4. I get he could probably play some 2 and 4 but he's damn near perfect size for a SF.

Dudley/PJ has experience and has the defensive IQ to play the 4 for 20-30mpg so that's the plan we should stick to.

[Damkac]

So don't play Warren at PF because he has SF size but let's play guys smaller than him at PF? Don't make much sense for me.

I want to see Warren geting big minutes next season. Don't car if he will get them at SF or PF.

[NavLDO]

I don't understand the desire to play Warren at the 4. I get he could probably play some 2 and 4 but he's damn near perfect size for a SF.

Dudley/PJ has experience and has the defensive IQ to play the 4 for 20-30mpg so that's the plan we should stick to.

My concern is that Warren may not have the quickness to keep up it a lot of SFs; he was never great defensively, but ALSO played some 4 for us, so it's not like he doesn't have experience there, either.

We all no that Warren hasn't been very good defensively against SFs; I'm just saying that maybe he'd fair better against PFs. I don't disagree that Dudley/PJ have more of the BBIQ to play against PFs; I'm just saying that Dudley had his best season defensively when he was playing SG for the Bucks, which leads me to believe that he has the quickness to keep up with the smaller guys that I fear Warren may not have after his 'growth spurt'.

So we have:

6'5"/7' length, PJ
6'7"/6'7" length Duds
6'9"/6'10.5" length Warren

Out of those 3, Dudley would be the last person I'd play PF. You say that Warren has the perfect 'size' to play SF; I'd argue he's bordering on PF size if he's truly 'swole' like has been reported, likely putting him closer to 235ish than 225.

I understand your argument, but Dudley playing the 4 scares me, and I'm not sure he's the ideal guy to mentor Chriss at the 4; not that Warren does either, but we have no one really, to help mentor Chriss into a stretch 4, and at least Warren is a similar sized player who can shoot the 3, as well.

[Mulhollanddrive]

That is the one worry for Warren as a prototype SF.

There aren't many recent SF who are bad defenders, looking at SF's in the Top 30 Win Shares for any of the past 5 seasons: Granger, Pierce, Iguodala, Durant, James, George, Batum, Ariza, Leonard, Hayward, Crowder.

[bwgood77]

I don't understand the desire to play Warren at the 4. I get he could probably play some 2 and 4 but he's damn near perfect size for a SF.

Dudley/PJ has experience and has the defensive IQ to play the 4 for 20-30mpg so that's the plan we should stick to.

My concern is that Warren may not have the quickness to keep up it a lot of SFs; he was never great defensively, but ALSO played some 4 for us, so it's not like he doesn't have experience there, either.

We all no that Warren hasn't been very good defensively against SFs; I'm just saying that maybe he'd fair better against PFs. I don't disagree that Dudley/PJ have more of the BBIQ to play against PFs; I'm just saying that Dudley had his best season defensively when he was playing SG for the Bucks, which leads me to believe that he has the quickness to keep up with the smaller guys that I fear Warren may not have after his 'growth spurt'.

So we have:

6'5"/7' length, PJ
6'7"/6'7" length Duds
6'9"/6'10.5" length Warren

Out of those 3, Dudley would be the last person I'd play PF. You say that Warren has the perfect 'size' to play SF; I'd argue he's bordering on PF size if he's truly 'swole' like has been reported, likely putting him closer to 235ish than 225.

I understand your argument, but Dudley playing the 4 scares me, and I'm not sure he's the ideal guy to mentor Chriss at the 4; not that Warren does either, but we have no one really, to help mentor Chriss into a stretch 4, and at least Warren is a similar sized player who can shoot the 3, as well.

None of them are ideal PFs which is why we drafted two. They brought in Dudley to play PF. There is enough switching and small ball being played that it may not matter.

Not sure why people are so hung up on positions where it really doesn't matter all that much. When TJ is out there on the floor with PJ OR Dudley, the latter two will guard the best forward and we will hide TJ on the worst offensive forward.

Last year Dudley had a DRPM of .78, good for 17th best SF, Tucker had a .5, good for 22nd best SF, and Warren had a -2.04, good for 71st. http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/DRPM/position/5

[NavLDO]

I don't understand the desire to play Warren at the 4. I get he could probably play some 2 and 4 but he's damn near perfect size for a SF.

Dudley/PJ has experience and has the defensive IQ to play the 4 for 20-30mpg so that's the plan we should stick to.

My concern is that Warren may not have the quickness to keep up it a lot of SFs; he was never great defensively, but ALSO played some 4 for us, so it's not like he doesn't have experience there, either.

We all no that Warren hasn't been very good defensively against SFs; I'm just saying that maybe he'd fair better against PFs. I don't disagree that Dudley/PJ have more of the BBIQ to play against PFs; I'm just saying that Dudley had his best season defensively when he was playing SG for the Bucks, which leads me to believe that he has the quickness to keep up with the smaller guys that I fear Warren may not have after his 'growth spurt'.

So we have:

6'5"/7' length, PJ
6'7"/6'7" length Duds
6'9"/6'10.5" length Warren

Out of those 3, Dudley would be the last person I'd play PF. You say that Warren has the perfect 'size' to play SF; I'd argue he's bordering on PF size if he's truly 'swole' like has been reported, likely putting him closer to 235ish than 225.

I understand your argument, but Dudley playing the 4 scares me, and I'm not sure he's the ideal guy to mentor Chriss at the 4; not that Warren does either, but we have no one really, to help mentor Chriss into a stretch 4, and at least Warren is a similar sized player who can shoot the 3, as well.

None of them are ideal PFs which is why we drafted two. They brought in Dudley to play PF. There is enough switching and small ball being played that it may not matter.

Not sure why people are so hung up on positions where it really doesn't matter all that much. When TJ is out there on the floor with PJ OR Dudley, the latter two will guard the best forward and we will hide TJ on the worst offensive forward.

Last year Dudley had a DRPM of .78, good for 17th best SF, Tucker had a .5, good for 22nd best SF, and Warren had a -2.04, good for 71st. http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/DRPM/position/5

Exactly my point. Since Warren was a -2.04 against SFs, why not put him against PFs to see how he fairs? That's all I'm saying. We need to give Warren the best chance to succeed, IMO, and putting him on players that he's already shown having issues keeping up, why not put him on PFs, primarily.

I understand a lot of switching goes on, on Defense, so he needs to improve regardless. I just hope Dudley and Tucker, and to some extent, Len, can help Warren in that regard. (Alex Len had a 2.19 DRPM in 2014-2015; 1.6 DRPM in 2015-2016).

[PackSuns]

“I only believe in statistics that I doctored myself”

[SC923]

I'm super excited this year for TJ and for the future. The way he moves without the ball and cuts behind the defense is so rare in todays NBA, plus it gets him so many easy scoring opportunities. I think he will piece together a really nice season and will be our starting SF by the end of the year.

[Johnstarks]

I can't believe people aren't more excited about this kid. I was actually talking to a front office scout about tj last offseason. We got into an argument about his shooting he said he never had the mechanics to shoot from 3.

I'm telling you the guy was money from 3 as a freshmen. The nba evaluatiors told him to reshape his body. Guy came back looking like he gained 20 lbs of muscle and proceeded to dominate the ACC. He was treating defenders like a bunch of flapper girls getting loopy on the 'Ole gin and juice. He had moves and a floater smoother than a fresh jar of skippy.

But the added muscle completely ruined his stroke. I said listen man I bet you my left testichip TJW is shooting 36-38% by year 3 in the nba from the 3 pt line. Guy is a potent offensive machine.

Hes like Gloria Estefan and the Miami sound machine when he gets flowing. How is no one talking about this guy?

And tjw got the coolest quote. RIP GIRLFRIEND !! He means he ain't got time for girlfriends because ball is life man. RIP GIRLFRIEND I SAY IT ALL THE TIME AND THINK OF TJW JUST SHOOTING J'S

Oh and I won my bet against that scout. Now he owes me a watermelon. Double or nothing I'm gonna challenge him to a game of horseshoes

[bwgood77]

I can't believe people aren't more excited about this kid. I was actually talking to a front office scout about tj last offseason. We got into an argument about his shooting he said he never had the mechanics to shoot from 3.

I'm telling you the guy was money from 3 as a freshmen. The nba evaluatiors told him to reshape his body. Guy came back looking like he gained 20 lbs of muscle and proceeded to dominate the ACC. He was treating defenders like a bunch of flapper girls getting loopy on the 'Ole gin and juice. He had moves and a floater smoother than a fresh jar of skippy.

But the added muscle completely ruined his stroke. I said listen man I bet you my left testichip TJW is shooting 36-38% by year 3 in the nba from the 3 pt line. Guy is a potent offensive machine.

Hes like Gloria Estefan and the Miami sound machine when he gets flowing. How is no one talking about this guy?

And tjw got the coolest quote. RIP GIRLFRIEND !! He means he ain't got time for girlfriends because ball is life man. RIP GIRLFRIEND I SAY IT ALL THE TIME AND THINK OF TJW JUST SHOOTING J'S

Oh and I won my bet against that scout. Now he owes me a watermelon. Double or nothing I'm gonna challenge him to a game of horseshoes

Fantastic post. He is smooth. We love him. It's uncanny how he can get into position for offensive rebounds and just put them in. I mean his instincts for that are as good as anyone I remember. His beautiful floaters. I always wondered why his 3 pt shot dipped so much after his freshman year. I figured it was more double or triple teams. But yeah, shot 40% last year. Bulked up a bit again this offseason so hope that doesn't negatively impact it. Just needs to improve defensively but offensively he is there.

[Damkac]

I can't believe people aren't more excited about this kid. I was actually talking to a front office scout about tj last offseason. We got into an argument about his shooting he said he never had the mechanics to shoot from 3.

I'm telling you the guy was money from 3 as a freshmen. The nba evaluatiors told him to reshape his body. Guy came back looking like he gained 20 lbs of muscle and proceeded to dominate the ACC. He was treating defenders like a bunch of flapper girls getting loopy on the 'Ole gin and juice. He had moves and a floater smoother than a fresh jar of skippy.

But the added muscle completely ruined his stroke. I said listen man I bet you my left testichip TJW is shooting 36-38% by year 3 in the nba from the 3 pt line. Guy is a potent offensive machine.

Hes like Gloria Estefan and the Miami sound machine when he gets flowing. How is no one talking about this guy?

And tjw got the coolest quote. RIP GIRLFRIEND !! He means he ain't got time for girlfriends because ball is life man. RIP GIRLFRIEND I SAY IT ALL THE TIME AND THINK OF TJW JUST SHOOTING J'S

Oh and I won my bet against that scout. Now he owes me a watermelon. Double or nothing I'm gonna challenge him to a game of horseshoes

Everybody was super excited about Warren in his rookie year. Last season however all the love went to Booker plus TJ got injured in second half of the season and many people forgot how talented he is.

[Mulhollanddrive]

TJ Warren's rhythm is gonna get you, with that hesitation move turned floater.

[Damkac]

http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=49111858#p49111858
No love for Warren.

[LukasBMW]

http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=49111858#p49111858
No love for Warren.

It's OK. He didn't get much time as a rookie and spent last year injured. He'll shock people this year.

[bwgood77]

FLAGSTAFF -- It doesn’t take much digging to understand T.J. Warren was making all the strides an NBA team wants to see a young player make from Year 1 to Year 2.

Through the end of January last season, the NC State product was the Suns’ third-leading scorer with 11.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game, up from 15.4 minutes, 6.1 points and 2.1 boards per game as a rookie. Known primarily as a mid-range specialist coming out of college, he also improved his 3-point shooting from 24 percent to 40 percent.

Then came the injury.

A broken foot suffered on Jan. 27 against the Cleveland Cavaliers sidelined Warren for the remainder of the season and put a halt on his development.

“It was hard. I was really frustrated,” Warren said this week at Suns training camp. “I had never been hurt like that. It was my first time having surgery.”

Nine months later, Warren is fully healed and back on the court striving to resume his growth. And perhaps more importantly, the 23-year-old appears to have the opportunity to show just how much he’s evolved.

With P.J. Tucker sidelined for at least another month with a back injury, there’s a starting position up for grabs at small forward. And although General Manager Ryan McDonough told reporters on media day that Devin Booker, Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender could all pick up extra minutes with Tucker out, Warren looks like the more conventional option at the three.

“I know there’s an opportunity ahead of me, but I have the same mindset,” Warren said. “I’m just coming in to work hard and show that I’m back 100 percent. I’m anxious to get started, but I know I have to take it one step at a time.”

While rehabbing his foot this offseason, Warren couldn’t go through live basketball drills with his teammates. Still, he found a way to make the most of his time.

He watched hours of film, practiced his form shooting and continued to improve his 3-point stroke.

“You have to get creative when you’re hurt,” Warren said. “It’s been on my mind since I got injured. I felt like last year was a step for me, getting consistent minutes and showing that I got better. I want to build on that. I want a full 82 games – that’s my goal.”

And according to the man with the final say on rotations, Warren is backing up his aspirations on the court.

“We’re seeing him getting better and getting his rhythm back – hitting his shots,” Head Coach Earl Watson said. “He had a great dunk going baseline over a player for an and-1. T.J. just has to be T.J.”

For rest of article... http://www.nba.com/suns/blog/tj-warren-happy-be-healthy-eyes-increased-role

[NTB]

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2016/10/02/tj-warrens-8-month-hoop-void-ends-phoenix-suns/91447750/

“I could’ve really done a lot of great things (last season),” Warren said. “It was good to see Devin (Booker) break out and do his thing.

“This season, I expect to be myself, be the scorer I am and be aggressive when I’m out there. Just be that two-way player they (coaches) want me to be and that I know I can be ... Offense comes really easy to me so I’m not really worried about that. I just want to focus on defense to make sure I’m getting through ball screens and being vocal.”

“T.J. has made progress on offense and defense,” Suns coach Earl Watson said. “T.J.’s growing. We have a lot of young guys who are becoming men.”

He also said he is now 6 feet 9.

“I feel taller when I’m around Tyson (Chandler), Alex (Len) and (Dragan) Bender,” Warren said of his 7-foot teammates. “I just feel like I’m eye to eye with those guys.”

[jcsunsfan]

Hmm. I did not expect Warren to grow. At 6-9 235, that's pf size.

[Qwigglez]

Warren is looking really fit. He can definitely have a breakout year this year. Super excited to see him play.

[LukasBMW]

Warren looking fit and HUGE!

I mean, he just looks taller and bigger. He looks like a 4 now.

[Saberestar]

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