Yep, I think the sweet spot for him on taking 3Pers right now is like like 1-2 wide open shots per game. I don't think he should be taking them when they're contested at all unless it's the end of the shot clock. He can't stop taking them entirely and just give up on ever being a shooter, but he needs to limit his attempts to wide open looks, and even then no more than a couple.
He was one of our best players in last year's playoffs. We lost because Jalen no showed and FVV no showed 3/7 games.
To expand on that: I think he's at his best when in transition, attacking a defense that isn't set, other than that, playing off of Durant & Sengun, the only 3's I'd have him take are end of shot clock or wide open looks. Essentially saying, he doesn't need to run the offense to be effective. Doing that pulls him away from the rim in many cases and that affects his rebounding opportunities which is a huge part of his game. He's crazy efficient in that role .... I really want to see them lean into Reed as the facilitator, that's the future of the offense. Not deferring to Durant or Sengun outside the 3 point line. The pick and roll could be devastating with Reed & Sengun getting downhill, Amen running the baselines and KD & Jabari or Tari waiting on the wings. Pick your poison, you can't stop them all. Someone is getting an open look. I get that Ime want's his best player with the ball .... but there's much easier ways to make that happen than isolation and all the unnecessary miles on a 37 year old body and we've seen how playoff defenses wreck isolation .... Amen - rebound and go, attack before the defense can get set, if there's nothing to be had get it to Reed and wreak havoc from the baseline where he is currently shooting .766 at the rim and grabbing almost 3 offensive boards a game. Seems simple enough to me .... You can call that a point guard if you want, we called Patrick Beverly a point guard and all he did was run the ball across half court, give it to Harden and stand the in corner .... and defend point guards.
The difference is that you want Jabari and Reed taking those shots, but Amen is not a 3pt shooter. If Capela had jacked up 3 threes, then he would be getting roasted by everyone, but because Amen does it, everyone gives him a pass. Those three possessions could have changed the game.
Amen has to get better at threes though for us to be successful long term. So I understand what you’re saying and the reasoning behind it. I just think that losing a few games would be worth it if Amen actually starts knocking them down. If his free throws didn’t improve maybe I’d feel different but there’s gotta be some hope there if he’s shooting 80% free throws.
Andre Drummond of all players has added 3 point range. Has made 15 of 39 attempts, .385%. Drummond 4 times in his career shot legendarily awful 30% in FREE THROWS (now above 60% free throws). Drummond might not keep it up. But even this little bit is like worse than Steven Adams unlikely I don't think Amen should be a volume 3 point shooter. His current 2 attempts per game might already be too much. But can keep hope alive that 3's makeability can happen
Not the best Amen game overall but the play at the beginning of this video is why he's still our highest upside player. The quickness and fluidity are nuts and people really underrate his ballhandling skills, which have already shown improvement since his rookie season
Lol umm he still does. Bringing the ball up doesn't inhibit any offball cutting once in the half court. He should be bringing it up. He's the only starter that can beat pressure and be a downhill threat. Don't worry he'll keep moving off ball too.
The free throw improvement has been great. We really need him or Sengun to be a threat from the three though. It's tough to have two guys out in the game that can't space the court out for you. It will definitely be exploited in the playoffs when they load up on the other three shooters.
While I agree it would be great if one of the two developed a consistent 3 point shot, I’m not sure it is a “necessity” given our size advantage. For example, the Pistons start two non-shooters, and Cade’s not exactly a great shooter. Their second most played lineup has three non-shooters next to Cade.
