For a Shooting Guard, I really think they are underrated. He doesn't have tracy's smoothness, but he reminds some what of vince carter in this aspect that they are effective. He doesn't get the ball taken away on the drive, when he gets in the lane he knows how to dribble in front of his body as opposed to the side, preventing the defender to tapping the ball away from behind. I don't expect him to be a creator on offense, but I do think he can create his own shot. combined with his shooting ability from almost anywhere inside the three point line and his ability to pull up off the dribble, I think he is very effective at creating his own shot. Also I think he is an underrated passer off the dribble, he can immediately spot where the double team is coming from and this is the key, he doesn't hesisitate to make the pass. he's almost more effective off the dribble than say an arron brooks. thoughts?
then we'll know how good he is. look at aaron brooks since the first month. outside of a few good games here and there, even rafer has looked better than him. eventually teams will focus on wafer.
His ball handling is good. But his passing is pretty bad to me. Maybe because he usually consider driving is an option (which is good!), he seldom passes the ball quickly to an open man. His turnovers mostly come from bad passing. Anyway, I think he can improve in passing as he get used to the systems and the players.
his offense is why we are playing him so much now even though he isn't as hot as he was in some earlier games but watching him today against denver I am beginning to question his defense. Every couple of plays I see him getting caught flat footed and passed by his player like j.r. smith which is one thing but even daughntay jones (sp?)
his dribble penetration and dish to open teammates has been effective. He's pretty good slasher passer and his post entry passing to yao is better than aaron and head. He is an underrated passer and ballhandler in my opinion.
Agree with the OP, but I want to see what happens when teams start paying more attention to Wafer. He still isn't being respected enough by defenses. I like his decision making with the ball so far.
Thats key right there. The other teams dont give him the respect enough to guard him as should be. Once they change that and put more defense on him will he break or make it?
Von is just another weapon added on the rockets, which make defense harder to adjust for the opponent because on any given night, Von, Brooks, or even Landry can explode for points
If Wafer realizes what his limitations are, he will not score as much and won't get as many shots. So be it. He should keep attacking when openings are there, continue cutting and moving without the ball but not force outside shots or drive into traffic. From listening to his comments, Wafer seems to have a good head on his shoulders.
It hasnt been a hindrance so far. He hasnt gotten exposed yet, so it probably wont be a limiting factor until defenses key on him. Maybe by that time he'll have gained game experience and will have adjusted enough where it wont matter. There's guys who can control the ball station to station within the half court. When they're decisively doing one thing going one point to the other. He wont need to control the ball full court and need to hang onto it 20 seconds Chris Paul style. If Yao creates open looks like he supposedly does, there's options of shooting the open jumper, or having a wide open seam perimeter to the basket if you can dribble past your man. Wafer seems to take care of those little cracks in the defense just by being active.
I think his passing is A LOT better than I originally thought.. His dribbling ability is effective, but he should really work on it <br> As far as teams not scouting him goes, I believe they have already started to make adjustments, but he keeps on improving with more minutes.
If he improves his defense, he can fill a Mario Elie-type role on this team. A tenancious defender who can both finish at the rack and hit an open 3. Obviously, as teams scout him, they'll pick apart his weaknesses. I also think that eventually the big minutes will catch up to him (as they do most young guys who haven't played all that much). However, he's getting some great hands-on experience as a starter... and once the injuries heal up, he needs to keep that same type of intensity when he's coming off the bench and his minutes are decreased.
if teams adjust to him, someone else will be open so I'm not worried. As long as he continues to drive the ball b/t defenders and to the rack and flushing some--we will be ok.
Wafer has officially replaced Brooks as the darling of the bbs. Look at all the Wafer threads here! They say in football, the backup QB is always the fan favorite. Brooks is the backup of our QB (Alston), and Wafer is the backup of our real QB (T-Mac). So yeah, they are really popular now, especially when the starting QBs are the most hated guys on the team. Don't get me wrong, I am on the Brooks and Wafer bandwagon too. They are two of the brightest spots this season. I am really happy to see them develop. But don't get too carried away. They aren't going to surprise people for very long. Defense will adjust.
For a 23 year old who hasn't earned much playing time in the league, I am very impressed with Wafers poise, demeanor, attitude, and skills. Yes he makes some mistakes, but what he is currently doing filling in for McGrady is nothing short of amazing. This kid has some up side. I love the way he attacks the rim with attitude and throws it down. He also seems to be following coach's motion offense, more so than some of the veterans. The fact he is coachable makes his upside even greater. I am a fan of his already and expect I will see more as he matures as a player. Kudos for Morey and Adelman for taking a chance on this kid, AND giving him a chance to play.
I know it's early, but what are the chances of him coming back next year? You know, with the kind of year he's having, he's going to get some enticing offers...
Well he said he has a house here and loves it here because Houston was the only plays that gave him a chance so it's just a matter of how Morey feels.
