Lamar Odom Most Unimproved/Mentally Weak Player in NBA?
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 5:41 am
Every year he comes into the league with the same game; same weak jump shot that'll look good some games or some seasons (36% and 37% from trey twice, yet other seasons he's 24% or 29% from trey). Comes in with the same left-handed dribble drive, never developing his off hand. He has developed zero counters, that I can see, in his 10 NBA seasons, including this one, which is especially sad considering his great height, length, and speed over the opposition. Essentially it seems as if he never works on his game, summer after summer, whether he's healthy or not. It's really quite amazing to watch.
Some people talk about how you "can't find" 15 and 10 at PF, yet statistically he's in the middle of the pack of PFs in the league and if you look at his statistical production from his first two seasons in the NBA and compare it to the rest of his career, they're actually identical. That is, he had PERs of 16.8 and 18.9 his first two seasons as a Clipper, and his best two statistical seasons since then have been 18.5 in Miami and 17.3 in LA in 05, with a whopping 14.0 this year, a season in which he has generally been horribly inconsistent and offensively inept when it matters most. With Bynum out he's averaging 13 ppg on 35% shooting.
In terms of his mental weaknesses, you really just have to watch this guy play. For example:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y0MXOjmWdo
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71SMu8A3VU4
There are many more examples, like how he drove and charged into a player in a Kings game a couple years ago despite being up by 3 and having the balls with 20 seconds left where he could have just winded down the clock, allowing them to get back in the game and beat the Lakers in OT.
He does seem to play better in the postseason, but it's more to do with Phoenix's lack of defensive depth or ability, and even then he's barely cracking 19 ppg, and with lots of plays run for him too.
Anyway, just wanted the board's thoughts.
Some people talk about how you "can't find" 15 and 10 at PF, yet statistically he's in the middle of the pack of PFs in the league and if you look at his statistical production from his first two seasons in the NBA and compare it to the rest of his career, they're actually identical. That is, he had PERs of 16.8 and 18.9 his first two seasons as a Clipper, and his best two statistical seasons since then have been 18.5 in Miami and 17.3 in LA in 05, with a whopping 14.0 this year, a season in which he has generally been horribly inconsistent and offensively inept when it matters most. With Bynum out he's averaging 13 ppg on 35% shooting.
In terms of his mental weaknesses, you really just have to watch this guy play. For example:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y0MXOjmWdo
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71SMu8A3VU4
There are many more examples, like how he drove and charged into a player in a Kings game a couple years ago despite being up by 3 and having the balls with 20 seconds left where he could have just winded down the clock, allowing them to get back in the game and beat the Lakers in OT.
He does seem to play better in the postseason, but it's more to do with Phoenix's lack of defensive depth or ability, and even then he's barely cracking 19 ppg, and with lots of plays run for him too.
Anyway, just wanted the board's thoughts.
Phil Jackson's face is so f'n classic when Odom just walked in the inbound
