Lets hope he's more Damien Lillard than Brooks or Lowry. He definitely is built much more like Lillard or Billups than Brooks (quick but rail thin) or Lowry (Thick & built like a linebacker) and his game is much more similar to theirs as well. I think the only reason why he's being compared to those two is because of the Rockets. I dont see any similarities at all other than the fact that they are all PG's. Of course, its not fair to compare Canaan to a hall of famer like Billups & an up and coming superstar like Lillard, but as far as their build, athleticism, and overall games are considered, Canaan has some close similarities.
Good find. Thanks! Well, we see the terrific, the good, the bad, and the ugly in that breakdown. Canaan clearly is an outstanding shooter, with skills on offense that should translate very well to the NBA level. He showed the ability to get off a shot in numerous ways, and make them. Of course, look at the competition he was up against, which affected where he was selected, no doubt. Still, he should be able to contribute right away off the bench when we need offense and have another good ball handler to cover his weakness in that regard. Thomas playing with Jeremy or James should be fun to watch. Both can get him the ball for open looks. So can Parsons. If Thomas consistently knocks them down, that's a quick weapon off the bench to give us a different look, but he must cut way down on the turnovers. Thomas playing with Bev could be a nice combo off the bench, with Bev helping to cover Canaan's defensive weakness on the perimeter. What will help him here is that we should have an excellent defensive anchor protecting the rim for 48 minutes a game. I don't know how good he is with the lob pass, but Dwight gives him a tremendous target around the rim. Watching the video made me wonder what he'll learn from Brooks in practice about playing against the great size and athleticism at this level when you're a short guy. Hard to think of a better coach by example than AB. Canaan is coming to a great situation. Our offense should jive very well with his offensive skills. His defense? Not so much, and his PG skills leave a lot to be desired. Morey clearly believes that Thomas can learn and adapt to this level. Let's hope he's right.
Morey obviously thinks defense can be acquired far better than offense. Or that offense is more important than defense. Because this team seriously needs a heavy dose of vitamin D.
Except we have 4 PGs and Thomas will be in the Dleague. I love Thomas but as long as Lin, Beverley or Brooks is on the roster he's never going to touch the floor.
What??? This team has defense, A LOT more defense then they've had since the Van Gundy era. Dwight Howard anchoring the paint with Asik coming off the bench is a monster 1-2 combo on the defensive end. Chandler Parsons is no slouch on defense, yes he regressed a bit last year but obviously that was due to his adjusted focus on more of the offensive end. Patrick Beverly is known for his tenacity on defense and harassed Russell Westbrook relentlessly in the playoffs before he got injured. Terrence Jones (whom I believe will be our starting 4 barring a trade) is a monster on the glass and will be an awesome weak side defender with the ability to block shots. All these guys play key roles in the rotation and if James Harden improves his defense along with Lin we will be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. Everyone else that we've been acquiring have been league minimum guys to play spot minutes off the bench and provide scoring to go with our starters/other main role players. I believe we'll be much better on defense and you never know a guy like Casspi could possibly have a chance at coming on like Fransisco Garcia did and show that he plays great on both ends of the floor especially when he's surrounded by a championship contending team.
In preseason and training camp the first time he takes a step-back 15 footer, that will pretty much solidify his rotation spot down in the valley. Im not going to claim to have watched a ton of Murray State B-Ball but the draft videos clearly show parts of his game (that might even been an asset at the college level) that will not fly in the NBA, and especially wont fly with the Rockets. This guy has some major talent, but it looks like he's going to need to transition his game quite a bit to be successful at the NBA level. Still the one thing that could get him on the court sooner rather than later will be his ability to shoot the 3 with precision.
Things completely change when your role in the game shifts from being the only legitimate scorer on the team to being a facilitator and shooter. I think Canaan will thrive.
I think so too, but I think there is going to be an adjustment period in his first year from being the man to carving out a niche on a contending NBA team. That's all I was getting at. Very high on him, and excited to see him play.
Thanks for the video. Canaan reminds me of a poor man's Iverson, and looks like he could play a role similar to Toney Douglas. He certainly has the ability to score and in many different ways. I especially like his off-the-ball offensive ability and his 3-point range. His lack of passing touch should be covered by playing alongside a ball handling SG like Harden. He and Aaron Brooks seem to fill similar needs for this team, with some similar strengths and weaknesses. It will be interesting to see who wins that battle for the 3rd-string PG spot.
Just a gut feeling, but I think he's in a 4-man rotation at the guard positions by mid-year. Harden, Beverley, Canaan, and ??. The Rockets won't ask him to do more than play with intensity on D, make the easy entry pass to Dwight/cutter, and most importantly....SHOOT. He will thrive in this role.
Agreed. Our defense is criminally underrated. I don't know how many announcers I've heard last year, saying that we don't play defense. We have a fast uptempo offense, something will give. Having said that, we have a lot of potential on both sides of the floor.
