runtmc wrote:longtallbrad wrote:I don't know if he is the league's most underrated player, but I do know that I had underrated and underappreciated him until this postseason. The Warriors would be better off by a more classic center of equal motor and similar ego, but he's proven himself a great fit with the team as constituted and a useful part of their best lineup...a true blue collar glue guy. He's not a highly skilled, high impact role player (see: Draymond Green), but I imagine there are a few contending or aspiring teams who'd be glad to find a spot for him in a rotation of 7-8 players.
I don't think they would be better off with a "classic" center. People forget the original "death" lineup that outscored opponents by 20+ points per 100 poss., the year GS won 73 games -- it was Curry, Klay, Dray, Iggy and Bogut. Bogut averaged 5ppg and 7rpg that season, Iggy was putting up 7 and 4, and Dray was actually at the peak of his scoring output, he was putting up a whopping 14 and 9.
That means the "Death" lineup of arguably the greatest RS team in nba history had 2 dudes that by traditional box stats were complete scrubs and another guy that barely qualified as a "legit starter". The point is, when you already have high usage players like Curry/Klay in the lineup, you don't make the lineup better by adding more high usage players -- there's only so many shots to go around. You make the lineup better by adding guys that play defense (which, notice that Bogut/Dray/Iggy is like one of the best defensive lineups of all time -- might be related to why they were so good, no?), pass well, and do all the little things. Imagine calling Iggy or Bogut on that 73 win season not "legit starters" or scrubs because they only averaged like 5/7 or 7/4, you'd be laughed off the board. That's what Looney is to this team, he's the new version of Bogut / Iggy.
Good post.
Ive followed Looney closely since we drafted him, as I liked his character. IMHO , and from practices I've heard about, I think he can actually shoot pretty well, and is pretty effective. The VERY few threes he's taken have actually looked pretty good, and I wouldnt be shocked if he was as good from 3 as say Boogie is. What he doesnt do though, is shoot in games unless it is an end of clock desperate shot or a dunk, which I think gives a worse impression of his shot, because he is coached to not take open shots. So the sample is full of the occasional rare rushed mid range jumper. This is because he has Klay, Steph, Wiggs, Poole to pass to and prefers to do that instead of using his size to try to finish. I like it when he is feeling frisky and tries, because with more aggression he isnt as bad as when he tries a pump fake under the hoop and cant elevate, which does look poor on occasion.
What I agree with, in terms of weaknesses, is that he doesnt finish at the rim all that well against opposing bigs, and that his handles under pressure arent great. Good passer when he does so quickly, and decent handles when he uses his body and length to create space for the ball. His first step can be slow and he is not very deceptive, though he moves well laterally on defense, in particular for his size. His mental undertanding of GS schemes and his role is strong. He is not the 'guy' on almost any plays unless rolling on a Curry P&R, so scoring will be mostly dunks and putbacks, which tend to be rare given our numerous 3s, so he has learned to tip balls to Curry Wiggins and Green, who have great handles, which tends to inflate their RBs at his stat expense.
Anyway, nice to see a thread discussing him, for good or bad. He deserves notice and it pleases me.
