So you didn't answer my question. What exactly is the value "best wing defender in the entire NBA right now" if his impact on the game can be minimized by hunting/switching? Again, he's a very valuable player - no argument. But if we're coughing up leads down the stretch and he's being switched off the other team's best scorers plus he himself can't shoot, how does that translate into his status as untouchable? Especially when you've already got Tari Eason who is every bit as good of defender plus a better shooter. The only point I'm making is that if the price for getting an all-star level shot creator includes Amen, then you do that deal versus continuing to watch FVV doing the world's worst James Harden impression at the end of every game.
Why don't you go ask coach Udoka this? FVV was defending Lamelo Ball for the most part the other day, which was infuriating. Then Amen did for a few possessions and it didn't look pretty for Lamelo. Amen started on Ant a lot of possessions the other night, guess what though, he didn't end the possession on Ant because before Minny got into any set they always tried to get a pick wiping Amen off of Ant so Ant could take on someone else. Wonder why. You're standing on a very strange hill to die on when literally everything screams out Amen is an ELITE defender already. Ah yes Tony Allen, I do remember those quick leaps for blocks, those swarms of offensive rebounds and put backs, the high IQ cutting ability to get out from his defender behind their backs. Oh wait. Edit: just to make this comparison even funnier. Tony Allen averaged over 9.5ppg TWICE in his entire career. Amen is on track to tie that in his first two years in the league. Good comparison though.
Because he's still so early in his career and his offense will improve. He's also one of the best help defenders in nba. It's like kawhi leonard. All world defender when he came into the league and developed an amazing offensive game and became a super star. When you are absolutely elite on one side of the ball I have more faith in that person becoming the star we need.
Interesting. According to you, Amen should be untouchable because he will become "like kawhi leonard". Of course he could become like Ben Simmons too. Look, you can either evaluate players based on logic or faith. Kawhi shot over 37% from 3 in his second season - comparing him to Amen is an act of faith that I simply do not share.
You're actually going on record saying we should throw Amen Thompson into a trade so that we can get DeAron Fox?
How can you supposedly have been around watching NBA for at least 22 years, and don't understand a single thing on the defensive end?
on offense too he said trade Amen for Fox because Amen's ceiling is Shawn Marion (offense and defense) based on last nights game
Yep. This team is loaded with wing defenders - Tari, Bari, Dillon. What we lack is a guard who puts pressure on the defense. Fox does that. And hey, if you don't like Fox, that's fine. But you're not going to steal a top-25 NBA player from another team for Reed Shepherd and a bag of balls - that's not how this works. You'll never get an all-star without throwing either Amen or Tari in.
Comparing Amen to Kawhi is actually unfair ... to Kawhi. Kawhi does not have the same athleticism and speed Amen has. Yes, Kawhi was a much better shooter from the beginning. But you know what, Amen has been more efficient in his first two seasons than Kawhi was in his first two seasons, despite the fact that Amen is a much worse 3pt shooter. That's because Amen is superior in getting to the rim and finishing. I don't know if Amen will ever develop his shooting to the level of Kawhi's. But he is not an inferior offensive player comparing to Kawhi's early career. So it's not just about faith as you think.
LOL. I know it's easier to defend us when no one has to guard Amen. Look, I don't know if Amen is the next Ben Simmons or the next Magic Johnson. All I know is that a lot of people are projecting a lot of things for him, but those are just projections and nothing more. If you can package him for an all-star, then a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Hoping last night wakes Amen up to become the guy this team needs him to be. No one else is cutting it. Jalen doesn't have it mentally and Sengun doesn't have it physically. Wish the 2021ers were further along or Jabari had progressed more but they're all role players or at best tertiary/secondary star types. The Jalen/Sengun/FVV offense makes my eyes bleed.
How much further do you want them to be. They're right where they're supposed to be. https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DEN/2018.html You can't have everything all at once.
We're much better this early on. Houston fans on this board would laugh at that team's NOW star player that he was unplayable THEN.
We'll see. Defensively the team is stout but we currently have 4 perimeter defenders that you could make the case for being All NBA Defensive Team (Tari, Jabari, Amen, Dillon). If this team was built like most and depended on it's starters to win games for them, we'd be a .500 ballclub. Jalen and Sengun just haven't shown much this year in terms of offensive growth. Sengun specifically has been worse than last year. At almost everything (offensively). I think there was likely a directive to slim up and make him more mobile so he could be a pseudo Dirk type of player instead of the brute force that Jokic is but he hasn't been. Expecting anything out of Jalen at this point is moot. He can only produce one good quarter every once in a while and it's random. If we go into next year with this same offensive approach we are D.O.A. This year's team is performing above expectations and we should comfortably make the playoffs outside of a huge collapse but someone has to show something before the season's end. As of now we've only had fleeting performances from Jalen at the beginning of the year and a few from Sengun. Frank from Chop Shop mentioned that the whole "sometimes you sometimes me" stuff is loser **** and I'd have to agree.
