07-06-2022, 09:26 AM
(07-06-2022, 09:20 AM)Dundalis Wrote: Yeah his shooting looks legit, and the 3 level scoring potential is definitely there. But his handle is being overlooked IMO. I really really like it. Some of the techniques he uses in PnR action as the ball handler are pretty advanced and look very natural for him. Basically to me he has a number of those counter move tools with a tight handle you need to max out your offensive abilities without being a great athlete, just like what Luka and Brunson have been able to do (IMO despite all the criticism, he's a much better athlete than both, he pulls off quick burst moves even without wrong footing his defender than I've not seen from Brunson).
He's not seeing a minute without showing he can be 10x the defender he was in the G League though (which is prob still not a good defender). So really it's fingers crossed his defensive issues were something other than not having the athletic tools, a low motor or being clueless awareness wise. No matter his huge offensive potential, his defense could prevent him from developing his game properly with his team until he gets traded to a bad team that can actually afford to play him and let him work out the kinks. A hell of a lot rides on what he can do defensively IMO.
I agree with his ball handling. One of the reasons I was attracted to him is his ball handling. He has a knack of creating space and dribbling in very tight areas. I am sure he is going to dribble himself into some really bad areas this summer and probably for the foreseeable future, but I think he is going to be a very ball handler.
As far as the defense, I also agree. It is important to take a long term view with him. These next two years will be very important for him with his development. He will probably, for the first time in his life, not get a lot of pub or attention. He will also need to transition himself from a ball dependent player to one who can do other things to get on the court. Maybe in time he can be more of a ball dependent player. But to get on the court, he will need to improve other parts of his game to NBA level.