That's true. Jalen's handles aren't elite either. But he's clearly better than Amen in that regard. Shooting and handling are the two things that prevent Amen from being an effective NBA point guard. But I'm hopeful that he will get better in both. I really hate to beat the Jalen dead horse. If his shooting doesn't get better, there's really no reason why Amen should not start at the SG spot. Amen's midrange has improved to a point that it is actually better than Jalen's.
Last season Amen shot 13.8% from 3 ..... this year he's shooting 29%, that's a significant improvement. No, he doesn't take a high volume but that's really a good thing, he doesn't take many poor shots. The 3's he does take are generally open corner shots. It's pretty crazy how raw these kids are coming into the league, especially those in the top of the draft. Just look at Sarr & Risacher at the top of this past draft ..... those teams were gambling on potential upside. I'm not sure either has a single NBA skill right now.
In my opinion, there is absolutely no evidence that Alpi cares that much about social media. Even with Jalen, I think it’s a mischaracterization of what he’s shown us so far. He doesn’t seem to be someone who is a showboat, or someone who annoys his teammates like Jordan Poole did in GSW. Jalen’s problem is inconsistency and passivity on the basketball court, he’s not a constant “Shaqtin a fool” candidate, he just isn’t hitting shots. Poole is eminently unlikable. I think the reason I’m so supportive of Jalen is that he really does seem like a good kid and a good teammate.
Not crazy if you think how hard it is for those mid tier and small tier clubs to trade for a disgruntled star or super star.......
It's not like those teams are going to keep them in their prime .... they get ~7 years of control and then they bolt for LA or some other large market.
Yeah if I were rating their handles I'd say Jalen's are like a 7/10.... but Amen's are like a 5/10. I hope he'll get better in both, but those are things most players don't develop to a significant degree so I have doubts. Amen is shooting 38% from midrange. 8-21 on 10-16 ft 6-16 on 16-23 ft This isn't good nor is it a sample size that's noteworthy... Jalen's having his worst midrange shooting season this year and has still shot better in his career from midrange than Amen on a much higher volume.
Handles or no Amen is elite at getting to the rim and finishing. His usage is what is holding him back from being an elite PG. Handles, including Jalen's can be improved as evidence by both Jalen and Amen this year. I have never seen a basketball player with more dedication to the game of basketball than Amen with the possible exception of Larry Bird. This is still a development year and it is criminal not to be developing Amen as our future PG. With a solution to SG we could be a contending team as soon as next year with Amen at point. That SG solution might be Jalen if he is allowed to play in the right offense without FVV dominating the ball and the shot clock.
14% to 29% isn't any notable improvement for the very reason that he's only averaging one 3PA per game... It's completely insignificant at that volume. The area of shooting that would be most significantly beneficial for us and reasonable for Amen notably improving is his FT shooting.
I would agree that FT shooting would be more important this year. Amen has obviously improved his shooting stroke from everywhere. Is overall shooting % has improved, but his corner 3 pt shooting has massively improved. He has demonstrated that he is willing to work diligently on every aspect of his game and I have no doubt his shooting from every area of the court will improve over the years, just like Jason Kidd and Magic Johnson.
Jalen really gets no respect from the referees sometimes...but if he keeps attacking the basket, they'll have to call stuff sooner or later, right?
He gets body bumped and elbow slapped so damn much when hes otw up and gets zero respect on those calls.
He's a great driver in transition largely because of his speed and his strength to not get bumped off his spot when he gets to the rim... In the halfcourt he scores inside largely off of back cuts, 2nd chance put backs, and from feeds to him in the dunker spot... It's not usage holding him back from being an elite guard... It's definitely his handles and off the dribble self creation... The reason he's not being used that way primarily is because he doesn't have the handles to be a lead guard which is why he isn't even utilized as a primary facilitator or backup PG... He's more of a connector on offense as he has good court vision to make the right pass or extra pass... Jalen's handles from the jump were better than Amen's and were much better before this season... The problem is Jalen doesn't have the court vision as a passer... Idk what's with the completely meaningless hyperbole... There's no way you could see or measure "dedication" to any degree like this... What could you have possibly seen from Amen to make this claim... it's just silly. I've said since before he played a game that I think Amen's best case scenario is most likely to be a Igoudala level player... Maybe Iggy 2.0... I still think that's the case based on what I've seen. He's a great finisher and an even better one this season, but he's bad shooter from everywhere outside the paint... He's 9/31 from 3... Yes all his makes are from the corner... His 3pt % is better, but it's still too small of a sample size to say it's a notable improvement. He doesn't have a natural stroke and his shot has fundamental issues... Hard work isn't enough in the vast majority of cases... I doubt he'll ever be an average shooter, but the place to look for generally in a player improving in those other areas first and foremost is in the free throw shooting... He just needs to not be a below avg free shooter.
Dillon Brooks return to Canada......he had over 100 people in the stands. Who won player of the game, again?
Jalen is ranked 116th in this average of a bunch of rankings linked to the most preferred metrics: https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2425609 There are around 550 players in the NBA. Very roughly speaking, the 225th player should make the NTMLE. Jalen is ranked "20% higher" than the average, so basically when he's playing like dogs*t offensively - he's worth $15.3m. That tells me his defense is worth $10-15m because he's not much of a scorer, passer or rebounder right now. It also gives me a rough estimation that with this level of defense plus just improved/mediocre offense, he could be worth $30m. With great offense and this level of defense, well worth the max. It's coming, don't worry. If Udoka believes, then it's coming one way or another.
So it's ok to say usage discounts his improvement on shooting, but usage cannot be a detriment to his progression. His handles are fine. Most his turnovers are a result of lack of experience. He doesn't get the ball stolen. He gets bumped off the ball too much. He has been getting more aggressive at getting to the hoop in the half-court and is already better than FVV at finishing at the hoop. By the way, Jalen has the exact same problem as Amen in terms of getting bumped off the ball and is a terrible finisher and shooter. Amen has had about 60 games to work on his handling. Jalen has had 4 years. Amen is shooting 29% from 3, Jalen is shooting 31% on high volume. Which is better the bad shooter that doesn't shoot much or the bad shooter that shoots more than anyone on the team?
In his last 10 games, improved his 3PT shooting to 33.3% on 6.9 attempts. Trend is obvious. Get him down to 5 attempts, you have a chance at him averaging 36%. He can gradually improve that over the years as he approaches his prime (age 25-26). Also improved his FTA from 4.3 on the season to 5.3 in the last ten games. Too small to make much of it but this is really the direction he needs to go. I think with average spacing and some more experience, 7-8 FTA is possible and that would be the top stabilizer of his offensive efficiency btw. He got to the line 6+ times under Silas so I think that's reasonable to expect in the near future. I'm starting to see the spark in him. Maybe he and Udoka can luck into some tactical magic again.
