Big Val is not used right by the Raptors. He is skilled and has the size to play so low; if he was here he is the best in the league, IMO. Look out for Collins both John and Zack. John summer league was as solid as it could be. The position is as weak as it has ever been so look for the youth to make a name for themselves.
1. Minnesota had great roster : KAT, Wiggins, Lavine, Rubbio, Dieng, Gibson etc and was the one of the worst teams in the NBA If Towns is so good they should have been much, much better. For example 76s were amazing with Joel Embiid and not having other great players in roster (Embiid played only 30 games). Towns is not that good defensively (if not just bad) 2. About Jokić : a) he has very good defensive real plus minus b) stats shows he improves team offensively and also defensively. c) his rim protection based on active hands and deflections, more than just physicality and blocking, so he lets less shots than other centers d) his teammates are bad at defense and many times during defending pick and rolls Jokić is alone against two players without help of his teammates and his allowing 61.9 percent shooting from restricted area often is a result of this hopeless situation. e) Denver having almost only Jokić were much better than Wolves with KAT, Wiggins, Rubio, Lavine.
I like Embiid, ALOT! But his health issues are a bit of a concern and KAT has been able to avoid injuries for the most part, played all 82 games for his first two seasons. He averaged 25ppg, 12 boards, with good efficiency and good FT shooting last year. Gotta go with Towns on this one I think even though I feel like Embiid has the most potential.
The Wolves didn't have a great roster, stop it. Wiggins is a chucker that plays no defense. He averaged 24 ppg on 19 shots and a below average TS%. Lavine only played in 47 games. Rubio is 1 of the most flawed starting PG's in the NBA. He can't shoot. He can't finish. Teams don't guard him. Dieng is nothing special. He's just an average player, and he's not even a great fit with Towns in the frontcourt. Gibson wasn't even on the team... Did u just say that Towns isn't that good offensively? I really hope u meant defensively. The Nuggets had a defensive rating of 110 when Jokic was on the court. That would rank 29th out of 30 teams in the NBA. They were garbage defensively when he was on the floor. It was open season at the rim, he can't do anything to stop u once u get there. Rim protection is probably the most important thing that a big man has to do on defense, and I just showed u quotes telling u how he's 1 of the worst rim protectors in the NBA and how Denver allows a ton of shots at the rim... his teammates are bad at defense, and so is Jokic...if you're a big that's gonna be playing a lot of minutes but can't protect the rim then that's a problem
I hate to say it because he really has a long way to go on defense, but it has to be Towns based purely on his multi-tool offensive dominance. Good shooter, good finisher, lowest turnover rate on this list despite the highest usage sans Cousins. Rudy Gobert is a lot closer to #1 than the average fan would give him credit for, though.
from http://www.nba.com/article/2017/01/11/one-team-three-stats-denver-nuggets-defense-rebounding No. 1 The Nuggets have forced just 11.7 turnovers per 100 possessions, the lowest rate in NBA history. It's not on Jokić because has very few turnovers and has better assist to turnover ratio that Westbrook. No. 2 The Nuggets have grabbed 53.6 percent of available rebounds, the best mark in the league. It's on Jokić No. 3 The Nuggets have been 9.7 points per 100 possessions better with Jokic on the floor than with him on the bench. No. 4 "Defense is an issue, though. The Nuggets have been better defensively with Jokic on the floor, but have still allowed 109.0 points per 100 possessions in those minutes"
#1 is saying that the Nuggets were forcing their opponent to turn it over less than any other team in the NBA. Why are u bringing up that Jokic has few turnovers on offense? We all know that Denver was 1 of the best rebounding teams in the NBA. That doesn't negate the fact that they were still atrocious defensively tho. The Nuggets were better when Jokic was on the floor primarily because of the offensive boost that he provides, not because of his defense. The Nuggets go from atrocious defensively when Jokic is off the floor to still being atrocious when he's on the floor. This article is from January 11th, and the defense only continued to get worse and be garbage from there. Like I said, a big man that is terrible at protecting the rim is a problem. Jokic is still a great player, but he does not have the edge over a guy like Towns or even a healthy Embiid.
People say Jokić is bad rim protector but check this video and you will understand why: Jokić being forced to guard two people at once and It's hopeless.
i guess you didn't notice it but the examples in this video further proves he's a bad rim protector. he clearly shows he has no idea what to do in every one of those plays and doesn't even show resistance in any of them. he's lost on what to do
For the younger players, there is no question: Embiid. When he was healthy, he transformed the 76ers. I'd take Embiid over Kat and Brow any day. Overall, Marc is the best center in the league, though. Followed by Cousins and Gobert. Cousins is a knucklehead but he has massive talent.
Can marc punish teams for going small? Lets say the warriors put draymond green on him? Also, how would he do on defense? The gap between how much he punishes teams on offense vs the defense suffering (if it does) needs to be sizable. Also, rebounding is the area i dont see marc punishing teams for going small. I think embiid is a good up and coming center. Being unguardable is great and so is being able to guard the PFs in the nba as a center. Just being able to guard two positions makes you a good to great defender in the nba.
