I don't see why he couldn't play 5 minutes here and there. Get a couple looks, get him out before the other team tries to exploit him. Could shoot you back into a game real quick, he could also put the nitro burners on and extend a lead in a hurry. Just stand 4 quality shooters out on the perimeters and let James' ability to drive open them up. Buckets.
Anderson making $20 million. Wiltjer at the minimum. Which is most efficient with their touches? Which one is the better shooter? Which one moves the basketball the best? Which one is the better passer? Which one is the better defender? By how much? Which one is the better rebounder? By how much? Honestly....The only area I see a possible significant difference in is Anderson is a better rebounder. And I'm not sure how much better of a rebounder he is. He's stronger, more physically mature, and more experienced. But when it comes to actual skills.....I actually believe Wiltjer right now has some superior skills to Anderson. Shooting being one of them. Quick decision making another one. No wasted dribbles holding the ball. He does one of 4 things with it. 1. Catches and shoots it at an incredibly efficient score percentage. 2. Immediately gets rid of it by swinging it or throwing it to the rim. 3. Catches, takes one or two dribbles, finds a screen, and fires or passes. 4. Catches, up fakes, and either finds a great shot off one or two dribbles, or attacks the rim, or gets rid of it. No playing around with the ball. One or two dribbles at most. You may say.....well he doen't have a handle. I say....who cares. A big man with a handle can be a problem. In my opinion....it's a matter of time (short time) before he surpasses Anderson in on-court effectiveness. I'm dying to see him with the starters for extended minutes. Both Payton and Wiltjer were tremendous gets by Morey. I'll be shocked if they're not in the final 15. And I don't see how MDA is going to keep Wiltjer out of the rotation. IMO, if there's no consolidation trade then Harrell is on the bubble at this time. If we had to cut to 15 today Harrell would either be released or traded for a protected second rounder.
Kyle Wiltjer is a ways off from Ryan Anderson, but he can be that sort of player certainly. I would love a PF rotation of Anderson/Wiltjer this season. Keep an elite shooter on the floor at all times so we can play a non-shooter like KJ McDaniels (who looks like our best defender by a long shot...)
True button having a knockdown shooter at the 4 is much more valuable than a shooting 2. See Anderson, Ryan.
I'd keep him and not worry about DMo!! He's younger , has a better shot and would be a lot cheaper. I'd let DMo move on.. which it seems they have kinda done already
I believe in making decisions based on the expected goal for the year. If the Rockets are trying to win a championship this year then Pablo may be the difference maker down the stretch due to his maturity and ability to handle intensity better. If you do not see yourself legitimately pursuing a championship this year then you cut the guy who is at the end of his career and may only play spot minutes and you keep the guy who can grow into a long term rotation player. Wiltjer plays like a guy I see as a long term investment if I'm the GM and I would definitely make room to keep him.
We need Pablo around to keep some semblance of maturity and professionalism. Pablo and Nene are super valuable to this team, and they can both play.
D'Antoni will have a short rotation so even Wiltjer is on the team he won't get much minutes. But Wiltjer has earned a spot on the roster. D'Antoni drafted Danilo Gallinari against public criticism, he values the kind of shooting Gallinari and Wiltjer have. Even just "Steve Novak" did VERY WELL under D'Antoni, it makes the projection good for Wiltjer.
Similar story I said a couple times, WAY back there was an online vid of UConn vs Villanova that had like 6-7 future NBA players including top pick Emeka Okafor and Rudy Gay on UConn, & "like Dwayne Wade" Randy Foye & Allen Ray on 'Nova getting the praise. But Nova's 3rd guard little Kyle Lowry seemed the best player on the court for BOTH teams and I was impressed by him the most. I VERY much wanted Rockets to pry away Lowry in the Battier/Rudy Gay trade even then and was upset they didn't lol. Certain players just have that on-court quality despite flaws and lack of physical measurables.
I remember this as well. Foye was getting all the attention. Draft guys were going back and forth between him and Brandon Roy. But I saw a bulldog fighter in Lowry that made the whole team go hard. Lowry was the leader, the juice, the fire. He was a great defender even then. And he was the playmaking engine that made everything work for Nova. He impacted Nova more than Foye. I too was calling for us to trade for him before Morey robbed Memphis. I knew he was dynamite.
I think this ultimately boils down to what happens with DMo. Right now the Rockets have a really solid three-man rotation of bigs with Capela, Nene and Anderson. If DMo signs, then he's the fourth big man. And then Harrell and Wiltjer are left riding the bench or playing in the D League. Plus, if DMo signs, then getting to 15 is going to be even tough, and Wiltjer could end being the odd man out since they won't cut Onuaku or Harrell. However, if he doesn't re-sign, then I think Wiltjer is a lock to crack the 15-man roster and I think there's a very good chance he doesn't start the season in the D League. With no DMo, Anderson and Wiltjer are essentially the only true bigs on the roster capable of spreading the floor, unless you want to count Dekker as a bit of a tweener. His defense is atrocious, but Wiltjer's shooting stroke and knack for scoring around the basket could provide some much-needed scoring off the bench this year. Plus, he and Harrell have completely different strengths, and it would give D'Antoni a lot of flexibility with his bench to keep both guys around.
I would keep wiltjer over both Harrell and onuaku. Harrell is nothing more than a hustle guy which is commendable but lacking. Onuaku is a body. That's not even commendable. You're only here because you grew more than most. That's not even a basketball skill. Wiltjer has an elite skill despite lacking elsewhere. One that you can never have enough of.
To me the question of Wiltjer really comes down to Tyler Ennis and whether he has proved himself enough to handle big minutes at the point either next to Harden or backing up Harden off the bench. Because that's the only way they release Prigioni to make the necessary cuts to keep Wiltjer. (And of course the D-Mo dilemma) Guarantees- (10) -Beverley -Harden, Gordon, McDaniels -Ariza, Brewer, Dekker -Anderson -Capela, Nene Likely, but expendable - -Ennis, Harrell, D-Mo, Onuaku, Prigioni (15) Player they want to keep- -Wiltjer Gonners (or RGV bound)- -Brown, Hairston, GPII .............. Of the "Likely but expendable" group, Prigioni seems to be the obvious choice unless D-Mo signs elsewhere and the Rockets don't match. The other option here would be that the team sees the Onuaku project as too much of a longshot, and they have seen too many red flags in practice to go ahead, and waive him now to keep Wiltjer. Last option I think could happen is a trade to free up a spot to sign him. I see Brewer really starting to lose favor with the coaches (finally) and even in the preseason he's losing minutes here and there to favor KJ who is becoming a much better rounded contributor to do the dirty hustle work on the court. Could they find a home for Brewer and maybe pick up a second rounder? Or dump him for empty salary to wipe off the books for next year? Hopefully that option in available, but likely its Prigioni who gets cut IMO if I had to put money on it.
