chenjy9

12 games sample size
3 over 20 points, 25%
This stat may be slightly skewed as Landry had many 18 point games. Basically, that means that Landry has not yet reached the upper echelon of PF that average 20 PPG.

453 Minutes, 37.75 MPG
0.95 36 MPG Multiplier
This is actually a considerable jump as he was average around 25-26 minutes as a 6th man on the Rockets. Ironically, neither his scoring or rebounding has improved much, suggesting either he has not yet gelled with his team or this may be his current ceiling.

209 Points, 17.42 PPG
While definitely a respectable number, I expected this to be much higher he had averaged around 15-16 PPG while playing about 25-26 MPG. Considering his playing time has gone up around 10 minutes, I expected him to be averaging closer to 20 PPG. Either he is not being utilized by the King's offense appropriately or there may be a fall off in his efficiency as a starter. Neither are really surprising though, since he is now playing against opposing starters from the get go as opposed to coming off the bench as a smart plug. Landry is very smart however, so I expect him to adapt and his scoring average to increase.

78/147 FG, 53.06%
This shows that he continues to be efficient from the field, though the small increase in PPG is now leaning towards the Kings either unwilling or unable to yet involve him in the offense effectively. Considering the dire need of Kings for a good big man and the fact that he has only played 11 games with them, he may get more shoots while maintaining his offensive efficiency.

53/68 FT, 77.94%
5.67 FTPG
Like Martin, Landry gets to the foul line a lot due to his speed, explosiveness, and affinity to taking it to the rack. It is interesting to note however, that in his last 5-6 games however, that his FT shooting has fallen off quite a bit, dropping him below his usual 80%. Whether this is due to new depth perception issues at the Kings arena or a temporary slump is currently unknown. I expect his accuracy to pick up soon however, which should push him to around 18-19 PPG.

83 Rebounds, 6.92 RPG
He is in his third year and still is weak on the boards, especially given his substantial increase in playing time. I expected him to approach 10 boards, since despite being undersized, Landry is very smart and has huge leaps. Hopefully, as he matures as a PF he will learn to better position himself for boards.

13 Assists, 1.08 APG
19 TO, 1.58 TOPG
0.68 ATR
Quite frankly, this points to Landry being a bad playmaker, though he is never expected to be one in the first place. That being said, his TO is still relatively low compared to other successful bigs like Gasol, Yao, and Howard, suggesting that he does not dribble too much and puts the ball in the basket quickly. It also suggests that he does not start or facilitates plays, but rather ends them instead.

13 Steals, 1.08 SPG

Adjusted to 36 MPG
16.55 PPG, 6.57 RPG, 1.03 APG, 1.03 SPG, 0.68 TOPG

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Ziggy

Carroll Dawson couldn't teach this guy to rebound? Its just weird that he is so mediocre at it. Van Gundy would never play the guy.

chenjy9

Rebounding is actually hard to teach, if you can teach it at all. It is not like shooting or driving where you can practice drills. Rebounding is about positioning, timing, and anticipation. When players are young, you rebound through sheer athleticism and nothing else, simply because you don't know anything else. In the NBA however, people are usually really big and tall or just as athletic. As NBA players mature and become more experience, they generally become better rebounders, which is why Scola is much better at it than Landry or Yao, being able to rebound almost as good as Yao and better than Landry despite being much shorter than Yao and much less athletic than Landry. Landry is smart, so he should be able to eventually figure it out.

EbolaScola

When he played for us, he was the primary scorer off the bench. Now that he's a starter for the Kings, he has to defer to Tyreke Evans. That's why his scoring hasn't increased much. As far as rebounding, I think he can do a lot better if he really wants to.

Originally Posted by Rudy Tomjanovich DON'T EVER underestimate the heart of a champion.

chenjy9

Considering 20/10 is the measurement of an upper echelon PF, I can think of no logical reason of Landry not wanting to rebound better.

EbolaScola

Yeah I can't figure it out either. I'm guessing he just wants to get back on offense instead of rebound? I mean, we've all seen times when he throws himself on the floor for a loose ball, so we know he can do it.

Originally Posted by Rudy Tomjanovich DON'T EVER underestimate the heart of a champion.

chenjy9

Chasing down loose balls =/= crashing the boards. Generally when you are chasing down a loose ball, whoever wants it more gets it. If both wants it really badly, then whoever is faster usually decides it. Crashing the boards involve boxing out the opponent and timing your jumps as well as knowing where the ball will go after the shot is missed.

YaosDirtyStache

One reason his scoring has stayed the same? ISOBALL FEAT. STEVEREKE FRANEVANS.

daeyeth

great post man, good analysis! I agree with everything you said, although I am disappointed how ineffective Landry is at the boards. Well, that's an exaggeration but I mean, considering the power, speed, and explosiveness I see on his offense, I feel as if he's really not reaching his rebounding potential. I mean, look at the rebounding numbers David Lee puts up every night and he's actually the same size as Landry, only a little bit lighter.

DaDakota

Scola is still better.

DD

chenjy9

No doubt about that. Landry has a much higher ceiling though, considering he is more athletic.

chenjy9

Which takes me back to my speculation that either they are unable or unwilling to use him correctly as of now.

DaDakota

I disagree wholeheartedly.

Smarts are more important than athleticism....

Landry is pretty smart too, but only on offense.

He is not nearly as heady on the floor as Luis......the bounce pass to the back door cutter is a good example.

Luis just understands the game, maybe the best on the entire Rockets team.

Landry is what he is.....a great offensive player, very efficient but his defense is weak, his rebounding is suspect, and his size a problem once his athleticism fades.

Luis reminds me of a poor man's Kevin McHale, he has some of the best footwork I have seen from a big.

I think the Rockets traded Landry at his highest value...just don't see him getting that much better.

DD

meh

What's Landry's ceiling anyway? He's never going to be a great rebounder. He may or may not develop good passing skills, but he's certainly nowhere near the passer Scola is. And finally, he's actually not that young. He can polish his game, but I see him make yet another big leap.

In that sense, I feel Morey dumped him at the best possible time: when he's produced at a high level and still has that mythical "P" term attached.



Are there ever good rebounders who didn't have long arms? Landry has small wingspan and can't rebound. Yao has small wingspan(relatively speaking) and is more of a space rebounder than have a knack for the ball. I think Landry physically just can't be a good rebounder.

albuster

Dennis Rodman was not as athletic as Landry and most other PF's but he was the greatest rebounder, I think, among players below 7'. Like Scola, he used positioning, non stop hustle and he had a keen sense of anticipating where the ball would go after a shot. He proved that one need not be very athletic to excel in rebounding. Scola reminds of so much of Rodman lately.

chenjy9

In the end it is all speculation. Only time will tell us the answer. You can learn basketball techniques. Hell you can even master them. Knowing when to use them and how to use them is a completely different story. Scola to me is like the grizzled veteran. He has played the game long enough that he does a long of things without thinking. I personally think that Landry can get there one day. Who knows?

chenjy9

That is what I said to another poster earlier in this thread. I think Landry does not yet know how to box out and position yourself correctly. Hell, in college if you can jump and you are relatively big, you got the ball more than most. Position, boxing out, timing, and anticipation are all things that you develop over time if you are intelligent enough. You can't teach someone how to keep boxing out and changing your position to maintain the best possible place to get a board. You can't teach someone what timing to use. Until you have a machine that is perfectly able to bounce balls off the rim or backboard from different angles and force, there is no real way to teach rebounding. The only thing one can do is pass down what he has done and hope the students can figure out how to incorporate that with their style of play.

Ramathorn006

I agree 100%. Landry couldnt play a squat of defense. I do believe Jordan hill can be as efficient on offense as Landry and I think he has the size of being a better defender. I've also seem some glimpses of Hill with the same aggressiveness around the basket like Landry did.

And yes I believe we got the best value for Landry while his stock was high. BUT, if Landry does work his ass off in the summer I think there is a slight possibility of him being a 20 and 8 guy. Only time will tell.

BEAT LA

Landry is an undersized PF. You can't teach height. It makes sense that he struggles at rebounding the ball.

He produces points, and a few steals when he is on the floor. He will also grab some rebounds as well.