All I want to know is what is Chinauanauan Onunauanauannankau underhand Free throw percentage in D League?
Nice to see him progressing, but he needs to go up strong and dunk on those opportunities at the rim. He will get eaten alive if he's doesn't. Same thing Capela had an issue with for a while, but CC has gotten more aggressive.
impressive highlights there. i've said before and here i am saying it again. he can give you 5-10 minutes. i think it's a disservice to the team how they've strapped so many asses to the bench. small roles are still roles. hell, he might develop into something more, who knows?
something you probably learn if you get playing time. the nba isn't going to give you easy layups at the rim. don't get used to that lol
the only guy on this team who cant get at least give a productive 5-10mpg is wilt. kj, ennis, nanu, brewer all should be otu there a bit if the team needs it and this team needs it bad but only one of them is getting minutes.
I find that players who are good passers tend to adapt to the competition very quickly. Onuaku even in the D League seems like he is getting his stats just by thinking ahead. Not even using any strength in these highlights, even though he is stronger than most of these guys. That might be a result of good coaching/planning telling him that he won't be able to bully people in the NBA so he better develop other sides of his game. The mechanics on his J are pretty bad, I am assuming he has a poor % on those but they still show up in the highlights.
For me, the thing Nanu is giving the Rockets right now is confidence in Morey's drafting abilities. This guy wasn't very hyped coming in (other than his FT form) but he's developing very quickly and if he can hit that 3 above the break, look out That shot will be open frequently because most defenders aren't thinking a center will even take that shot. Embiid hit some of those against us just for some contextual comparison. I agree with what some of you are saying about not dunking those close shots, he will definitely need to become accustomed to going up strong. But there is also some merit to being able to finish with touch, as we have seen from both Clint and Montrezl this season.
Clint didn't have that issue in the D-League, he was dunking on everyone. As soon as the game slowed down for him in the actual league, he started finishing. I don't think Nanu has the athleticism to finish those. Kind of discouraging..
Yeah, I dont think Nanu has a ton of athleticism. He just isn't a high flyer or hard dunker. He appears to play below the rim for the most part. BUT, he has good instincts and nice touch around the basket. That's why I compared him to Hayes in terms of his skillset (not physical size). BUT, unlike Hayes, I do like Nanu showing that jumper on occasion. That would be a nice surprise if that could be part of his game moving forward.
The layups are fine as long as he gets them up quick Luis Scola style. Nanu is not a high flyer. Often times a quick layup is more effective than the slow buildup it takes to dunk the ball.
If the Rockets can't trade for a big they need to roll the die on Nanu. He has the size and defensive upside over Harrell. It's just watching a slow death if they keep on with the same players in the playoffs.
As others have pointed out, it looks like he plays a very cerebral game, but with great length and quick feet. He's not going to soar over anyone, but he makes good, quick decisions. Offensively, Nene would be a great guy for him to learn from, but the reality is he's only going to get paid if he can become an elite defender. Would like to see more video of him on that end of the court.
