Patches Perry wrote:Dub has grown a lot as a scorer in these playoffs. Last playoffs, he disappeared offensively because he has such good shot selection that when the playoff defense tightened up, he couldn't get the looks he was able to get in the regular season.
This year, specifically against Denver and Indiana, he has learned that you have to force it a little bit. I think Richard Jefferson said in the playoffs, sometimes an OK look is the best look youre going to get. Dub has forced the issue offensively in a good way in non-Shai minutes, and even with Shai out there.
On top of that, he is an elite defender and good passer.
Chets ability to shoot the long ball, protect the rim and also guard guards in space is ultra valuable too.
I give the nod to Dub but its close to 2a and 2b
This also says something about the difference between safe/good regular season players and the dangerous/great postseason players. If you want to get better you need to get out of your comfort sone and expand your limits as a scorer. If you only play or wait until you get the high % shots you cant help your team when that is needed, and you dont learn how to take and make those tougher shots at a higher %. Every movement pattern needs practice, if you only take your safe shots you will miss the hard shots because your body has no mastery of that tougher/new movement yet.
I assume some of this is why a Kobe or a Wade was more successful than an Embiid/Harden in the postseason who relied too much on foulbaiting, seeking contact and the 3 ball, instead of being better at the midrange and in towards the rim. Whether it be more footwork, fakes and pullups from Kobe, or just the raw speed, strength and trickery driving through traffic with all kinds of finishes from Wade - they mastered scoring and getting these kind of consistent buckets even with tighter D and intensity.
While Harden and Embiid kept playing their regular season scoring game and kept forcing up those same old patterns, didnt get the whistle. So now you shoot 4-15 from the field because you play for a foul instead of a good shot, the 3 ball game is not always going to be rolling and teams can look to deny you that. And because you havent been practicing these different types of scoring options like postups middies and avoiding contact for higher fg % at the rim, you will fail because those movement patterns need time to be mastered and you dont have time for that in the playoffs.
And now that you dont have that mastery of the midrange iso or postups like Kobe, or the ability to split the pick and roll or slice through the defense for high % shots like Wade, now your offensive game falls apart.
In his bounceback games vs Denver I saw a Wadeesque attack of the basket from J-Dub, he didnt have the control so he was a bit wild at times, but he was fighting to master these harder drives to the rim and growing his game. And I think we are seeing the growth pay off, as he uses his length and athleticism to get better looks when OKC need some buckets, and he ignored Shai and scored an easy layup in the endgame of game 4. He also created space for Shai that resulted in the win.
Safe to say this guy has a big future because he is willing to work on his weaknesses unlike a Harden.
Good observation from you, sometimes you need to force change so that you can take your game to the next level. The playoffs will expose those who do not dare to get out of their comfort sone and rise to the occasion.