Cam had a good rookie year…. Just need growth in playing team basketball. Right now, I only trust him as a microwave scorer.
I would have Jalen as a RFA. Perhaps Alpi too, because he got hurt. Otherwise, I think he should be an automatic 3 year max extension player.
The problem with maxing guys is if you have better players behind them can you move them when necessary? DD
Cam will not be on the bench for his career, he is too good, and his aggression will make him a leader of this team. DD
Certainly a better prospect than your prototypical microwaver. Just have to see how he develops as a playmaker. Next season... we'll see. I think his development in making plays would be the only thing that can launch him into the starting lineup if Jalen doesn't develop himself. This team to take that next level needs someone else capable of taking the load off of FVV. Jalen did it for a few months at a very high level, but didn't do it in a traditional lead guard way. He was just a scoring machine. Can Cam be more than a scorer?? Can Jalen as well???... Just gotta see how they develop. Look at Phoenix this year, and Devon Booker. Booker is obviously already better than Jalen, and Cam. However even he has struggled to make that leap like Luka, Harden, etc. made in being a lead guard who can create & run the offense through. Phoenix might be relying too much on Booker making that jump to MVP caliber "lead guard" too late in his career. Cam has the physical tools, natural gifts, and foundational skills. It's really going to be about how he starts to SEE THE GAME, and what's happening between the ears that'll make him take that leap. At the very least I think you got a guy who can score and defend. I just don't know if he'll develop enough offensively between the ears to make him be a guaranteed starter/star player. Big summer for Cam. I would make him play PG for the Summer League team with the mandate of averaging double digits in assists. Just try to program his brain to read defenses, and get players open for good quality shots. We all know he can score... now we need to know if he can create good shots.
Baby steps. First see if he can score in half court sets with teams loaded up on him defensively. He hasn't shown that yet. Green has since his rookie year. You can see it in the fact that Green already scored most of his makes unassisted at age 19 and would never average more turnovers than assists like Cam. Right now Cam is a wild bull with not much foot coordination and ability to navigate defenses in a half court set off the dribble.
He was a pretty good playmaker in HS, and was asked to be a primary scorer in college, he was also a good playmaker in the Gleauge - and was asked to be a scorer on the Rockets. He can playmake is the point. His last 3 games he had 4, 4 and 5 assists.... People just don't know because they didn't follow him or watch some of his other stuff..... DD
The footwork of a true NBA playmaker is really that elite skill that goes under the radar. When I watched Harden at his peak here in Houston there was one other athlete I couldn't not think of and that is Barry Sanders. I've never seen footwork from any other athlete like that ever, and Harden was sort of doing that at the NBA level. With Cam you are right, I mean it's baby steps at this point. He's got the same physical tools, and foundational skills... but man what separates the elite from each other at the NBA or NFL level is those fine detailed skills. Deceleration, etc. And then what goes on between the ears being able to see the game, have everything slow down in your head, and pick the game apart. Look at Tom Brady (ugh...) and CP3 as two point guards/quarterbacks who just have this thing happening between the ears that makes them special. Those are things where there's no way to know right now what we have. The overzealous superfans.... I appreciate their passion but yeah... we don't know yet. We really don't even know yet about Sengun who I love. He's got what it takes between the ears in seeing the game, etc. but the physical side is where there are even bigger questions. Interesting set of prospects that much is a given. HUGE summer for alot of these guys. Cam for sure.
Appreciated. You would want to structure his future contract around the improvements and what he does well and elite on the NBA level. Give him 2 years as the rough cut.
