AG-bashing is fun but's it way overblown...he's got flaws in his game but he's still a very good player. If he could shoot 3's at 35% with 4 attempts a game, it'd be a whole different picture...well that's what he did last season. Not a spot up sharpshooter, not specifically a rim-protector, not a wizard ball handler...but he's very good at a lot of things.
He's 24 years old, over the last 3 seasons, he averaged 16ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.2 apg in a largely dysfunctional role. He's got as great a physical profile as any in the league at a spring-loaded 6'8 at 220 lbs with a 7' wingspan. He's played for a handful of coaches and systems in his years in ORL, so his job description (because he's potentially capable) has been a moving target. He's extremely agile and accepts the toughest defensive assignments every night, guarding 1-4 (Isaac is acknowledged as DPOY candidate but, to be fair, Isaac gets to opportunistically roam a bit while AG locks horns with stars all night). He signed a descending deal which peaks at just below $20m this season, $18.1 next, $16.4 in 21-22.
He routinely seeks and makes highlight reel plays which puts asses in the seats and ignites momentum and the crowd.
This season the Magic tried to force-feed him in the post and it wasn't pretty. When he gathers the ball on the perimeter and tries to make something from nothing, it isn't pretty. Put him on a team with a clearer offensive hierarchy and a more limited role and I could see him going nuts. ORL, as an apparent rule, concedes any offensive rebounding to get back on D. I think a team that would gamble to unleash AG on the offensive glass would have Rodman-like possession +/- mixed with Dominique-like poster put-backs every night. Hand him the ball in a plodding half-court set and say "lead us" and you get what you've seen. Let him fill lanes with a team that rips and runs, and you get a poster factory.
Show me the rookie that will produce what he does, numbers-wise, defensively, either way. If you need a spot-up 3 guy, draft him. But I don't see a lot of guys who will be more complete than AG. Obviously, a draftee is cost-controlled but, nowadays it's a fact, this year more than ever, that the draft is a crapshoot. The 3 top guys in the draft have huge bust potential. If your team is a contender or has an aging and/or disgruntled star who needs help, an 18 year old with "upside" is a lot dicier than AG. In Orl, the top 4 players swap ranking nearly every night. If AG was on a team with clear star authority, IMO, he'd be like an Igoudala, Marion, Draymond level contributor...you can see his stats are respectable but his contribution could exceed the stats.
I could write a similar critical post of AG because he's not a star but the facts stated are true and my point is only that he's far from a scrub or a bad contract. I've probably posted more AG trades than anyone here but I'm now more interested in moving Vuc, finding an Alpha scorer somehow and letting AG and Isaac run with Fultz and continue to terrorize defensively...keep your crappy picks.
