Is Al better than Zach Randolph?

[HotelVitale]

Hey Wolves board, they've showed TWolves games on the sports channel here in France 3 times in the last week, so I've got to see Al J play quite a bit lately. I'm obviously impressed by his jump hook and his strength and his attitude towards the game, but he also seems out of place on defense often and also seems to get fatigued. I was wondering what you guys thought his upside was, being as objective as you can.

Playing devil's advocate a bit, do you think he's going to be better than Zach Randolph? Zach had pretty similar numbers to Al his first couple years (after two years of riding the bench, like Al), and they have some other similarities: wide bodies that help them get rebounds, decent mid-range shots, great pump fake and drive skills, trouble stopping people in the lane, trouble defending pick and roll, tendency to slow down the offense and not get the rest of the team involved (like say, KG does).

I'm assuming you guys are hoping he's better than just ZBo with a good attitude, but what makes you think he's got more potential? I'm also assuming Elton Brand is a common comparison for Al--do you think he reaches that level or better? (especially with his D?)

Sorry if something like this has already been posted. I looked back 6-7 weeks and there was nothing like it. Thanks for your inside opinions.

[Varejao17]

Al is way better than Z-Bo....

[T-HuDfoShizzle]

Al is way better than Z-Bo....

+1

[collin_k41]

Ya its not much of a contest in my opinion. BIG AL is better!

[Basti]

Al is way better than Z-Bo....

+2

[dunkonu21]

I think Elton Brand is a great compairison for Al-Jeff...Jefferson is a big taller and more of an inside presence...but their games are both sneaky good...

[deeney0]

Al plays in the post more than Zach does, and has a better FG% to prove it. Al's probably a full 2 inches taller than Zach, and he's got a longer wingspan. Al's muscular, Zach is pudgy. Al's not a good shot blocker (yet), but he's better than Zach, who pretty much doesn't block shots. Al's not a good defender, but he's better than Zach, who pretty much doesn't play defense. Al is 4 and a half years younger. And then there's attitude.

[FNQ]

I think Elton Brand is a great compairison for Al-Jeff...Jefferson is a big taller and more of an inside presence...but their games are both sneaky good...

Don't go homer....

Unfortunately, Zach Randolph is the best comparison... AJ is not good at defending the rim and rotating. Elton is among the best at both.

The difference between Zbo and Al is that Al has shown that he understands the game somewhat and based on his improvements, looks coachable. When Zbo realized he could score, everything shut down and his personality shined through.

If Al puts in the work, he may be an all-star down the road... but Jefferson is not an inside presence. (Yet.)

[deeney0]

Right now, Al is a taller Brand on O and Zach on D - but he's still improving on both sides of the court, Zach on D is certainly not his ceiling.

[theGreatRC]

-= original quote snipped =-



Don't go homer....

Unfortunately, Zach Randolph is the best comparison... AJ is not good at defending the rim and rotating. Elton is among the best at both.

The difference between Zbo and Al is that Al has shown that he understands the game somewhat and based on his improvements, looks coachable. When Zbo realized he could score, everything shut down and his personality shined through.

If Al puts in the work, he may be an all-star down the road... but Jefferson is not an inside presence. (Yet.)

He already is an inside presence, that last statement seems ignorant.

[FNQ]

-= original quote snipped =-




He already is an inside presence, that last statement seems ignorant.

Are you going to put a concrete definition on a word like presence? I saw a comparison to Brand in the previous statement... if thats how we're defining it, Al Jeff is not there yet. He has all the tools but he needs to develop a shot off the dribble before you can compare him to Brand like that...

[deeney0]

Al is already at least as good on offense around the basket as Brand.

[Calinks]

On Offense Al is one of the best inside presences you will find in the NBA right now. No doubt about it.

[FNQ]

Al is already at least as good on offense around the basket as Brand.

I dunno... I think he's close but Brand can use both hands a lot more comfortably than Al, and is certainly a better passer (dunno if you meant offense in general or scoring wise)... but I'd say Brand would be the yardstick you'd want to measure Al up to in 3-4 years...

I dont remember where Brand was exactly in his 4th season as far as his moves go, but things look promising for Jeff...

[deeney0]

Yeah, Brand is definitely a better passer, I wasn't including that in "basket presence."

4th season.. how about Brand @ 23 years, 2 weeks? Al is further along.

[theGreatRC]

Brand is a better passer, stealer, shot blocker and rebounder(close), but when scoring, Al and Brand are on par.

[HotelVitale]

Brand was very good his rookie year, when he was 20. He would have been 23 in his 3rd and 4th seasons, in which he averaged 2.4 blocks, plus about 4.8 offensive rebs.

He's not an exceptional passer, though, and he had/has a tendency to disappear for 6-8 minutes at a time, like Al seems to do (judging from these last couple of games). Keep in mind when comparing the two that Brand challenges pretty much every shot in the paint and that he's a great help defender.

[Frozen316]

Elton was the 1st pick of the 1999 draft.
Al was the 15th pick of the 2004 draft.

[mandurugo]

Elton was the 1st pick of the 1999 draft.
Al was the 15th pick of the 2004 draft.

This is really material is it?

Anyway, Al is definately one of the best low post scorers in the game. Of course the next time he passes out of a double, triple or even quadruple team will be the first time. Fortunately for him, as long as the other team doesn't have someone much bigger on him (a true center), Al seems able to score anyway. Still, to become an all-star he is going to have to get significantly better on defense and learn to pass. He is a better player than Randolph, not a good as Brand.

[TheFranchise21]

OT, but why is Randolph's nickname Z-Bo?