planetmars wrote:Just to level set here.. I'm thinking Ben's problems were due to Doc more than anything last season. He didn't play in the bubble due to injury. The year prior, it felt like Jimmy had to have the ball and so Simmons took a back seat. With Embiid being the #1 option, it was just hard to get his usage up. Swap Gasol for Embiid and I bet Siakam's usage plummets as well in 2019.
And in 2018 he was still able to put up 14ppg in 10 games. He did take some shots (16% of the time on pull ups). Not many but he was trying.
It's all moot anyways. We've moved on. I just think that Ben get's a little too much flack and a lot of it has to do with how Doc handled things. Similar reason why PG was labeled Playoff P in the bubble, but then looked like a super star last season.
You can blame Doc, but he was the same under Brown. He went from 11 shots outside the paint, to the next season 1.
If a guy wont shoot, ill never blame a coach.
I put in his career numbers, 13 FGAs outside the paint for his career. For perspective, in 19-20, without Kawhi, Siakam shot 79 shots outside the paint. In that yr alone, Siakam shot 42 more 3s in that yr alone, than Simmons shot FGAs outside the paint for his career. Hell, Siakam shot 1 less
corner 3 that yr, than
all of SImmons FGAs outside the paint again for his career. Were comparing 11 games and 418 mins, to Simmons career in the POs (34 games/1192 mins). Your argument would have more merit if he didnt show that he would shoot more with Kawhi/etc.. gone.
If your argument is we swap out Embiid for Gasol, than I assume, were also swapping out Butler for Kawhi (increase in USG from 22.1 to 31.0)?? Are we upping/lower the pace to compare possessions used (not percentage)?? Im just not sure thats a fair argument, and one I dont care for.
PG was labeled this because....
THE NICKNAME WAS first uttered in a small room with about 15 reporters huddled around George. It was something of an off-handed comment the day before the Thunder opened the 2018 postseason against the Utah Jazz.
George was asked about shifting his responsibilities to guarding then-rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell. He tilted his head, grinned and in his smooth baritone delivered a quip that has followed him since.
"Y'all ain't met Playoff P yet, huh?"
He got the nickname well before the bubble. I would also argue against PG13 looking like a "superstar" last seasons Playoff (you didnt say Playoffs but its inferred by the context before it), I just dont care about that either. If your argument is Tyronn Lue was the reason after Donovan/Doc screwed him (the premise behind Doc/Brown), then im even less agreeable.