Xatticus wrote:ezzzp wrote:Bensational wrote:I don't think it's a bad thing for him to be working on. We didn't have any strong post up options on the team, Vuc included (ranked in the 50th percentile - which is only because his FTrate is so low on those shots, it drags his PPP down), so we need someone who can get us buckets in that range once in a while just to be able to catch defenses off guard.
What I hope he means about getting better in the post is that he's talking about the high post and more mid-range jumpers around there and the elbow. That was what I felt he learned the most from playing against Kawhi in that series, was seeing just how he gets his shots and where he chooses to get them. AG was actually working to get some really nice, patient, deliberate shots from his post work in the high post, and he was hitting those pull ups at a high percentage in the playoffs. That's a playoff shot, so I don't mind if he, Vuc, Ross, Fournier, whoever all start to work on having a couple of shots they're good with in that range, because it showed we lacked that element last season.
But if it's his post-up game specifically that he's working on, still doesn't seem like a bad thing. I can't imagine he's neglecting the rest of his game just for that. Even if he do enough just to claw that shot back into respectability a bit more.
Nah, Vucevic shot an excellent .494 FG% from Post Ups and was ranked 7th in entire NBA for PPG in the post.
The main reason that Vucevic is ranked in the 50th percentile has to do with volume impacting rank. Daniel Theis is ranked in the top 99th percentile of NBA because he only posted up 13 times. Meanwhile Kawhi Leonard was in the 60th percentile...and the best post up big in the NBA, Joel Embiid, was only ranked in the 78th percentile.
You have to look at efficiency and volume to contextualize the rank...Joel Embiid shot .501 FG% (518 poss), Kawhi .481 FG% (134 poss), Vucevic .494 (434 poss) FG%...Aaron Gordon .420 FG% (173 poss). Its not even close...Aaron Gordon was not good in that play.
Toronto was ecstatic to give him room, especially in the mid range. They were ok with it as long as they could hedge/cheat off him in order to shut down any Vucevic - DJ/Fournier PnR action. Gordon converted them, making 6-11 mid rangers, but that's hardly an indicator...here is Aaron Gordon from mid-range in past 4 years:
23: 58-176 (.333 FG%)
22: 52-157 (.331 FG%)
21: 69-191 (.391 FG%)
20: 32-101 (.317 FG%)
It's not even remotely close to Kawhi's mid range shooting - not even when Kawhi was at similar age:
23: 131-296 (.443 FG%)
22: 79-174 (.454 FG%)
21: 56-116 (.483 FG%)
20: 27-73 (.370 FG%)
At a certain point its about the team winning games, as opposed to letting Gordon practice shots he hasn't been able to make. I would much rather he focus on maximizing the shots he can make. Let Ross and Fournier shoot those mid rangers when needed, they're much better at it than he is.
I just can't fathom how a player working on a deficiency can be construed as a negative.
50th percentile is 50th percentile. That's a measure of efficiency. I won't speak too much on it because I don't know precisely how their tracking data works. 7th in post PPG just means he is taking a lot of those shots. That's volume, not efficiency. Vucevic's shortcoming has always been his microscopic FTr. He is like a .280 hitter that doesn't draw walks. The batting average looks kind of pretty, but the actual efficiency leaves a lot to be desired.
I'm fairly certain that Gordon was referring to the low post. I think your offense has fundamental problems if you are relying heavily on feeding anyone in the post. The NBA has largely moved on from it in favor of pick-and-roll action. The pick-and-roll takes less time to initiate and it is tougher to defend. That said, you want players that can take advantage of whatever the defense gives you.
This was a simple comment from Gordon about trying to expand his skill set and it is being twisted into him trying to steal shots from other players. Even if this was the case, I couldn't get riled up about it because nobody on this team has a track record of excellence at the offensive end.
If there is a discussion about Vucevic, Gordon, Isaac, Bamba—anyone with even a glimmer of potential on this team, there is usually a vicious attempt to discredit anything that player does well and highlight everything that player does not do well.
AG also went into detail about working on his range and consistency from the arc, but nah—he’s working on a weak area in his game, so we should all probably go bananas and cite to stats that show that this is a weak area in his game—just as he stated.
Why would anyone want to play for fans like this?