Dat2U wrote:SUPERBALLMAN wrote:doclinkin wrote:
I can see that but I don't think Kispert loses his spot to Davis. They were surprised that he fought his way into the rotation but once there I don't think he slips out of it all that easily. He plays efficient ball that will only look better next to a true PG in Monte. Davis is a rookie and his game will require some re-tooling to fit the NBA. Unless he comes into the league with a jumper he built ion the offseason.
Very possible. I think Kispert & Davis (eventually) will both be hard to keep off the court. I can see both guys becoming favorites of WUJ. Both have high IQs and high motors. Kispert is relentless in his off ball movement and cutting, hustle for loose balls, and if he becomes the elite 3pt shooter that'll seal the deal.
If Davis is wrecking havoc on the defensive end, is making constant hustle plays, and rebounding, a coach preaching these things will be hard pressed to take him out, especially with a team that was woeful in those areas last season. Offensively will he make smart plays, make the open looks, and show he can get his shot off and get to the line vs NBA defenses.
To me the obvious move is to deal Rui as we have 4 other PFs on the roster. Yes, he has improved his 3-ball and as a perimeter defender but the rest of his game is still a work in progress. The awareness is still poor when it comes to defensive rotations or seeing the floor offensively which mutes his impact. I don't think he rebounds well enough as a 4 either. I don't see a breakout coming considering the crowded roster and lack of aggression from him. Nor do I see much benefit in extending him so moving him for any type of asset feels like a now or never scenario.
This is the thing that surprised me though. When you look at his shot chart you see that Rui is better than league average from everywhere on the floor except that mid-range shot he likes to take after dribbling towards the defense. His overall shooting % is low because he doesn't know which shot is a bad shot. He takes too many of those lower percentage shots even when they do go in.
What occurred to me was that if he had a true point guard who could get him the ball, and if he was playing in an actual offense with a full training camp and offseason, under a coach who is noted for teaching and player development, suddenly his seemingly inefficient game could be a steady bucketgetter.
I'd agree that Rui does not know where to be out there. Therefore he does not rebound as well as he should, nor defend, nor pass. But he is a natural at hitting shots. He is just taking bad shots. Seems like on that end its an easy fix: take the decision making out of his hands. Hit him with the ball when he is in position. Tell him to shoot when the PG finds him. Also, on defense, he is our best hope at slowing down the other team's star bucketgetter, one on one. Seems to me a smart coach can figure a role for him there.
What's funny is that on offense he is the exact opposite of Deni Avdija. Deno only takes good shots. He just misses them.. To the point where he knows the best shot he can take is to pass to someone else. Deni has the team best +/- because he was raised as a basketball player and has been a pro since he was 16 years old. He is a significant asset in team play, but so far can't win his own match-up. Deni can improve simply by working on that 3 ball, and possibly by getting weight room strong. I don't know that he will ever be a mismatch for the guy he's faced up on. Maybe under Drew Hanlen he develops moves and counter-moves. Adds new wrinkles to his game every year. He really needs something underneath. A jump hook. A dream shake. A Tim Duncan bank shot high off the glass. Your power forward needs to be able to score in the paint.
More than anything this team needs those mismatch talents though. We have smart guys and hustle guys but to take a leap forward you need those unstoppable guys who can finish even when tightly guarded. If I am looking for the players on the team who still have the most upside in this regard, after looking at the shot charts, Rui still tops the list. Rui, and Porzingis staying healthy/playing like he did this past year. Now it could be that Rui gets traded for picks or a prospect that may turn into that upside guy who pans out. But I think we get more even in trade value if we show Rui playing well with a true PG, in an actual system that teaches basketball and uses him to his strengths. And at that point it becomes an honest question if it is worth it to swap him. Or if he will never learn the other aspects of veteran play.
Rui was not well served by playing under Scott Brooks coming into the league. Brook's philosophy of coaching is to let the stars do what they do. Put some scrappy guys on the floor next to them. That's not the best system for new players trying to find their role in the league. Then Rui played next to a guy with the intensity of Westbrook, and it both fired him up and possibly shook him. From that he jumped into the pressure cooker of the Olympics, and then broke down emotionally after trying to carry the hopes and dreams of an entire country. No offseason, no teaching to improve his game, high stakes/high pressure/bright spotlight/no room to make mistakes.
Now though, under Wes, if we turn into a team that actually develops players to their strengths, we may get more value from the guy. Or at least better value in trade.
Its either that or somehow Kuzma, who looks like he knows what he is doing, actually becomes the Kuzma he thinks he is. Because Kuzma shoots all the right shots, and is simply basically below average at making them. Except in the clutch. Which may or may not be a statistical fluke given that he misses those same shots earlier in the game. Maybe what Kuzma needs is a hypnotist. To make every situation a pressure situation, so he focuses with the same intensity all game instead of only playing well in desperation. Come to think of it maybe that is why his defense also picked up in the Bubble championship playoff run. He is too cool to care most of the time. I dunno. It is probably something in his numerology
