I have been very surprised that his offense has been as good as it has been. Not that it has been great, but that he keeps defense honest. Also, the Rockets are being very unselfish around the basket and willing to make that extra pass in the paint. Asik, Jones, and DMo seem to be very good at converting when they catch a pass close to the rim in traffic.
Asik stats: 8.723 points 11.324 rebounds 3.226 assists 1.545 blocks .572 steals 30.321 minutes I win on pinpoint accuracy.
I like that even though he's not an offensive big, he doesn't clog the paint for guys like K Mart and Lin. He's apparently working on his mid range J(wonder how much we'll see it this year?) but I really like that he can pass out of the high post a la the Chuck-wagon.
I hope somethink like this: 14.2 ppg 10.4 rpg 1.2 bpg 51.8 fg% 66 FT% <-- so far looks like he's improoved there in around 30 minutes of play
13/11 with 2 blk 2 assist 53 from the field 60 from the line. He won't be an Allstar but his stats should look very similar to that of whoever backs up Howard in the game.
Omer Asik's Preseason Stats Per 36 minutes: 10.89 Points, 18.55 Rebounds, 2.82 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.0 blks, 3.0 TOs, 3.4 PFs, 46.5% from the field (8.6 attempts per 36 minutes), 66.7% from the line (4.23 attempts per 36 minutes), 51.7% TS%.
I guess he'll play 28-30 MPG. I predict: 8 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2 apg, 1.5 bpg, 2 tpg. Good statistical production from a defense-oriented center.
Regression to the mean. I need more than a few preseason games before I predict he'll turn out one of the greatest rebounding seasons (by rebound-rate) in NBA history.
Love is hurt. Dwight coming off injury. Asik and Humphries...he could win the rebound title. 14 wouldn't surprise me if he can average 30 minutes.
Why would he only play 28-30 MPG? He's so much better than any other alternative on the team defensively that I think McHale would want to play him as much as possible.
Foul trouble and potential stamina issues for a big guy that's never played big minutes before. Also, the Rockets will likely be playing from behind a lot this year. McHale will want to win as much as he can despite that, so I anticipate he'll probably go to a small ball lineup frequently to increase the number of possessions and try to quickly make up ground from a deficit.
He's averaging 3.4 PF per 36 minutes. He'll no doubt be in foul trouble some games, but doubt it drops him below 30 mpg. Also, he lost 20 lbs in the summer, should help with stamina.
You think he's going to avg ~17 boards per 36 min? That's... Actually not the most unrealistic prediction you've made here.
