SmartWentCrazy wrote:celticfan42487 wrote:SmartWentCrazy wrote:
Bumping given the Ball meeting— guy is a perfect fit for what Ainge/Stevens look for in PGs and would definitely develop defensively if we drafted him.
If I'm not mistaken we've never developed anyone defensively but had amazing luck developing their 3 point shot?
Tony Allen
Tatum
Brown
Bradley
Smart
They were all either great or in Tatum's case only good defenders day 1.
Hell even Romeo sucked hitting a 3 but his body put him as at least a pretty good defender.
Not that I don't think our #1 need is a playmaking PG off the bench either.
But I don't think Ainge has even had a player go from a bad defender to an average one. And I think he makes a point to draft good defenders because it's something that can't easily be taught (or the market in his mind doesn't value and that's where he can find value).
Who havent we developed defensively? Read the pre-draft reports on Tatum [definitely considered bad] and Romeo [not a strength] and no one labeled them even average in this regard. Brown improved immensely too. Smart. Olynyk. Semi. Pretty much everyone improved by a material chunk under Brad. I can be critical of him, but Stevens is probably the best coach in the league with respect to developing defenders.
I know Tatum's report and he was considered average but not bad. They had concerns about his potential one on one agility (which has proven true)
Langford was considered a good defender, see his ESPN (draftexpress) profile and that was one of his pluses as well as being considered a potential stud defensively thanks to his ideal wing body on top of the good defense he's shown in college. Not Smart where he does it every game but on and off and flashes of studly defensiveness.
Brown was considered a good defender
Smart I don't have to speak here
Olynyk was bad and still is bad. **** Kelly.
Semi?
Again Ainge almost never drafts bad defenders. It has probably cost us hitting on studs like Herro often. But he doesn't draft guys who are duds on defense.
He DOES draft players that suck shooting a 3
TATUM - can't hit a 3 scouting profile
Brown - doesn't even know what hitting a 3 looks like
Smart - can't hit a 3 to save his life
Semi - can't hit a 3
Romeo - knowns how to hit only 30% of his 3s in college and looks horrible there
Kelly is the ultimate counter to all of Ainge's picks hahah. He's the one guy that CAN'T play defense and can hit a 3 haha. **** I hate Kelly haha.
This is in no way an indictment on Stevens developing defenders. Just Ainge has never drafted a bad defender or only does rarely. Stevens hasn't had a chance to transform a complete **** defender to a great one as a prospect.