About Gortat and Lopez

[Juan Montoya]

When Gortat had his first few games we often saw him trying to be fancy around the rim, trieng to beautifully do lay ups, show some "finesse". More often then not his shots would be blocked and his finger rolls, rolling off the rim. His hands seemed so insecure, in Orlando they used to call him "Butterfingers".

Since a couple of games now we see Gortat finishing really strong around the rim, his dunks are often unexpected and more spectacular then you would think he would be able to do. He changed his style of play, playing more aggressive and more determined, attacking the rim with force! Saving his "finesse skills" for mid range jump shots which he is also able to knock down. The guy has huge potential and we are watching a guy growing into his role. A strong bigman that isnt afraid to bring out the hammer, but also beeing able to knock down the J.

His main change imo was to play more aggressively, he gives us some real presence with that attitude, also on defense.

Lopez on the other hand seems to be were Gortat was at the very beginning of his time here, often appearing to be soft, gets pushed around a bit too much under the rim, and also has the tendency to go for a easy lay up, going away from the defender, trying to avoid too much contact... I think Lopez could be more aggressive, often when I see his plays I'm thinking man dont get pushed around like that, maybe put some more weight on and just play more aggressively.

I think both players are a big asset and will grow to be much better then they are now. I just think Lopez could use some more intensity and physical presence in his play. What do you think about them?

[76ciology]

The difference between both players is their work ethic. Gortat knows what happens when you take playing in the NBA for granted. He went through a lot of hardships by playing limited minutes and his stint in the NBADL. What I like about Gortat is his enthusiastic in playing the game. A perfect example was during the Celtics game when it seems he has hurt his ankle during a play. But as soon as he sees someone is about to replace him, he shook it off and act like nothing happened. Try to notice also how he seems uncomfortable when he sits on the bench. He doesn't wore his warmers and always seems ready to be subbed in. Workethic, that is what sets them apart.