Man it's so dry and way too long, but I watched the first 15 minutes and very much like where his mind/personality is at. I like that he found a role on a young rebuilding team, really understanding the root motivations of young guys rather than just barking at them or ignoring them. On top of that he has championship experience and played with the most stubborn of competitors with lots of hard headed vets. To add to that experience he was once considered a bone headed semi-athletic wing defender with low IQ. That personal growth is important, builds a lot of character. One of his weaknesses on the offensive end is he has very poor handles and doesn't realize it. I'm sure that will sometimes lead to some WTF plays, but all in all our system tends to minimize that by placing a gigantic portion of usage in the hands of Harden/Paul/Gordon. Wish we had secured him early in the summer and had been working on his 3 all summer/camp/season, but it's good enough for him to not be ignored. He will fit nicely, especially with Harden.
Sometimes to make up for "lack of reach" players instead can "crowd." Players don't like getting crowded on the ball. It makes them uncomfortable. So smaller guys utilize their low center of gravity to get up into players. That is what the Rockets did with KD. CP does it all the time. It is funny, but while players HATE being crowded, Harden cherishes it. Which is why he is so hard to guard.
Watching video of Shumpert's defense. I'm not thrilled with his reach. Sadly, I'm not thrilled with his feet, either. For a shortish guy, he does not keep his balance particularly well. For example, Rivers is better. The one thing I'll say for Shumpert is that he appears to be more dogged and quicker than anybody else at fighting through screens and catching up to the shooter. And that would come in handy against the Warriors.
This is an excellent point. In years past the Clippers would match up Paul on Durant and Paul held his own for that reason.
