Game 53: Warriors (26-26) @ Bucks (28-23), 02/10, 5pm PT

[DonaldSanders]

Seems to me like Podz is benefitting from playing without being the primary handler in any situation.. he never had to do it last year, playing with either Steph or CP3. He's a SG through and through, and can handle some playmaking as long as he's not needed to do it consistently. Good to note considering he's probably going to be in SF for a while and we never want to see the PG Podz experiment ever again

Sample sizes are too small for these numbers to have any real meaning but I do agree with your conclusion.

Podz is definitely better with someone else as a ballhandler. But what is not in the above discussion is that the Jimmy-Podz combo has done much better in those small sample sizes.

From NBA.com
Podz - Jimmy 2 man combo: +11.0
Podz - Dennis 2 man combo: + 0.7

[vvoland]

The variance in his shooting seems too much to be a pg/non-pg thing. Sure, the 3pt shooting may be impacted but I'm sure if you compare like for like (open, spot up 3s or contested off the dribble 3s), you'd still see a drop off. e.g. just look at the FT %. How is that a byproduct of his ball handling duties?

On the whole, I agree he's not a PG and needs a competent ball-handler next to him, even if it's Pat Spencer. At the same time, what he really needs to do is hit his open 3s. He's good attacking a compromised defense and is fairly awful going at a defense that is set. Teams are starting to close out on him as his shot improves and him driving against the close out is his best bet to put the defense in a tough spot. Some of that requires a PG on the court. Some of it just requires him to continue to hit his open, spot up 3s.