winforlose wrote:I don’t know why you think this video is a positive in the context of Ivey on the Wolves. The guy is propping Ivey up and says things like “he turns it over way too much, especially stupid turnovers like jumping without a plan or driving with his head down and throwing it away.” He openly admits that Ivey’s defense is a problem and the biggest open question for his career. His rebounding is about on pace with DDV but it is not clear that he boxes out or fights for boards in the same hustle play manner as DDV. His money is an open question with a large raise possible (teams might pay him on speculation.) He also has high usage and shoots lower volume from deep than DDV. I don’t see the appeal.
Right, because you are trying to build the team the way you would build the franchise, rather than assessing how the actual team runs things and trying to predict how they would realistically look to pivot from their current situation.
Are turnovers and defense concerns? Of course. But I also watch that video and see that Ivey was the primary perimeter defender on every one of those clips. OK, so he's not a primary defender......he wouldn't be asked to fill that role here. Are you familiar with Jaden McDaniels? Last I checked, he's a pretty good defender. So is Jaylen Clark. And let's not act like Donte is some all-world defender all of a sudden. As for the turnovers, I think that's something that can be fixed or at least limited schematically. Shooting will always be a swing skill for Ivey, but he showed clear growth before his catastrophic injury. I know pessimists will be quick to call it a fluke, but I choose to believe in the development I see both statistically and with the eye test.
