Official Trade Thread -- Part XXXIX

[Rafael122]

Would love to see if the Wizards can trade for Barton. Shep has to do something with the Robinson/Wagner/TBJ/Bonga group. With Robinson and Wagner's options not being picked up, it's clear they're not part of the long term future. TBJ is the 'prize' in lieu of the draft pick, under contract for this season and the next so it gives the team an idea of what they have in him.

[Ruzious]

I'm sure Sacramento likes Haliburton as much as you and I do. I don't think they'd trade him for Hachimura

Rui was picked higher than Hailburton in a draft that was considered better. And I don't think his value has declined since he was drafted.

Are you not too high on Hachimura or is it just that you like Haliburton more?

Both. I really wanted Haliburton in the draft - though I can't fault the Avdija pick. Rui's just an ok player, imo. It's interesting to hear fans of other teams talk about Rui - many think he has star potential - which leads me to believe he has significant trade value. Obviously fans don't make trades, so maybe I shouldn't put as much importance on their views.

[Ruzious]

Would love to see if the Wizards can trade for Barton. Shep has to do something with the Robinson/Wagner/TBJ/Bonga group. With Robinson and Wagner's options not being picked up, it's clear they're not part of the long term future. TBJ is the 'prize' in lieu of the draft pick, under contract for this season and the next so it gives the team an idea of what they have in him.

They gotta do something, because it's absurd that TBJ is getting dnp's - both for the team and the player. Tommy's got to be more cognizant of roster building, imo.

[payitforward]

nate & Zards -- that chart does illustrate pretty steady improvement over his rookie season. A good thing -- & puts a different spin on the idea of trading for him.

But... I don't think they'd have any interest in trading any of their young players except Collins.

[payitforward]

Would love to see if the Wizards can trade for Barton. Shep has to do something with the Robinson/Wagner/TBJ/Bonga group. With Robinson and Wagner's options not being picked up, it's clear they're not part of the long term future. TBJ is the 'prize' in lieu of the draft pick, under contract for this season and the next so it gives the team an idea of what they have in him.

Will Barton is a good player, & he was a tremendous bargain in the 2012 draft -- a R2 to remember....

But, how does he fit with us? For one thing, he turns 30 on Wednesday. For another, he has a $14.7 player option for next year. If his agent thinks he can a better deal than that, are we planning to retain him?

I'd be happy to trade Robinson & Wagner for him, but Denver wouldn't be interested. I'd have no interest whatever in trading Brown and/or Bonga for him.

[prime1time]

The issue for the Wiz will be do they package a much improved Hachimura this offseason for a star. 2 games into the season and he’s already answered many of the questions that people had about him before he was drafted. They said he couldn’t shoot, he has shown he can. They said he couldn’t defend, he has shown he can.

Read on Twitter

?s=21
They said he settled for too many mid range jumpers. He has moved his game to the low post and now draws fouls to go along with 3-point shooting. If Westbrook facilitated more and **** less, Rui would average 19-22 points on efficient numbers. Tbh, he still might. I think with Rui’s ascendance we have a chance to be a solid team.

[nate33]

Would love to see if the Wizards can trade for Barton. Shep has to do something with the Robinson/Wagner/TBJ/Bonga group. With Robinson and Wagner's options not being picked up, it's clear they're not part of the long term future. TBJ is the 'prize' in lieu of the draft pick, under contract for this season and the next so it gives the team an idea of what they have in him.

Will Barton is a good player, & he was a tremendous bargain in the 2012 draft -- a R2 to remember....

But, how does he fit with us? For one thing, he turns 30 on Wednesday. For another, he has a $14.7 player option for next year. If his agent thinks he can a better deal than that, are we planning to retain him?

I'd be happy to trade Robinson & Wagner for him, but Denver wouldn't be interested. I'd have no interest whatever in trading Brown and/or Bonga for him.

The Wizards have 5 useful forwards on the roster: Avdija, Hachimura, Bertans, Brown, and Bonga. Ultimately, we really only need 3

I can understand why many are looking into what can be obtained if we put Brown, Bonga or even Hachimura on the market.

I'm not sure Barton is the right guy, but keep the ideas flowing! What we really want is to consolidate 2 or 3 of those guys into 1 significantly better player. Of course, most teams in the league are looking to do the same thing, so it's not an easy trade to make.
Nobody wants to be the team trading one exceptional player for two good players.

[Frichuela]

The issue for the Wiz will be do they package a much improved Hachimura this offseason for a star. 2 games into the season and he’s already answered many of the questions that people had about him before he was drafted. They said he couldn’t shoot, he has shown he can. They said he couldn’t defend, he has shown he can.

Read on Twitter

?s=21
They said he settled for too many mid range jumpers. He has moved his game to the low post and now draws fouls to go along with 3-point shooting. If Westbrook facilitated more and **** less, Rui would average 19-22 points on efficient numbers. Tbh, he still might. I think with Rui’s ascendance we have a chance to be a solid team.

Agreed. The team has looked much better since Rui is back. He brings another dimension to our offense (low post, able to play ISO when needed), with significantly improved physicality and 3 point shooting form. I believe him and Westbrook are going to gel well as the season goes on. In fact, I like how Russ can play off all Bertans, Rui, Bryant and Deni. All of them have the potential to gel with Russ well. All can space the court while bringing different skills to the table:
*Bertans- huge gravitas as a 3pt threat (as well as cuts to the basket).
*Rui- low post threat against smaller defenders plus improved 3 pt combined with good mid-range.
*Bryant- P&R and P&P.
*Deni- much better (than expected) 3 pt form plus the ability to also play the low post.

The issue is pairing Russ with Ish in the 2nd unit, awful combo!!! Someone (Nate I believe?) mentioned sending Beal first to the bench, to be paired with Ish later. Even better, DNP Ish and use Neto as his replacement!!! Neto gels with Russ much better IMO.

[nate33]

The issue is pairing Russ with Ish in the 2nd unit, awful combo!!! Someone (Nate I believe?) mentioned sending Beal first to the bench, to be paired with Ish later. Even better, DNP Ish and use Neto as his replacement!!! Neto gels with Russ much better IMO.

When Beal is on without Westbrook, we could probably use a PG alongside him. (I'm fine with Brown, but clearly Brooks isn't.) That PG could be Ish or Neto, they each have their strengths and weaknesses. I think Neto is better, but I can live with Brooks siding with Ish.

My problem is that when Westbrook is on without Beal, why the heck are we pairing him with a PG at all? Westbrook is the PG.
He should be paired with shooting. Heck, it might even make sense for him to be paired with Robinson who can at least defend the position. But he absolutely should not be paired with Ish, and I don't really think Neto makes much sense either.

[Frichuela]

The issue is pairing Russ with Ish in the 2nd unit, awful combo!!! Someone (Nate I believe?) mentioned sending Beal first to the bench, to be paired with Ish later. Even better, DNP Ish and use Neto as his replacement!!! Neto gels with Russ much better IMO.

When Beal is on without Westbrook, we could probably use a PG alongside him. (I'm fine with Brown, but clearly Brooks isn't.) That PG could be Ish or Neto, they each have their strengths and weaknesses. I think Neto is better, but I can live with Brooks siding with Ish.

My problem is that when Westbrook is on without Beal, why the heck are we pairing him with a PG at all? Westbrook is the PG.
He should be paired with shooting. Heck, it might even make sense for him to be paired with Robinson who can at least defend the position. But he absolutely should not be paired with Ish, and I don't really think Neto makes much sense either.

When looking at 2-player line-ups in NBA stats so far, the Westbrook/Ish pair is literally the WORST of all combinations (filtered for a minimum of 45 minutes played)...with a Netretg of -20.2

The Westbrook/Neto pair is also bad, with a Netretg of -11.8, and the Beal/Ish is horrendous at -13.1. Conclusion: bench Ish for good! and if you do not want to play Troy at PG, play Neto.

All stats are in this link:

https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced/?Season=2020-21&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&GroupQuantity=2&TeamID=1610612764&sort=NET_RATING&dir=1&CF=MIN*G*45

[SA37]

Rui was picked higher than Hailburton in a draft that was considered better. And I don't think his value has declined since he was drafted.

Are you not too high on Hachimura or is it just that you like Haliburton more?

Both. I really wanted Haliburton in the draft - though I can't fault the Avdija pick. Rui's just an ok player, imo. It's interesting to hear fans of other teams talk about Rui - many think he has star potential - which leads me to believe he has significant trade value. Obviously fans don't make trades, so maybe I shouldn't put as much importance on their views.

I am not sure if Hachimura has star potential, but that isn't necessarily a negative thing. We all want guys to turn into stars, but they are few and far between.

Hachimura has really, really good fundamentals and has a good bball IQ. He is crafty in the post, has a solid jumper which extends out to the 3-point line, and he is a solid passer. He reminds me a lot of Paul Millsap and Rudy Gay (although he is not quite as athletic and minus the scorers mentality).

His trade value, like any other young guy, is based mainly on what teams think his ceiling is. The league has adopted smaller lineups for longer stretches of games and Hachimura has the versatility to be effective both inside and outside (he really punished the Nets last night for putting Irving and TLC on him; eventually they put KD on him and he was still able to take KD down low). He doesn't have the flash or the hype other guys do, but I think he is a really good prospect.

[NatP4]

The issue is pairing Russ with Ish in the 2nd unit, awful combo!!! Someone (Nate I believe?) mentioned sending Beal first to the bench, to be paired with Ish later. Even better, DNP Ish and use Neto as his replacement!!! Neto gels with Russ much better IMO.

When Beal is on without Westbrook, we could probably use a PG alongside him. (I'm fine with Brown, but clearly Brooks isn't.) That PG could be Ish or Neto, they each have their strengths and weaknesses. I think Neto is better, but I can live with Brooks siding with Ish.

My problem is that when Westbrook is on without Beal, why the heck are we pairing him with a PG at all? Westbrook is the PG.
He should be paired with shooting. Heck, it might even make sense for him to be paired with Robinson who can at least defend the position. But he absolutely should not be paired with Ish, and I don't really think Neto makes much sense either.

When looking at 2-player line-ups in NBA stats so far, the Westbrook/Ish pair is literally the WORST of all combinations (filtered for a minimum of 45 minutes played)...with a Netretg of -20.2

The Westbrook/Neto pair is also bad, with a Netretg of -11.8, and the Beal/Ish is horrendous at -13.1. Conclusion: bench Ish for good! and if you do not want to play Troy at PG, play Neto.

All stats are in this link:

https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced/?Season=2020-21&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&GroupQuantity=2&TeamID=1610612764&sort=NET_RATING&dir=1&CF=MIN*G*45

Notice the Ish/Lopez combo that has played 90 minutes through 7 games together and has posted a horrendous -13.7 net rating. We have two boat anchors off the bench that are totally killing the team and Brooks loves them.

Bonga&Avdija have posted a ridiculous 40.6 net rating in 46 minutes together, Bonga&Bryant? 13.9. Bonga&Beal? 13.1. so naturally, let’s just not play Bonga at all.

And guess what? The two games that Bonga didn’t play, we won!!!! So now Brooks has it figured out, Bonga was the problem!!! He actually thinks like this. We won’t see Bonga again for weeks. We won’t see Garrison Mathews until Robinson is cut or traded, we might not even see our 2018 1st round pick Troy Brown Jr until Ish Smith retires.

This is a good roster with the worst coach in the NBA.

[Frichuela]

Are you not too high on Hachimura or is it just that you like Haliburton more?

Both. I really wanted Haliburton in the draft - though I can't fault the Avdija pick. Rui's just an ok player, imo. It's interesting to hear fans of other teams talk about Rui - many think he has star potential - which leads me to believe he has significant trade value. Obviously fans don't make trades, so maybe I shouldn't put as much importance on their views.

I am not sure if Hachimura has star potential, but that isn't necessarily a negative thing. We all want guys to turn into stars, but they are few and far between.

Hachimura has really, really good fundamentals and has a good bball IQ. He is crafty in the post, has a solid jumper which extends out to the 3-point line, and he is a solid passer. He reminds me a lot of Paul Millsap and Rudy Gay (although he is not quite as athletic and minus the scorers mentality).

His trade value, like any other young guy, is based mainly on what teams think his ceiling is. The league has adopted smaller lineups for longer stretches of games and Hachimura has the versatility to be effective both inside and outside (he really punished the Nets last night for putting Irving and TLC on him; eventually they put KD on him and he was still able to take KD down low). He doesn't have the flash or the hype other guys do, but I think he is a really good prospect.

Thank you. Very good points. Rui's improvement from last year is quite obvious. In particular, he is showing a much better ability to read the floor (3 assists yesterday).

Please feel welcome to visit us and post more often!

[Frichuela]

When Beal is on without Westbrook, we could probably use a PG alongside him. (I'm fine with Brown, but clearly Brooks isn't.) That PG could be Ish or Neto, they each have their strengths and weaknesses. I think Neto is better, but I can live with Brooks siding with Ish.

My problem is that when Westbrook is on without Beal, why the heck are we pairing him with a PG at all? Westbrook is the PG.
He should be paired with shooting. Heck, it might even make sense for him to be paired with Robinson who can at least defend the position. But he absolutely should not be paired with Ish, and I don't really think Neto makes much sense either.

When looking at 2-player line-ups in NBA stats so far, the Westbrook/Ish pair is literally the WORST of all combinations (filtered for a minimum of 45 minutes played)...with a Netretg of -20.2

The Westbrook/Neto pair is also bad, with a Netretg of -11.8, and the Beal/Ish is horrendous at -13.1. Conclusion: bench Ish for good! and if you do not want to play Troy at PG, play Neto.

All stats are in this link:

https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced/?Season=2020-21&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&GroupQuantity=2&TeamID=1610612764&sort=NET_RATING&dir=1&CF=MIN*G*45

Notice the Ish/Lopez combo that has played 90 minutes through 7 games together and has posted a horrendous -13.7 net rating. We have two boat anchors off the bench that are totally killing the team and Brooks loves them.

Bonga&Avdija have posted a ridiculous 40.6 net rating in 46 minutes together, Bonga&Bryant? 13.9. Bonga&Beal? 13.1. so naturally, let’s just not play Bonga at all.

And guess what? The two games that Bonga didn’t play, we won!!!! So now Brooks has it figured out, Bonga was the problem!!! He actually thinks like this. We won’t see Bonga again for weeks. We won’t see Garrison Mathews until Robinson is cut or traded, we might not even see our 2018 1st round pick Troy Brown Jr until Ish Smith retires.

This is a good roster with the worst coach in the NBA.

This is why if we want this team to play to its potential, 2 things are needed:

1) Trade Ish/Lopez for whatever contributor. Ideally, a solid defensive center. Would Memphis consider a package of these two (plus Robinson) for Dieng? Dieng is playing quite well this year. Not sure if there is any other available (expiring) center out there in the $12-17 mn range.
2) and most importantly, fire Brooks!

[SA37]

The issue is pairing Russ with Ish in the 2nd unit, awful combo!!! Someone (Nate I believe?) mentioned sending Beal first to the bench, to be paired with Ish later. Even better, DNP Ish and use Neto as his replacement!!! Neto gels with Russ much better IMO.

When Beal is on without Westbrook, we could probably use a PG alongside him. (I'm fine with Brown, but clearly Brooks isn't.) That PG could be Ish or Neto, they each have their strengths and weaknesses. I think Neto is better, but I can live with Brooks siding with Ish.

My problem is that when Westbrook is on without Beal, why the heck are we pairing him with a PG at all? Westbrook is the PG.
He should be paired with shooting. Heck, it might even make sense for him to be paired with Robinson who can at least defend the position. But he absolutely should not be paired with Ish, and I don't really think Neto makes much sense either.

When looking at 2-player line-ups in NBA stats so far, the Westbrook/Ish pair is literally the WORST of all combinations (filtered for a minimum of 45 minutes played)...with a Netretg of -20.2

The Westbrook/Neto pair is also bad, with a Netretg of -11.8, and the Beal/Ish is horrendous at -13.1. Conclusion: bench Ish for good! and if you do not want to play Troy at PG, play Neto.

All stats are in this link:

https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced/?Season=2020-21&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&GroupQuantity=2&TeamID=1610612764&sort=NET_RATING&dir=1&CF=MIN*G*45

That's not surpising at all. Ish Smith is fantastic with the ball in his hands because he is just so slithery and fast. He gets into the lane in a flash. He is not going to be very effective off the ball -- which is Westbrook's problem. Neto can really shoot the ball, or at least that seems to be the case based on the first few games, so he is going to be a much better option playing off the ball. The question is how long that will work on the defensive end.

For all the positives Westbrook brings to games, to me he just doesn't inspire confidence, especially down the stretch. Watching him, words like "frenetic," "chaotic," "reckless," and "impulsive" seem to be the most appropriate. It's basically everything you don't want from a player who is going to be handling the ball and making decisions down the stretch. If I were Washington, I'd seriously consider taking him off the floor in the last 3-4 minutes of tight games.

Bryant - Bertans - Hachimura - Beal - Neto/Robinson is probably a better lineup. Beal can handle the ball well enough and Hachimura can get his own offense too. All the other guys can shoot and keep defenses from just collapsing on Beal or Hachimura.

[pcbothwel]

Are you not too high on Hachimura or is it just that you like Haliburton more?

Both. I really wanted Haliburton in the draft - though I can't fault the Avdija pick. Rui's just an ok player, imo. It's interesting to hear fans of other teams talk about Rui - many think he has star potential - which leads me to believe he has significant trade value. Obviously fans don't make trades, so maybe I shouldn't put as much importance on their views.

I am not sure if Hachimura has star potential, but that isn't necessarily a negative thing. We all want guys to turn into stars, but they are few and far between.

Hachimura has really, really good fundamentals and has a good bball IQ. He is crafty in the post, has a solid jumper which extends out to the 3-point line, and he is a solid passer. He reminds me a lot of Paul Millsap and Rudy Gay (although he is not quite as athletic and minus the scorers mentality).

His trade value, like any other young guy, is based mainly on what teams think his ceiling is. The league has adopted smaller lineups for longer stretches of games and Hachimura has the versatility to be effective both inside and outside (he really punished the Nets last night for putting Irving and TLC on him; eventually they put KD on him and he was still able to take KD down low). He doesn't have the flash or the hype other guys do, but I think he is a really good prospect.

Rui has more functional strength than Gay and is well on his way to being a much better player.
Rudy Gay for his career averaged as many turnovers as assist, while Rui is already a 2:1 ratio and getting better...FAST.

Gay is a career 53% TS scorer (Consistently been ~53% throughout each part of his career), while Rui hit 53% his rookie year and looks well on his way to the upper 50's, possible 60 in his prime.

[SA37]

This is why if we want this team to play to its potential, 2 things are needed:

1) Trade Ish/Lopez for whatever contributor. Ideally, a solid defensive center. Would Memphis consider a package of these two (plus Robinson) for Dieng? Dieng is playing quite well this year. Not sure if there is any other available (expiring) center out there in the $12-17 mn range.
2) and most importantly, fire Brooks!

Dieng is playing like a man whose agent just whispered "btw, it's a contract year for you."

I don't know what San Antonio's plan is for the "old guard," but Patty Mills would be an excellent addition to the Wizards (an upgrade over Neto/Ish and gives you a guy who can step in and start when Westbrook skips back to backs). Lopez and Ish Smith for Mills works. It would leave Washington thin at center, but Ian Mahinmi is still available.

[Frichuela]

This is why if we want this team to play to its potential, 2 things are needed:

1) Trade Ish/Lopez for whatever contributor. Ideally, a solid defensive center. Would Memphis consider a package of these two (plus Robinson) for Dieng? Dieng is playing quite well this year. Not sure if there is any other available (expiring) center out there in the $12-17 mn range.
2) and most importantly, fire Brooks!

Dieng is playing like a man whose agent just whispered "btw, it's a contract year for you."

I don't know what San Antonio's plan is for the "old guard," but Patty Mills would be an excellent addition to the Wizards (an upgrade over Neto/Ish and gives you a guy who can step in and start when Westbrook skips back to backs). Lopez and Ish Smith for Mills works. It would leave Washington thin at center, but Ian Mahinmi is still available.

Interesting idea. It looks like San Antonio could do with another center behind Poetl (I guess they also play Aldridge as C these days). But why would they want to move Mills? To free-up playing time for younger guards perhaps? I would not like to give SAS another incentive for an expiring Mills such as a 2nd rounder (maybe they take Robinson?).

The other issue (as you said) is we lose Lopez and have to play Wagner and AP as centers to replace Bryant...unless we can pick up a prospect such as Patton (to replace AP).

[nate33]

When Beal is on without Westbrook, we could probably use a PG alongside him. (I'm fine with Brown, but clearly Brooks isn't.) That PG could be Ish or Neto, they each have their strengths and weaknesses. I think Neto is better, but I can live with Brooks siding with Ish.

My problem is that when Westbrook is on without Beal, why the heck are we pairing him with a PG at all? Westbrook is the PG.
He should be paired with shooting. Heck, it might even make sense for him to be paired with Robinson who can at least defend the position. But he absolutely should not be paired with Ish, and I don't really think Neto makes much sense either.

When looking at 2-player line-ups in NBA stats so far, the Westbrook/Ish pair is literally the WORST of all combinations (filtered for a minimum of 45 minutes played)...with a Netretg of -20.2

The Westbrook/Neto pair is also bad, with a Netretg of -11.8, and the Beal/Ish is horrendous at -13.1. Conclusion: bench Ish for good! and if you do not want to play Troy at PG, play Neto.

All stats are in this link:

https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced/?Season=2020-21&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&GroupQuantity=2&TeamID=1610612764&sort=NET_RATING&dir=1&CF=MIN*G*45

Notice the Ish/Lopez combo that has played 90 minutes through 7 games together and has posted a horrendous -13.7 net rating. We have two boat anchors off the bench that are totally killing the team and Brooks loves them.

Bonga&Avdija have posted a ridiculous 40.6 net rating in 46 minutes together, Bonga&Bryant? 13.9. Bonga&Beal? 13.1. so naturally, let’s just not play Bonga at all.

And guess what? The two games that Bonga didn’t play, we won!!!! So now Brooks has it figured out, Bonga was the problem!!! He actually thinks like this. We won’t see Bonga again for weeks. We won’t see Garrison Mathews until Robinson is cut or traded, we might not even see our 2018 1st round pick Troy Brown Jr until Ish Smith retires.

This is a good roster with the worst coach in the NBA.

I don't want to draw too many definitive conclusions with on/off numbers from a sample size of just 7 games. If we use the stats to conclude that Ish is horrible, we must also conclude that Troy Brown is horrible, and we know that's not the case. It's why I'm not ready to conclude that Neto is unquestionably better than Ish. And I'm not quite ready to cut Robin Lopez.

But we can make some roster decisions based on simple common sense. It is common sense that you can't put two guys together who both need the ball in their hands and can't play off ball, and expect the synergy to be good. Westbrook and Ish should never play together. Westbrook doesn't need a PG alongside him, but if you must bring in a second ball-handler, at least have it be Neto who can function off ball. Better yet, use Troy Brown.

And we have a full season of on/off numbers from last year that prove that Bonga helps the team when he is on the court, and those numbers have persisted through several games this year. Bonga should play more. (But not as the mother effing point guard!) Playing a 2-point guard lineup with a 6-4 shooting guard at SF is stupid when you have Bonga on the bench ready to play.

[prime1time]

Both. I really wanted Haliburton in the draft - though I can't fault the Avdija pick. Rui's just an ok player, imo. It's interesting to hear fans of other teams talk about Rui - many think he has star potential - which leads me to believe he has significant trade value. Obviously fans don't make trades, so maybe I shouldn't put as much importance on their views.

I am not sure if Hachimura has star potential, but that isn't necessarily a negative thing. We all want guys to turn into stars, but they are few and far between.

Hachimura has really, really good fundamentals and has a good bball IQ. He is crafty in the post, has a solid jumper which extends out to the 3-point line, and he is a solid passer. He reminds me a lot of Paul Millsap and Rudy Gay (although he is not quite as athletic and minus the scorers mentality).

His trade value, like any other young guy, is based mainly on what teams think his ceiling is. The league has adopted smaller lineups for longer stretches of games and Hachimura has the versatility to be effective both inside and outside (he really punished the Nets last night for putting Irving and TLC on him; eventually they put KD on him and he was still able to take KD down low). He doesn't have the flash or the hype other guys do, but I think he is a really good prospect.

Rui has more functional strength than Gay and is well on his way to being a much better player.
Rudy Gay for his career averaged as many turnovers as assist, while Rui is already a 2:1 ratio and getting better...FAST.

Gay is a career 53% TS scorer (Consistently been ~53% throughout each part of his career), while Rui hit 53% his rookie year and looks well on his way to the upper 50's, possible 60 in his prime.

I talked about it in his thread but even in college Rui did not fit into the normal wing paradigm. Rui is different than Gay because 1, he’s much stronger and 2, he’s a player that learned to play inside out. What I mean by that is he’s a wing who developed low post and mid range before developing his outside scoring game. This is why Rui was so efficient in college. And it’s why he’s going to be an effective player now. As for star potential Idk. What I do know is that in a league that loves to switch everything Rui will be a major problem for defenses. Just give it some time and our offense will get more comfortable going into the post to Rui. Look for Rui’s assist numbers to go up as help comes.