I just do not see that. I watched the Polish league games videos 2 years ago with HMMMMM and some others. D-Mo obviously had a bad attitude even then. Last season he was a Euro and they are always viewed as "soft". But this preseason he does not seem to be in any way shape or form soft. Just my opinion.
Excellent OP. D-Mo is not necessarily "athletic" but he is "mobile". And mobile seven footers who can shoot the ball always tantalize, for the simple reason that they are impossible mismatch on offense: they can blow by slow-footed big men and they can shoot over smaller defenders. Unfortunately here is a list of mobile, shooting seven-footers who have been unqualified success in the NBA: 1. Dirk Nowitski And here is the list of flops and disappointments: 1. Bargagniani 2. Tsikishvilli 3. B.J. Mullens 4. Maciej Lampe ... sure missing others. Why are these prospects failing so often? Briefly, two reasons: defense and work ethics. The same qualities that make them so tantalizing on the offensive end can expose them on defense: stronger bigs wold push them around, since because of their mobility these players are generally slender. Similarly smaller players will blow by them, simply because no matter how mobile you are, the laws of physics are irrefutable: if you are big you would accelerate slower. Dirk is no exception here. Also, since these prospects are highly coveted from very young age because of their god-given attributes, many of them don't learn how to work hard; Dirk being the undisputed exception here. What does the future hold for D-Mo: all indications are that he works hard and wants to be the best. That makes him a candidate to get to Dirk's level one day. He will never be a good defender. So for a team to realize maximum value from him, he would need the ball, which in this current Rockets roster is nearly impossible. Simply, the team has too many offensive weapons, who are also much better all-around players, for D-Mo to be on the floor. Even though he is the second best offense-creator on the team, behind Harden, his deficiencies on defense prevent him from getting playing time. He would be great on a team who gives him the high usage rate and hides him somewhat on defense, a la Dirk. There are also other, finer points to D-Mo's game which are relevant. First, right now his post offense, the best on the team, is way ahead in his development. His shooting, however, is behind the likes of Nowitski and bargagniani at this stage. If he improves his shooting, he could easily become top15 offensive player in the NBA within a year or two. The other thing, that is the biggest thing holding him back now is his composure. He is just too excitable, and very often rushes everything. This is somewhat understandable for young players, but he is not 18-19. He really needs to slow down. This is one area that makes someone like Dirk dominant: typical, methodical German temperament. Dirk has automated all his moves to near perfection. No jerkiness, no rushing things, just methodical execution. If D-Mo can get there, he could be a superstar in this league.
D-Mo for a seven footer can't get rebounds. He's talented in the post but D-Mo is still highly uncoordinated. Rockets using him as a 3 point shooter but it's not his strength. Should just be continuing to improve his post game and gain more experience on the block instead of shooting 3's.
D-Mo reminds of Nachbar. Has a lot of great tools to be a special player but for some reason just can't get it going in real games. I really hope he can turn the corner this season though.
he has the size and skill but he's not consistent post up game still need lot of work lost his dribble too easily and his 3pts shooting is overrated
Dwight Howard is 6'10" in shoes yet his standing reach is 9'3.5" thanks to his massive wingspan of 7'4.5". Omer Asik is 7'0" with a wingspan of 7'2" and a standing reach of 9'4". D-Mo is also a legit 7'0" but his wingspan of only 6'11" means his standing reach isn't that good for a center, most likely something in the 8'11"to 9'0" range. If his reach was any better, I'm sure his agent would have pushed that information before the draft but he did not and that information is nowhere to be found. (Terrence Jones is 6'9.5" with a wingspan of 7'2"+ and also 8'11" standing reach. Yet some people (wrongly) insist he is too small to be a power forward.) D-Mo just doesn't have the length or defensive instincts and skills to be a legit defensive center. He might be able to get by if we had an elite defender at the 4 but unfortunately we don't. At the moment I think he should be mostly paired with Omer Asik. That way D-Mo can be fed in the post where he is very effective and his very good interior passing can mitigate the offensive deficiencies of Asik.
Nobody knows what DMo will become but he has great upside and could become a really special player. Some of the post in this thread are just ridiculous. It makes me wonder if people actually watch the games, or if their computer streams are to choppy for them to know whats going on.
Finally a post that set things straight. To his credit, Donuts has definitely improved his overall game, but to say he can become a possible backup center in the event gets traded is laughable. Just because he is tall and has gained some body mass does not mean he qualifies for another position. He is a PF that needs to continuosly improve defensively. On offense he is quite capable already.
If you think Dirk is the only mobile shooting 7-foot(ish) big man who has been an unqualified success in the NBA, you have a lot to learn about NBA history. Starting with the history of our own Rockets.
We are talking about shooting with significant range, up to and including 3 pointers. That's what makes the difference, really. Obviously, a lot of bigs have range to 15-16ft, which is a weapon, but they can still be defended by other typical bigs. Extending the range really is what creates the mismatch: do you make your bigs chase the guy on the perimeter, doing something uncomfortable and compromising your defensive integrity? Or do you put a small on the guy, creating a size mismatch?
This. He still has that young wide eyed look. Someone needs to tell him to settle down and play with some swagg. Loosen up a bit.
I don't think D-Mo will end up being a 3 point shooting big. I think he'll be a guy who can knock down the mid range shot and focuses on his post game. Him and his coaches just haven't realized yet that he can't actually range out to the NBA three point line (successfully).
He looks a lot less lost (out of sync and without a defined role) than he did last year. Now if he can only improve on his court awareness and positioning on dfense, too. He hustles on D, but he's not eating glass and changing opp shots like a 7 footer should. Is he getting bullied out of the paint, or does he not fight through? And that little hook shot of his is almost unstoppable with that length. What's huge is that he can go left or right with it. I hope that becomes his bread and butter.
He can't defend or rebound. He can't hit the 3 with any consistency. He's certainly not a starter, but with the lack of a starting 4, he'll be good for 10-15 mpg.
He will improve in defense guarding Howard eventually. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>"I'm gonna do what I was telling you." <a href="http://t.co/Ud1zxRxYRO">http://t.co/Ud1zxRxYRO</a></p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/statuses/394154063732170752">October 26, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> http://instagram.com/p/f72c7Kxh_d/#
Absolutely. Whenever he's in with the three stringers (like last game against Memphis) he puts up frankly incredible numbers...10 and 8 against Memphis, a blocked shot, and not bad defense. However watch what happens when you start him...that's right, airball city.
Shooting with consistency is one of the easiest problems to correct IF the shooting form is there. Even some of the worst shooters improve if they work hard on it. I don't recall anyone ever said anything about major flaws in his form which we can all agree that there isn't much wrong with it. His release might be below average in quickness and he doesn't have the hop, but as a 7-footer, he can get away with those minor flaws. We all know 3P shooting is not his game, and don't doubt the coaches and FO don't realize it. With the possibility of contending, Rockets are in the situation where they do not have the luxury to draw up post plays for him. We simply can't afford to play to the strength of of role players or rookies. They have their specific roles in a system designed for our superstars. In DMo's case, we are literary fitting a square peg into a round hole. Does that mean DMo has no future with the team if he can't knock down his 3's with consistency? Far from it! If you were Morey and you are looking at DMo rookie stats ranking him 5th player in the league in post up efficiency, what do you envision in the future? (Granted, it's a small sample size and against backups.) This little impressive feat by a rookie, along with his size, and work ethic led me to believe that Morey has a long term plan for him. It might not happen within his rookie contract but it will be any GM's wet dream to have a 7-footer causing opposition nightmares in the low post. If anyone thinks Morey will trade him for a late first rounder, they are as shortsighted as a hippopotamus!
The 3pointer is key for DMo. It's not that he will be strictly a 3pt shooter, neither is Dirk. But the versatility, ability to do many different things, is what can make him great. His post play will never be as effective, if he only relies on it, against starting level talent. The first tier bigs will just push him around. In fact, I think Jonas may end-up a better post player, because he is more of an aggressive athlete. But if he has a reliable long-range shot, what do you do? How do you defend him? You put Roy Hibbert on him, and he goes out and shoots the three, or puts it on the floor. You put a Ryan Anderson on him, and he cannot defend D-Mo in the post.
