brownbobcat wrote:YogurtProducer wrote:My bad - somehow I read his birthday as 1998, not 1999. Thats on me. Fact of the matter is he is still older than RJ.
OK, and that 7 months makes all the difference regarding potential and room for improvement? How convenient.
YogurtProducer wrote:You do realize that Barrett pre-Toronto was viewed as a negative asset and he was harped on by everyone for his lack of efficiency (including by me). He has completely changed the way he has played here (aka - to his strengths) that he always had. He completely cut out the mid range, got more off the ball (because he has that ability to), and stopped shooting as much.
Banton simply isn't able to do that. He has no where near the skill that RJ has or the feel for the game, and those are things RJ is still lacking in to. The fact Banton is another tier (or 7) below him is a bad sign.
All of which goes to show that players can adjust in the right conditions. Banton doesn't have nearly the upside of RJ, but he can similarly improve as a bench player. If anything, it's much harder for a starter to adjust because there's nowhere to hide - you're playing against the best every night.YogurtProducer wrote:Because it was a 26 game sample, and he shot 64% the year prior, and is north of 70% now and 68% on the season. Again, I would have called that prior number bad because it was. Again, pre-Toronto RJ was not playing like he is now, which really is all that is relevant here.
RJ has 297 games with NYK shooting under 61% at the rim and 28 games with Toronto shooting 72% at the rim. But OK, go on about sample size.YogurtProducer wrote:Sure - but what fit and role does Banton have is my entire point. RJ has the skills to play a backseat, but does Banton? How much of RJs success right now is due to unsustainable 3 point shooting (probably some).
The fact of the matter is that in Bantons absolute best time of his career is right now. A time in which he is playing better in all aspects and shooting from 3 at a likely unsustainable rate. Despite that - he still is near the bottom of the league in efficiency and does nothing else good.
Like seriously - what does he do good that you can actually support? Nothing?
Every single thing you say about Banton in a backup role can be said about RJ in a starting role. RJ didn't have a single stand-out elite level skill, except maybe size at the 2.
Is he an elite shooter? Elite athlete? Handle? Finisher? Passer? Defender? No, no, no, no, no and no. RJ's 28 games with Toronto is by far the absolute best stretch of his career. A time in which he is playing better in all aspects and shooting from 3 at a likely unsustainable rate.
Again, the bar for Banton isn't being a starter.
I agree the bar for Banton isn't being a starter - his absolute best case at this point is 7th/8th men and the odds of that happening are frightening low.
Guys in that position need to be able to be complimentary pieces. He is NOT going to have the ball in his hands much, which means he has to be a shooter or a defend or a cutter - and he sucks at all 3 aspects. RJ on the other hand is a great cutter, defends decently enough (but Banton is close here to), and apparently is a decent shooter when he is putting up less shots (Banton is a bad shooter).
I guess my entire issue with this thread here is that people are going to death to fight for Dalano Banton, a guy who was cut in July, and then traded by Boston for a top 55 protected pick. Now, he is putting up fancy ppg stats (on **** efficiency) and people are acting like all he needs is the right conditions? He has had ample opportunity in Toronto and Boston to show he can be a rotational piece, and now his piss poor showing in Portland is just further proof he is not good.
His time in Portland is not a success - he is just showing why teams gave up on him. No one is interested in a guard who cant score, pass, or defend.
