GoBlue72391 wrote:Dresden wrote:Doesn't this sounds just like what was said about Wendell Carter? They are out of the same mold.
I'd say more Lauri than Wendell. I never really recalled a lack of aggression or fire from WCJ, just a lack of effectiveness. The athleticism description (slow, plodding, stiff) does apply to WCJ, but not the personality stuff. But at least WCJ has been able to contribute to the level of a low-end starter/solid backup; not great by any means, but better than what PWill has shown thus far.
Lauri and PWill both have natural skills/tools that are negated by their own lack of aggression/confidence. But Lauri at least has shown he does have a fire inside him and he can bring it out on occasion, however fleeting that may be. Not so from PWill; I've never once seen anything resembling a fire/edge/dog in him/whatever you want to call it.
Not that I think PWill has all-world talent like some do, but he definitely should be better than what is. I've always thought Lauri was and is the far better prospect, but I know a ton of people will disagree with that, which is fine.
You just watch them both for a little while, and I actually agree w/you re: Lauri.
I sadly disagree on WCJ in that...WCJ though slow, plodding, and stiff...actually moves similarly to Pat, except he's most definitely a 4, and possibly a 5 (vs.
maybe a 4 like Pat
maybe could be). In other words, he looks very much like Pat except he's a better functional athlete/basketball player in terms of physical ability because what he is, is not as bad for WCJ's size.
Pat will improve his skills and confidence over time. I think he just lacks a competitiveness, and will to win. You just see this in terms of fight for rebounds, not just in traffic. Lazy stuff like just turning around when a shot goes up, and typically no urgency to move anywhere - on either side of the ball - unless he's defending and his man has the ball. He's just so lackadaisical and that has nothing to do w/confidence.
Someone questioned whether he even likes the game near my post you two quoted, and I think that's unfair. I think he really loves basketball, and wants to get better, but it seems to me more like it's a fun, joyous pursuit for Pat rather than driven by competitive nature (e.g. - MJ, Kobe-types on the absolute extreme side). I don't need the yelling, or the histrionics of a Joakim Noah (which quite honestly make him overrated here). I'd like to see Pat
move, and
compete like winning and losing mean something to him - and we just don't really see that.
The ordinary to
maybe good athleticism + this lack of competitiveness + needing to wait years for him to develop and improve skills (and again, I think he will) just aren't worth the time and investment, and hold us back for what we could have in a player at his salary level.
