imagump1313 wrote:Phreak50 wrote:Still not sure if Murray is a point guard going forward. There really isn't much vision or creating for others. And unless he magically becomes a dead eye shooter, he isn't a 2 either.
I like the athleticism, the energy but White just shows better PG instincts and is solid and reliable.
I don't think any team could be a contender with a starting 1 with the style of Murray. Not in this current era of basketball anyway.
He had a really good game as far as individual statistics go but he was also largely responsible for Walker barely being involved today.
I think if adding Murray with a potential Derozan sign and trade gets us a better haul, we should take it.
Love the kid but he isn't the answer.
^^100% in agreement with this^^
Since we have nothing to play for now, I invite anyone to just just watch Murray in our next game. Focus on only him when he is in the game. In about 5 minutes you will see that he is in over his head. Maybe he will get better, but as a player you can build a team around? That is in no way ever happening with how he plays.
Yeah I was going to say, Phreak, that gump likely agrees with you. I've gone from being all aboard the DJ train to vacillating a bit, but these last several games have me coming around again. I think a big factor is that DD is not on the court to handle the ball as much. When he is, DJ is a secondary PG option and I don't think long-term that's good for our development as a whole. I think (hope) we'll move on from DD this summer.
With DD out, we see a different style of play - more movement on O, more guys sharing the ball (except for ISO-Rudy, who needs to do less of that), sharing it faster, and it's keeping defenses out of sync more. When we have two ball dominant guys who are half-court players in LMA and DD, well, it stagnates us. It was so glaring the last two games. But even LMA has adjusted to incorporate quicker shots and 3s, so he's less an issue.
Plus it's one less poor defender we have to cover for in the starting group and lo and behold we rotated and contested much better the last two games.
So back to DJ - this is his first full year as a starter. I don't think it's a case of us needing to build around him, but we do have two-way players who can fly up and down the court in the system, so it's an indication of where we're transitioning to, I think. DJ is terrific for that style of play. What I have noticed is a better balance of getting his shots and distributing, and when he does distribute, he puts the ball in good places for shooters.
Phreak does have a good point about needing to get Lonnie more involved, though I do also think it's a function of Lonnie's decisions with the ball.
Derrick has good driving instincts when he has a bit of time, but he's also shown some weaknesses when pressured or relied upon to be more creative with the ball. DJ has better tools in that regard; their skills complement one another well. It was good to see them on the court together last night.
Bottom line for me is that DJ has shown growth in his game, and I want to see him with the new group coming up whose style fits together better.
