J_T wrote:Ettorefm, I've read your latest posts and here is where I have a problem.
1. First of all, there is nothing wrong with running an efficient game. Maybe I'm biased a bit, because I do think very highly of Steve Nash, I would put him in top 5 best PG's ever. In the history of the league he has run most efficient offense most consistently. You are making it sound like it's a weakness, I consider it a strength.
2. You are mentioning your frustration with him not "going all the way", but instead stopping for a jumper. I absolutely loved when I saw he added this to his game. It has become a very strong weapon for him and he should keep it. I think we have a difference of an opinion when defining "driving ability". I don't consider driving ability to start and end with layup. I think the reason why we might be thinking of that every time we think of driving, is because most of the guards doing it are 6'2 or 6'3. But if you are taller, there is absolutely no reason to go for the layup. It's much harder to get blocked that way as well, and it's much harder to defend by doubling. So if you don't count that as driving, then of course you will get numbers that are not where they should have been. For me that's driving, as it definitely doesn't require finishing to be a layup.
3. In EL season so far he has committed 11 fouls and drawn 74. From my recollection it looks like most of that is a consequence of him driving and defenders not being able to stop him without a foul. That does have to count as part of the driving ability as well, right?
Great post. I love this kind of discussions. i'll dive into each segment:
1. I completely agree. Nash is my favorite player of all time, I'm a Suns fan, btw. I'm all in favor of playing your strengths and not forcing the issue. The thing is , Nash was never a great scorer. An EFFICIENT and prolific scorer who could go HAM in the playoffs, but he was a 15 ppg scorer in his career. I think Doncic has potential to be a higher scorer for sure.
Doncic is like a taller Steve Nash with the body to play some defense, unlike Nash, wh otried, had the defensive BBIQ, but was constantly abused and exposed. I expect a lot from him.
The thing is, Nash was a complete player. He had everything on offense, and had NO weakneses on his offensive game. He had a great shot from 3pt, which opened the lane for him to score inside the paint against the best rim protectors in the league. He was a complete scorer, even though on low volume.
Doncic is not a 'pick your poison' kind of scorer. He's a one trick pony. the reason why it was so difficult to guard Nash was because he could shoot, drive and pass. you can't go over the screen, you can't go under. He'll make you pay for it.
If you go over and make Doncic drive, I'd be fine as the opposing coach. He'd probably (as he always do) get past the screen and take a midrange shot or stepback for a long 2, which I'm fine with. It's not very effective, and with long NBA defenders hurting his vision with gigantic arms, he won't make them as easily as in Europe.
PS: By one trick pony, I don't mean ''3PT SHOOTER''. I mean shooter, from anywhere on the court. If Curry didn't have a driving game, could make contested layups with either hand or score from tear drops, teams would guard him much easier. Giving Curry the lane is equally stupid, he'll score less because 2 < 3 but he'll still score on most of his attempts.
2. I don't understand your point, honestly. What do you mean by "if you're taller, there is no reason to go for for the layup"? Why would you do a stepback jumper instead of finishing at the rim when you're 6'8, and leave layups to guys who are 6'2? Shouldn't it be the opposite; guys who can easily get blocked by being shorter should use moves like midrange shots and floaters to prevent getting blocked?
3. "From my recollection it looks like most of that is a consequence of him driving and defenders not being able to stop him without a foul"
That's not AT ALL what I've seen. Every single game I've seen (and add highlight videos from games I couldn't watch) in the last two months (when I started focusing on EVERYTHING Doncic related, no game skipped), his fouls are mostly from being extremely smart at drawing fouls from pump fakes and guys trying to block his jumpshot. I remember only two times he drove to the rim and got fouled.
I actually can only remember of a single and1 from him. I'll look up the numbers and see how many And'1s he has.
He's extremely crafty and plays like a vet, making defenders commit and then drawing a stupid foul. It's not like he's going hard to the rim and guys can't do anything, so they have to foul him. I honestly don't understand where you're comin from, because if there is one guy that will do ANYTHING not to shoot a contested layup with contact, it's doncic.
