Is Al Jefferson a good enough player to be a 2nd option?

[JordansBulls]

Is Al Jefferson a good enough player to be a 2nd option on a championship team?

The guy as the #1 option puts up 21/11 on 50% and is only 23.

How good would he be if he were the 2nd option behind someone like Lebron or Wade, etc.

Simply put, 2nd option referring to someone who is considered the 2nd best player on the team and not the focal point of the offense.

[Rasho Brezec]

You already answered the question yourself. Yes, he is.

[Prophet_C]

Yes, easily.

[Malinhion]

Yes, he is.

His defense is too suspect to be a #1. But he could be close, like Boozer to Deron in Utah.

[greenbeans]

if you put him with Lebron or Wade theyd be in the finals often. this will be his year imo.

[deeney0]

No doubt, you can taylor make a championship team with Al Jefferson as the #2 guy. The question is can Taylor make a championship team around Al Jefferson.

[BitonKOBE]

errh. he'd be one of the best second options in he entire league in a year or two...

[tclg]

I definitely think that he can be a real second option

[Ballings7]

Absolutely.

I actually think he's good enough as a #1, or will turn out that way.

[BiggieSmalls]

i think hes the perfect second option on a team, thats why i thought minny would be decent this year and good in the future when they drafted mayo, but idk who that dynamic scoring guard is goin to be along side him now.

[drza]

He'd be a lethal second option as long as the first option is versatile. Big Al is going to score and rebound but is a bit weaker on defense/passing. So he needs the ball in his hands on the block, he needs to play with someone else that can create offense for teammates, and he needs some defensive help down low. So you wouldn't want him necessarily as the second option to prime Shaq or Allen Iverson, as one would push Big Al off the block (not good) and the other dominates the ball so much that Big Al couldn't get his touches (not optimal).

But put him next to Duncan or KG, or with a guard/big-man tandem like Chris Paul/Chandler and it could be very interesting.

[GuyverX]

He'd be a great 2nd option depending who the 1st option is.

[dsorc]

As long as the first option is not another low post big this is an easy yes. He's probably even fine as a first option.

[Rocky5000]

Depends on who the first option is, if it's Lebron, yes, if it's Jason Richardson, no. I also don't think he's good enough to win a title as a first option, he can definitely make the playoffs that way though.

[Cevap]

I think he's one of the worst first options today. Maybe he'd make a decent second option, maybe not. But he shouldn't be trusted with leading a team anywhere.

[Tricky Ricky]

Depends on who the first option is, if it's Lebron, yes, if it's Jason Richardson, no. I also don't think he's good enough to win a title as a first option, he can definitely make the playoffs that way though.

If J RIch and Big AL were on the team id hope Big Al was the #1 option

[Iggyemu]

I always thought he was good enough to be a number 1. But yea depends on who the first option is. Any top 10 swing man would probably relegate Jefferson to #2.

[A.J.]

He is a number 1 with the T-Wolves so of course he is good enough to be a number 2 option.

[CellarDoor]

Maybe it's me, but I see a lot of people mentioning defense as if that has anything to do with being a 1st/2nd/3rd option: it doesn't. What option you are for your teams offense has nothing to with your defensive prowess. You can be a horrible defender and be a 1st option and a damn good one (see Iverson, Allen).

That said, AlJeff would make a fine second option. He is no worse than either one of PP's second options. In the scoring department he's on the level of a Parker/Gino. Shaq in 06 is probably a better 2nd option with regards to impact on the game. He's better than the second option on the Pistons. I would say you have to go back to the Kobe/Shaq Lakers to find a second option definitively better than AlJeff. That being said the current trend seems to be a good second option, but also that third option. Your Ray Allens, your Ginobolis, your Price/Sheeds. Unless you have an absolutely dominating force(s), you need three. Shaq, Kobe, Wade, Jordan, Hakeem.

[JordansBulls]

So if you take off Big Z and Ben Wallace on Cleveland and put Al Jefferson would they be title contenders?

Or if you take off Marion and Beasley from Miami would they be title contenders?