I really like both players as prospects....whichever player is overall more ready...I do think dmos passing overall is a bit underrated ... He has a very quick mind as far as big men go...if he can improve elsewhere enough...he can remind some of us of Boris Diaw in terms of a passing big.
The shooting is the only question with D-mo. I just assumed he would get stronger, so that never bothered me. He also mad mental mistakes, which only exp can improve. He can put the ball on the floor, post up and he has great length for the 4. His problem was his lack of shooting which caused people to sag off him, so it not only clogged the paint for other, its cut off driving lanes for him. If his jumper is improved he will make a massive jump in his 2nd year.
I don't understand how so many of you are hating our 1st year players in the league. They both will improve and surprise many of you on their second year. You'll see.
Great to see you posting! As to the thread, Terrence Jones. We'll have a nice bench unit, with Beverley, ... (Delfino?), Garcia, Motiejunas, Asik!
I hope McHale looks at the matchup every game and starts a certain PF accordingly unless one player performs far and above the rest of his competition. I don't think you could ever go wrong with starting Asik at PF unless the opponent's starting PF can shoot from 3.
I think with the surprising success the Rockets enjoyed last year with the youngest team in the league and expectations in the toilet(most thought we would be a high lottery team and be lucky to reach 30 wins), a lot of fans have come to expect too much too soon from our youngest players. I just want everyone to remember that Terrence Jones and Donuts were ROOKIES last year and very, very young. Jones is still 21, Donuts wont be 23 until September. I think they both showed great potential and the expected shortcoming given their ages and relative experience. Jones left college early with tremendous athleticism, great range(though not a consistent shooter), quickness and leaping ability(showed flashes of being a good shot blocker, great foot speed to stay in front of 3's and 4's, but goes for the shot fake too often and overpursues on defense, I think in HS and college his elite athleticism allowed him to make up for poor positioning) and the ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the hoop(but his handle needs work). He has a smooth lefty stroke, and has confidence and good work ethic. Motiejunas came from Europe, so we knew his strength and conditioning would be one of his biggest challenges. It sounds like he is up to 260 pounds and has kept his quickness and lateral movement. He too has great range and a better shot at this point, but has to work on bodying up on defense, moving his feet to stay in front of his man, and using his tremendous frame to get rebounding position. He should get be good for 7-8 rpg with 25-30 minutes. His 3pt ability, or potential, makes him an ideal stretch 4, but his % needs to come up a lot. Potential. Potential. Potential. These 2 should provide us with 48 total quality if not superb minutes at the 4 in the coming years. Part of me wants the Rockets to trade for a star stretch 4, but I am more leaning toward the Rockets sticking with the picks they have made and hope for great improvements and the emergence of starting quality play from Jones and DMO, then we can decide who starts and who improves our bench unit. I'm stoked to see their progression and if I had to pick one to start today, I would go with Terrence Jones and his superior athleticism and confidence. He seems hungry to prove himself on the court, when it matters and I think he has what it takes to grab the starting 4 spot and impress us all.
DMo, if he can shoot 3pt. He's a better passer than TJ thought. And I can imagine he may be doubled sometimes, leaving Howard/Harden and others open. Spoiler [youtube]PNzWdR7Xu0M[/youtube] [youtube]XiL36cCkGpA[/youtube]
