skones wrote:Jazzfan12 wrote:He looked really impressive on offense again tonight, but is his pick-and-roll defense always bad? He was way too high in stance tonight and stayed with the ball handler too long it seemed like and gambled for too many blocks.
I do like him though. Giant, great athlete, capable passer, good touch.
Disagree. He was aggressive on the offensive end, calling for the ball, but had far too much trouble trying to maintain position in the post, especially in the first half, against much smaller players. In addition, his shot selection was god awful in the first half. The form on his jumper was very ugly, and he looked completely lost on the defensive end. The guy is very agile for his size and moves extremely well, but beyond that, I don't see much of his current game translating well to the NBA.
he does need more lower body strength, which if his work this past off-season is any indication, i think he'll get.
he does a good job fighting for position, but constantly holding position in the college (or fiba) game for a period of time, especially when you're surrounded by non-shooters who arent good at feeding the post, is a difficult task. its physically taxing as well and deflating when the player fights for good position and doesnt receive the ball. with no defensive 3, its very easy to clog the lane, front the post, double off the ball and shade weakside which is exactly what happens to meyers. think about the lack of back to the basket, post scorers in the NBA. now imagine how many there would be if there were no defensive 3. lets not act like post scorers in the college game are common.
despite what you might think about the form on his jumper (which really isnt that bad other than his elbow being slightly out), it's an accurate shot with soft touch.
we're so used to seeing long, athletic 7'ers with no offensive skill whatsoever get into the league. here we have a kid who shares those same physical attributes while displaying a willingness to work out of the post, utilizing real post moves, pass out of the post, make FTs and mid-range jumpers, yet nothing out of his game is translatable?? i dont get it.