[ClutchFans] An NBA Nightmare: The James Harden-Dwight Howard Pick-and-Roll

Ownage

 

But how much of that is from PnR though. Remember, we are talking about the play that was drawn up on the first page and we are strictly talking about a PnR situation. I believe the stat was .996 ppp of about 500 PnR plays over 82 games, that is about 6.07 pts per game. Lin's ppp on PnR was about .89 which is about 5.43 pts per game. So in essence, it is about 1/2 points per game. Their 3 pt % gap is about 37% vs 33%. A difference of 4%. That is about .7 pts per game difference over the course of the year. In essence, you would average about .2 pts more per game in a PnR situation with JLin in PnR and Harden at the 3.

 

Part of what hampers harden on the PnR is Lin's 33% shooting. Anyway, you logic makes no sense. You wouldn't turn Harden - a premier guard into a 37% spot of shooter. That makes no sense.

What you would do, is play your guy to his strength, and put a 40% shooter next to him. That way you maximize your offense.

If Lin shots 33% next year, he won't be rewarded with more PnR, he'll be traded.

Anyway, can we stop talking about Lin now?

 

I think the simple way to put it is this. Do you believe it's easier to

A)make Lin become as good a PnR player as Harden?
or
B)make Lin into a 37% 3pt shooter?

Seems to me the easiest way is to have Lin shoot better fromt the outside and be the secondary PnR handler, then the other way around.

 

A great article that contains valuable information has turned into a harden vs lin debate. Clutchfan members always find a way to start arguing......

 

Sorry for being a stickler but this is bugging me. Harden shot 36.8% from 3 last season. Lin shot 33.9%. The difference is exactly 2.9%, not 4.

 

Seems that a lot of our future hinges on Lin becoming a better 3pt shooter. Which he should or else he should be traded because there is NO excuse for a starting PG to shoot 33% from 3pt land on a contending team.

Even Kenny Smith managed to shoot 40% or better when Rockets repeated as champions. KENNY ****ING SMITH. Guy had little athleticism at that stage of his career, couldn't penetrate to save his life, but he could hit that three!

Lin needs to improve his shot or he's gone.

 

The difference is that Harden rarely took uncontested shots last year. Lin had plenty of them. I would like to see both improve, but if Lin can't hit an open 3 at better than 34% he's not going to be a member of this team for much longer.

 

Comparative advantage would only make sense here if Harden was to shoot a relatively high percentage of the time as a spot up guy. That will not be likely at all so the math doesn't make sense.

Anyway there is no need to pigeonhole him or Lin into static roles. It is a freeflowing game. Just because Harden will be handling the ball a lot does not mean Lin will not run his share of PNR with Dwight. Opportunities will be ample for everyone.

 

Yeah I got you. I just have a pet peeve when people get percentages wrong when trying to prove a point. Harden did take a lot of contested 3s and hit a solid % considering.

 

Chris Paul shot under 33 last year. I can search for guys like Magic or Isiah Thomas or Rondo but there is no need.

Linsanity was under 33 percent - and that was definitely a championship level of play. I am sure Lin will improve his shot, but excelling at other parts of the game more than make up for a lackluster 3 pt percentage.

 

You're going to get lambasted for comparing Lin to Chris Paul/Magic/etc. in 3...2...1.

 

Yes, but what does Chris Paul shoot in the clutch? What does he shoot inside the arc? And how much is the defense entirely focused on him when he has the ball? These are the reasons why stats must be provided with context. Without context, stats mean virtually nothing.

 

I don't think he ever had a lot of athleticism but it's not like he was old by that time. He was 29 when we got that first championship. He shot 30.8%, 35.9% and 31.3% his first 3 seasons. He became a knockdown shooter later on in his career.

 

Kenny Smith had a lot of athleticism before his knees went out on him. He won the NBA slam dunk competition in his younger days.

 

Just noticed his great 3pt shooting coincided when he was traded to the Rockets and teamed up with Hakeem. That inside out scheme with a dominant center seemed to help him out. Hopefully it can help Lin out the same way.

 

For effing sake would ppl relax? Someone said any pg who shoots under 33 percent basically sucks. I found an example of one who shoots under that and does not suck.

Go read my other posts in this thread. I said Harden should get the lion's share of the PNR.

Hell, I brought up Linsanity as an example of a pg who was turnover prone and shooting a low 3 pt shot - yet playing at an All Star level. I have heard and read guys like Magic, Hubie Brown, experts ad nauseum compare Lin to players far better than him. I suppose they are all Asian LOFs too in this paranoid delusion.

Wasn't there an effing thread about Bev and Rose?

Anyhow, I first posted in this thread to dispute the mathematical notion that using Lin as the primary PNR handler... for effs sake.

 

I was refuting a blanket statement that under 33 percent = suck. For example, we would all take a Linsanity if we could because the Rockets would excel. Even though Lin was turnover prone and shooting a bad 3 back then. His efficiency at the rim more than made up for it.

 

Well, I can't edit my posts. But Kenny didn't win slam dunk champion but finished runner up one year to.....his old teammate Michael Jordan.

 

And the Jet was in the dunk contest (a long time ago) !!