The 3 Rookies: How They Fit Together

Reader for several years. First time posting.

Despite what seems like a disastrous off-season, I don't know if I've ever been more excited for a group of rookies. Some are really against the idea of having too many young players that need to be developed, and I can definitely understand the argument. There are a limited number of practices, a limited number of coaches on the staff, and a limited number of minutes. The more players those spread out to, the less each individual gets.

But I also see a lot of benefits to bringing in 3 players that fit so well together at the same time. You hear a lot about how Kobe and Fisher came into the league together, and how they ended up growing throughout there career together. I can only imagine that their coaches developed their skillsets to not only become a better individual player, but also to become a complimentary backcourt in the long-run. Fisher never developed the skills of a traditional point guard. Instead, he became a deadly off-the ball shooter and a physical defender on the other end who could guard 2's as well. The kind of point guard Kobe would thrive with.

Obviously, none of these 3 guys will ever turn into Kobe, but I think they can be developed into complimenting each other longterm.

Let's start with offense:
I can't really imagine Royce White ever becoming a complimentary offensive player. If the ball isn't in his hands, I've got to imagine his plan B is to get the offensive rebound. Even if he has the intelligence to find the open space for some easy buckets, his shooting ability (or lack thereof) just makes him too easy to play off of, and it's hard to make a cut at a the right angle if you're defender is in the lane. Royce will have the ball in his hands in either the post or the perimeter. Depending on how he's being guarded.

I don't really believe in the Royce White pick-and-roll, since it's too easy to just switch (unless we used a guard to set the screen. probably wouldn't work, but could be interesting), I think Royce's career will come down to whether or not he score in one-on-one situations. Is his footwork good enough to get by bigger defenders? And will he be able to punish small ones in the post? Time will tell, but one thing's for sure. Those both become a lot easier when your teammates can space the floor.

Enter Jeremy Lamb and Terrence Jones. Lamb has a ton of talent, but he just doesn't have the demeanor of a go-to-scorer. Which could be a blessing in disguise. He could be the rare player who has enough talent to be a go-to-go scorer, but has no problem playing the role of second option. It's amazing how many players' ego won't allow them to do this. (of course, this obviously becomes irrelevent if we never get a go-to-scorer and Lamb is forced into that role. That'll fail, just like it did at UConn). He's simply a player that the defense has to account for.

Terrence is also great without the ball. As an SEC fan, I've watched him more of the other two and two things always jump out about him: he's immensely talented and he makes lazy decisions. If he's the one with the ball in his hands, I'm fully expecting a turnover or a bad shot. But as someone who finishes the play, instead of initiating it, I think he could score a lot of points, mostly because of his versatility. If his man goes to double team Royce, he can cut to the basket and finish at the rim. If his man rotates to protect the rim, he can knock down the open shot. If a smaller player switches on him, he can take him in the post. And if the defense breaks down, he can slip in and get an easy putback. It's actually not the hard to help off a player who can only do one thing. If he's a great 3-point shooter, you're instict is to immediately run back and contest the shot. Howeer, if the guy you're guarding can both nail the 3 and pump fake and drive to the whole. You're now guessing on how you're going to recover back to him. Both Lamb and Jones will keep you guessing.

Last but not least, these three will kill in transition. That's where I see these 3 being at their best. White rebounding and pushing. Lamb trailing at the 3. Jones beating his man down the floor. If I were listing strengths for all 3, that's where I would start.

Defense:
This will be an unpopular opinion, but I could honestly see White and Jones rolled out as the only two big guys on the floor. I don't really believe in pegging guys as a 4 or 5, but the way I see it, you want one player who is strong enough to hold his ground to play against the other team's best post player. Height for a post defender is completely overrated. The goal isn't to block his jump hook. The goal is to make him start as far from the basket as possible and to make him pull up for that shot. White is apparantly built like an ox. If he can keep getting stronger, he may be able to guard the guys who are a little bigger, but much slower (White isn't the quickest guy). A lesser version of Chuck Hayes. At the very least, if he can't guard the 3 or 4 dominant centers in the NBA, he can guard the Kendrick Perkins and Joakim Noahs in the world. The only reason teams don't play smaller defenders on those guys (almost daring them to try to score) is because they'll just get outrebounded, but I think Royce will be able to hold his own.

If Royce is guarding a team's big, he absolutely must play with someone who is tall, athletic, long, and can protect the rim. Someone exactly like Terrence Jones. TJones has the perfect size and athletism to be one of the league's best weakside players. With his length, he'll be able to bother post players with his double teams and defend the rim when needed. One-on-one, I think he'll get destroyed on the block. Don't think he's physical or strong enough. But as the one who will guard stretch 4s, double the post, and play the pick-and-roll? I think he'll be great. Again, his versiatily is his biggest strenght. White and Jones together on defense will never be great, but I think they can hold their own enough (especially in certain matchups), to make the significant offensive/transition advantage worth it. Ideally, teams will just go small give up on their center trying to guard White or Jones.

Lamb on defense is simple. Awesome playing the passing lanes. Will get destroyed in one-on-one situations. Luckily, he'll play alongside Parsons, who will always guard the opponenst best wing. Lamb should be able to play to his strengths on offense.

Again, I couldn't be more excited for these rookies. They may not be here for much longer, but at least they could give us, at the very least, some fun and entertaining basketball. We might lose a lot of games at first, but we have the potential to play a fast-paced, agressive style of basketball.

Sorry for the length and thanks for reading. Hope this is a break from the issues with the rest of our team.

Go Rockets

 

Completely agree on the shooting PG part. At least for the backup PG, who will probably play with White more. It's tough to have 3 non-shooters on the floor, and with Parsons presumably playing a lot of minutes, White and Parsons already make 2.

And with regards to DMo, I just don't know enough or have seen enough to say anything new or intelligent about him haha. I'm sure he brings similar characteristics as TJones with his versatility on offense and his length/quickness to recover on defense. He may be a better fit next to Asik though.