Bean Burrito / Nick Young Appreciation Thread.

[hands11]

I absolutely remember that game

that's why MIA don't scare me

I remember N1 outplaying Wade.

Bosh is soft and could be outplayed by AB.

LeQueen is capable as recently as the CLE @ WAS
game this past season of having 8 TO games!

Nothing is given.

I think N1 has as much potential to be consistent as
anyone IF he is played consistently.

The job was his for the taking. Play him consistently ? If he played consistently good he could have gotten that spot. By consistently good I'll go back to defense, rebounds and assists. Your shot can come and go, but effect in these other areas is what get you the benefit of the doubt and keeps you on the court more. Specially when everyone know you have offensive skills

Hopefully he puts it together this year. Just in time to get paid.

[closg00]

Post article on Young, I hope that playing with Wall will benefit Young as6much as McGee.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 05543.html

[hands11]

http://www.wizardsextreme.com/2010-arti ... 01011.html

Ok, I was eager for some news about anyone so I started doing some searching. You would think with training camp approaching that we would start to hear something. This got me thinking about Nick.

Nick Summary.

Nick is the classic... If he only had a brain player.
He has the physical tools 6-6 and long armed. He is athletic, coordinated and has good handles. And he has a smooth stroke. He is young enough to still have a chance and old/experienced enough in the NBA that it is time to put it all together. Seems we have a lot of players like this. Coaching is the key this year.

Motivation
Contract Year
Second Year with a solid coach
Wants to impress his new owner
First time playing with a plays like Wall and Kirk

What's different
He added some more muscle
He appears to be more focused and serious on the court. The smile seems to be gone.
Seems to have less distractions from teammates. DS, Mike James, etc gone

What he needs to focus on or prove.
That he is a basketball player and not just a streak shooter. The one thing I have always wanted to see from Nick is more rebounding and consistent rebounding. That and a few more passes. We know he can score/shoot. And he runs the court well. He even can D up well except he needs to fight through picks better at times.

Solution for training camp
I want to see him play more SF even if he doesn't play there much during the regular season. I said this a while ago and I'm still wanting to see it happen. I want Flip to tell him in practice to just go out there and get rebounds, run the court and score in transition but don't take any jump shots. Look for his teammates. Force him to find his opportunities to do all the other things a basketball play does beside score. At SF, he should find more opportunity to do this. This is the area he needs drilled at. And with his added muscle, he needs to learn how to use it. If Nick could get you a min of two rebounds a game and play solid D, he would be a long term keeper and a valuable asset. If that min 2 rebounds turned into 3 rebounds average, I would be blown away. If he is only going to post 0 or 1 rebound a game, then that is a sign that he still doesn't get it.

So that is what I want to see them do with him in camp. Move him to SF more often and tell him he needs to rebound and play solid to great D. Focus on that and not scoring. He already knows how to score. If he can gain that new focus and skill, then he can mix that in with his scoring later. And if he can do that, we will have a nice assets this year and the future.

[hands11]

Could the Bean finally be reaching the next level ?

The smile seems to be gone from his face while on the court.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/g ... yerId=3243

He grabbed 11 rebounds in two games before laying an egg in rebounds against Boston but still shot 9-15 for 20 pts.

Just watching ting the TOR game and saw him set a nasty pick that Gil used well to get a foul called.

The kid has always had a wet shot. Top talent as far as his shooting ability and ability to create his shot.

I'm taking a fresh look at the kid. I see signs that he is maturing finally. Most always though he has the physical skills. That is what is so interesting about this team this year. You can say that about several of their players. Nick is in that sweet spot where he has enough NBA experience to finally put it together is the light has gone on.

Min - he could be a great off the bench player if he can round out his game.

[closg00]

Could the Bean finally be reaching the next level ?

The smile seems to be gone from his face while on the court.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/g ... yerId=3243

He grabbed 11 rebounds in two games before laying an egg in rebounds against Boston but still shot 9-15 for 20 pts.

Just watching ting the TOR game and saw him set a nasty pick that Gil used well to get a foul called.

The kid has always had a wet shot. Top talent as far as his shooting ability and ability to create his shot.

I'm taking a fresh look at the kid. I see signs that he is maturing finally. Most always though he has the physical skills. That is what is so interesting about this team this year. You can say that about several of their players. Nick is in that sweet spot where he has enough NBA experience to finally put it together is the light has gone on.

Min - he could be a great off the bench player if he can round out his game.

'It does appear that Nick is coming into his own nicely....and just on-time, I hope Flip uses him more when he's hot.

[keynote]

"It's not just his offense. Defensively, he's been in the top three on our team, every time he plays, in contested shots. His defense on the ball has really picked up and he's been very solid for us," Saunders said. "I've never questioned - I don't think anybody has ever questioned - his ability to score. I think right now, he's in a - knock on wood - comfort level scoring-wise, being able to make shots. Hopefully, he'll be able to keep doing that."

a) nice affirmation of Nick's work on defense.
b) nice affirmation of the types of defensive stats the Wizards' coaching staff tracks.

[Halcyon]

I think he's become more comfortable in the role he's being asked to play, which is play at a high energy on both ends of the floor, and he has the freedom to take shots while he's in there, it seems like. He looks good coming off screens, and I don't mind those mid-range jumpers, even if they are turnarounds.

[Dat2U]

I'm not ready to jump on Nick's bandwagon as of yet. He's had a stretch of good shooting & decent performances before. I need to see a prolonged stretch of solid play before I'm willing to come around on him. Time will tell.

[closg00]

"It's not just his offense. Defensively, he's been in the top three on our team, every time he plays, in contested shots. His defense on the ball has really picked up and he's been very solid for us," Saunders said. "I've never questioned - I don't think anybody has ever questioned - his ability to score. I think right now, he's in a - knock on wood - comfort level scoring-wise, being able to make shots. Hopefully, he'll be able to keep doing that."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 06278.html

[Nivek]

"It's not just his offense. Defensively, he's been in the top three on our team, every time he plays, in contested shots. His defense on the ball has really picked up and he's been very solid for us," Saunders said. "I've never questioned - I don't think anybody has ever questioned - his ability to score. I think right now, he's in a - knock on wood - comfort level scoring-wise, being able to make shots. Hopefully, he'll be able to keep doing that."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 06278.html

Flip's comment about Nick's defense are kinda-sorta reflected in my tracking. He's in a virtual tie with Thornton at 14% for lowest defensive usage rate. That's actually a pretty good sign for a wing player because it means opponents aren't able to get comfortable looks so they aren't taking the shot.

His defg is .494 in my tracking, which is 3rd best on the team behind Booker (.231) and Yi (.446). Nick's defensive rebounding is still lagging -- among regulars, only Wall and Hinrich rebound less per minute. Martin too, if you want to include him, but he has 3 DNP-CDs so far. And Young has Wall by 0.1 rebounds per 48 minutes.

Nick's near the bottom at forcing turnovers -- only Thornton forces fewer (1.8 to 1.6 per 48 minutes). Of the regulars, Wall (4.9), McGee (3.7) and Arenas (3.5) are forcing the most turnovers per 48 minutes. I'm including steals as well as non-steal forced turnovers in that stat. McGee leads the team in non-steal FTO -- 2.3 per 48 minutes.

Young does have the 4th best drtg on the team so far -- 107.7 points allowed per 100 individual defensive possessions. Booker (91.9), Martin (100.5) and Blatche (106.5) have better drtg. I've already gone into Blatche's numbers elsewhere, but the key stat for him is his very low dusg (17%). Blatche is affecting his man, but isn't helping. That contributes to higher drtg among his teammates. They aren't getting the help from him that they need.

As for Flip's comment about Young, I'm encouraged because it's clearly something they're tracking internally. That's a great thing.

[dobrojim]

[snip]

As for Flip's comment about Young, I'm encouraged because it's clearly something they're tracking internally. That's a great thing.

[nate33]

Young does have the 4th best drtg on the team so far -- 107.7 points allowed per 100 individual defensive possessions. Booker (91.9), Martin (100.5) and Blatche (106.5) have better drtg.

It's worth noting that Booker and Martin spend a great deal of their time defending against incompetent scrubs in garbage time.

[doclinkin]

Young does have the 4th best drtg on the team so far -- 107.7 points allowed per 100 individual defensive possessions. Booker (91.9), Martin (100.5) and Blatche (106.5) have better drtg.

It's worth noting that Booker and Martin spend a great deal of their time defending against incompetent scrubs in garbage time.

By my eyes though Booker has been very solid on defense no matter who he's checking. He's just in the right place, making the right read and doing dirty work to hassle and harass anyone he can't bully. He also has been thugging just a little bit, chest-walking through players, giving a little extra body. Despite his lack of offense the spacing somehow looks better when he's out there, offense and defense. I see him making the smart pass or shoving his guy into the way of the other player, etc. Interesting to watch him add intangibles despite not showing the standard frenetic antic activity you expect out of an energy bench role-player. I'd like to see him take the place of Yi as the next guy off the bench. But he's not a great fit in the offense except as a screen setter and hockey-assist passer.

[nate33]

Agreed. I didn't mean to disparage Booker. I like his activity. I'm just saying that his numbers may be a bit tainted.

[hands11]

Screen setter is exactly what we need and should be a main focus for this team.

As for Nick, all I have been focused on is his rebounding, passing and screen setting because we know he has great offensive skills. He may not have always made the best decisions on offense but he clearly has the skills. As for his screening, I saw Nick, of all people, set a bone crushing screen in the TOR game that Gil used perfectly. Gil ran his man right into it and got the foul. Gil knows how to do that better than anyone on the team. These are the skills that a sorely lacking with this team that allows good defensive teams to drape them and get them out of their offense which causes forced out of sync shots and turnovers.

These are the skills that are going to take this group of athletes that have under utilize their talents to the next level.

This team clearly has holes in the skills they show of the floor. The goodish news it that these fundamentals are the problem more than lack of talent. The problem is more lack of doing all the small things you need to do to have a solid performing team and those things are teachable and what Flips has been focusing on. The bad news is we have some stubborn knuckleheads or else they are airheads. But the good news is that most of those types are at a stage in their careers that they are maturing or hungry or rebuilding so they are more likely to get it now. That is what EG has assembled which is actually pretty smart. Lots of upside and at the right stage of their careers to get it. This is actually good timing for a coach like Flip who is being a hard ass on them.

Next to positions D, setting screens it the weakest link on this team. This is why I want to see Booker and Seraphin more than I care to see Yi. We need more bone crushing picks more than we need more finesse. We need more man warrior heart out there. Did you see that TOR player bound off Booker as he went up ? Did you see Seraphin clobber that dude on a pick. Yeah he got a foul but he punked that dude badly.

There are just to few players on this team who set and use picks well. Kind of the opposite of what great teams do. To many times I see Yi not even draw contact before rolling off the pick he runs to set but never really did. Dray is better at setting them but not by much. He even hurt his knee is the TOR game because he didn't get there and just got the knee out instead so that is what got hit. He often rolls to quickly also. Dray should be able to set monster picks if he and the pick running can set it up well. To many are thinking offense and trying to get open instead of getting the player with the ball open first. Just hold the screen and teach everyone to run their men into them better and this team is 10 games better min.

For what I see, this is the good and bad of this team and why I believe they can still get a lot better. The things they need to do are fixable and I am actually seeing some progress. Plus, we have player who are more suited to doing these things that are just starting to get minutes.

And of the best and worst of them... Nick is stepping it up while Yi is replacing him in my book as the weakest link. He is by far the worst pick setter on the team. For that reason and because we have other players more focused on doing it, I would sit Yi. Give Armstrong more minutes and get Booker and Seraphin in there more. I feel like Nick may be turning a corning and starting to do the rebounding and pick setting more which is great news.

Hopefully, Flip is making a consorted effort to run drills that work on these skills. Any player who consistently rolls out of a pick before making contact should get a cold seat on the bench.

Seriously. Imaging this same set of talent but with everyone setting and using picks well. If that was the cause, position D would be the last huge hole for them and even that is fixable.

They can still be a playoff team this year. Question is how quickly can they address these two issues.

[hands11]

The Bean bounded back from an off scoring game with 18 pts on 7-10 shooting.

But since 4 games ago, he hasn't gotten more than 1 rebound and not a single assist.

Gil on the other hand has had 17 rebound over those 4 games.

I was really hoping his light went on. He is playing better but that there says he still doesn't get it.

[willbcocks]

Those 5 and 6 rebound games were fool's gold. Track every rebound and you see he was blind squirreling his way into each of those nuts...

His shooting has been good though.

[Zonkerbl]

I like N1's one-on-one defense. I like McGee grudgingly giving up blocks to get defensive rebounds.

Usually big men learn right away that they may have above average dribbling skills for a big man but that doesn't mean they have any business putting it on the floor with NBA speed guard buzzing around. McGee's been slow to get that. Although my impression is that he's not stupid so much as a little stubborn. Once he buys into what the coach is telling him he will get it quickly.

[hands11]

I like N1's one-on-one defense. I like McGee grudgingly giving up blocks to get defensive rebounds.

Usually big men learn right away that they may have above average dribbling skills for a big man but that doesn't mean they have any business putting it on the floor with NBA speed guard buzzing around. McGee's been slow to get that. Although my impression is that he's not stupid so much as a little stubborn. Once he buys into what the coach is telling him he will get it quickly.

Not to turn this into a McGee thread, because we already have one but that stubborn can be turned into an asset. One thing I do like about McGee is I can see that fire and that look on his face. You can actually envision he him at moments of actually being a viable pro level playing battling it out. Just a little bit of boy needing to become man work that needed to get done.

[Hoopalotta]

The first person who says "how much is Nick Young's qualifying offer, anyway?" is probably going to burn in Hell. Consider that a friendly warning.

I kid, I kid.

Actually, well, this is a bit awkward, but, hypothetically speaking, how much is Nick Young's qualifying offer, anyway?

I sense a great disturbance in the force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced

*Googling Sham as I had erased that data point from my spreadsheet....la-tee-da....*

It's about $3.7 million.

Hmmmmm, we might actually pick that up to where Nate and Dobrojim won't need to get their "Nick Young with a tough shot" tattoos removed just yet after all.

Yeah, it's possible. The insane thing is that someone might well give him a multi-year deal. I'm sniffing the Clippers looking for a sixth man here unless they draft a wing.