assessment against expectations (regular season edition)

[esvl]

My version:

Well above
Wells, Pippen

Above
Edey, Spencer

Meet
Ja, Aldama+, Huff, Clarke

Below
JJJ, Bane, Kennard, Konchar

Disappointment
Vince, Smart, GG

Non-eligible
Bagley, Stevens

Comments: I expected more overall impact from Bane and JJJ given that they are (expect to be) paid as stars. As of now, they effectively are not able to make any NBA team a contender on their own. Aldama didn’t make “above” only due to my personal high expectations.

[Cubboo]

I'll play:

Well above-
Wells- A 2nd round draft choice who starts most of the games. No brainer

Pippen- Showed he has a higher gear this year and a very valuable team player. hit his shots consistently and a defensive pest.

JJJ- I thought he found another gear when Ja was out. He was able to carry the offense in the clutches, but did fall back into some of his foul prone persona.

Above-
Brandon Clarke- Coming off a tough injury and was able to recapture his hops mentally and physically. When he is out of the lineup, we miss him.

Jay Huff- I think everyone was surprised in what he brought this year. Can hit the 3, is mobile, might be a little slow in his man to man defense, but can clean up on free running guards with the blocks. Thought he should have played more, probably more than Edey. He went into the doghouse for a while, but not sure why.

Desmond Bane- He's a shooter and got better with his creative finishes. Cannot handle the ball when pressed by good defenders.

Meet
Zach Edey- He's tall and proved to be mobile enough. He seems to have hands of stone as he has trouble catching some entry passes. His rebounding improved once the offense was changed. Looks to mentally check out on some plays and becomes a spectator because of bad positioning. Needs some seasoning and some experience. So a surprise in the agility, but a disappointment in the hands department.

Santi Aldama- Impressive in spurts and disappointing in spurts. I thought this would be his break out year, but he might be a year away from being a year away.

Jon Konchar- Didn't get much time on the floor, but when he did I thought he produced.

Marcus Smart- Could not stay healthy, but did bring a veteran presence to the team. I hated he could not stay healthy.

Ja Morant- This is the hardest one as the expectations and talent cannot be denied. He improved his defense (not great, but better), but with the injuries and attitude toward the new (old) offense, he became a point of disharmony. Coach change/Offense change, seemed to break him out of the funk he was mired within.

Too early to tell:
Cam Spencer- He's a grit and grind player and has some toughness. I thought he should have played more, but with the limited playing time, I have to give it a "too early to tell".

Below
Kennard- Seems like he got the yips or became too passive when he should be shooting. He needs to be wide open on the wings for him to take a 3 point shot. They abuse him and seek him out on defense.

Disappointment
Vince Williams- Instead of retaining and growing from last year, he seems to have regressed after a couple of injury stints. Hopefully this is a small setback for a major comeback.

GG Jackson- Has all the tools, but needs court maturity. When he got on the floor, he seemed to be shot hunting and disinterested on defense. In fairness, many times he went in, we needed points, so I don't hold that against him as much. But lack of passion on defense, not acceptable.

Non-eligible
Bagley, Stevens, Yuki

[Cubboo]

After last night, I double down on my previous assessment.

[VCfor3]

After last night, I double down on my previous assessment.

My list would be the same as yours though I'd put Smart in the "Below" category due to injury and us having to dump him. I'd consider Luke for "Met" because he was balling out as a playmaker for a large chunk of the season before he turned passive and still shot well from deep overall.

[esvl]

After last night, I double down on my previous assessment.

My list would be the same as yours though I'd put Smart in the "Below" category due to injury and us having to dump him. I'd consider Luke for "Met" because he was balling out as a playmaker for a large chunk of the season before he turned passive and still shot well from deep overall.

JJJ - well above and Edey - meet. Really?

[Cubboo]

Yep, and I stand by it.

[esvl]

Yep, and I stand by it.

So JJJ, who targets supermax, and is supposed to be valued against that “superstar” benchmark, somehow overperformed it?

And Edey, who had been questioned to even become a rotational NBA player, somehow just met the expectations by competing against best NBA centers in the starting role like very few center rookies ever?

[Cubboo]

Yes, because I am not judging against the salaries. That's a completely differ argument.
JJJ became a more consistent 3 level scorer. Something I did not think he would be able to do. As ugly as the 3 point shot is for him, it goes in.
He was the load bearer during the turmoil with the team so that is the reason for my over perform selection.

Edey- still has hands of stone and has trouble when the plays break down and he is the last outlet. Seems to fumble the ball on the catch many times. While he did improve once the offense changed, he underperformed in the first half of the season. His bonuses included being durable and improving his rebounding. Scoring is still iffy. Too little too late for me.

As always, other opinions vary which is why this is on the message board.

[esvl]

Yes, because I am not judging against the salaries. That's a completely differ argument.
JJJ became a more consistent 3 level scorer. Something I did not think he would be able to do. As ugly as the 3 point shot is for him, it goes in.
He was the load bearer during the turmoil with the team so that is the reason for my over perform selection.

Edey- still has hands of stone and has trouble when the plays break down and he is the last outlet. Seems to fumble the ball on the catch many times. While he did improve once the offense changed, he underperformed in the first half of the season. His bonuses included being durable and improving his rebounding. Scoring is still iffy. Too little too late for me.

As always, other opinions vary which is why this is on the message board.

I was not attacking man. I was rather making our discussion relevant. Apparently, we just had different expectations, for whatever reason.

[Cubboo]

No, I didn't think you were attacking. Just explaining my reasoning because everyone kind of judges based on differ criteria.
To some, they judge performance against salary, some judge with their heart, some go strictly by the averages, or even games played.
Just tried to explain where my head space was at.
Its kind of like looking at a sculpture. If 7 of us stand around a statue in a circle, we could get 7 different viewpoints based on what they see in front of them. We are all looking at the same thing, just our viewpoints are shaped by our current viewpoint.