Pretty sure thats exactly what they don't want to see. The shooting I guess is a positive sign, but I don't think that's what they were that concerned about. He's not in the NBA to be a 3 point specialist or posterize bench guys in garbage time. I'm getting a little concerned that the guy might take a little bit longer to "get it" than we'd like him to. I'm sure he'll be a good NBA bench scorer at the least during his career, but how many teams will he have to be on to get to that point, and how long will that take?? The odds look much stronger that he's more Ben McLemore than Mitch Richmond at this point. Love the talent, but not loving the approach to the NBA game.
The board doesn’t care man. Green improved his handling, defense and bball IQ but because his FG% didn’t change much they just mostly said he hasn’t improved in 3 seasons. It’s insanely difficult to improve any one of those 3 things. More difficult than improving your shooting. Most don’t even know how to calculate the impact of these things. Now try to convince a player to invest time in something the media and fans don’t care about. You’re fighting an uphill battle. Most people just watch offense and highlights and stuff. They have no idea what’s going on in a basketball game. Don’t worry about Cam, his weaknesses are Udoka’s specialty. Just needs time to mature.
He’s a development guy with a specialization in defense and fundamentals. Look how he rounded out Green. Made him a more willing team player. Motivated him to play defense. Improved his shot selection. Looks like he improved his FT% and 3PT mechanics. The one thing Green mostly improved by himself is his handle. Everything else is largely Udoka’s mentorship.
McLemore lacked IQ but also had no heart/fire and played scared. Whitmore might not be there in terms of IQ, but he's got the other parts down in spades - the guy is unafraid and competitive as hell. That's an ocean of difference. I think he's getting way more criticism for his shortcomings in limited minutes than Green did, who came in with higher expectations, and was given far more minutes, touches and freedom. I guarantee he'd start getting it together if he got a consistent 25 MPG, but on our competitive team, that's not going to happen unless injuries strike.
The only reason Green took so long to improve is because he was allowed to take bad shots and play little defense more than any teenager in nba history. It reinforced bad habits, which in turn can take years to “uncondition” - and that’s just the start because now you have to install good habits which can take months. There’s nothing good that can come out of letting Whitmore do the same. It was a massive f*ck up by Silas and Stone in pursuit of Wemby . Udoka won’t make that mistake. Whatever Cam improves would be overshadowed by confidence issues and crystallized habits. Udoka is doing him a huge favor ensuring he’s wired correctly before he’s unleashed.
Green, Whitmore and Smith are the 3 "Core 7" members with a distinct lack of on court awareness and game feel. Tari is not the other 3 in terms of wizardry....but his game feel and understanding is amongst the best on the team. Cam is probably the worst at this....by a huge margin. He's basically a worse Jalen Green right now.
That’s the thing. He had a hot stretch last year shooting the 3. But then he regressed. His season average last year was 35.9%, which is on par with his college stats but below NBA average. Maybe that hot stretch fooled us into thinking he’s a great shooter? And if he truly is a below average 3pt shooter, then his future is a meh.
This is what I've been saying since last year. Cam does not have a diversity of skills on offense. Without great 3-point shooting, he brings little to the table on either end of the floor.
That pursuit of Wemby didn't end up being a disaster. I dont think we would be in a better position now.
I’m not sure what you mean. Do you mean you’re happy we didn’t get Wemby? Or that culture, mentorship and development coaching have no impact on development?
He is doing fine, his role is a scorer, and his shot was off, he was sent down to sort that out. And he is doing just that. DD
He still has time, but Cam seems like the Von Wafer type who’s not going to wait around for us to give him playing time. If and when he does request a trade once he doesn’t crack the rotation anymore, I could see him having a decent career for one team and then a journeyman or straight bouncing around teams in the US and abroad.
It’s not making sense to me. Are you guys saying it was worth holding back 4 FRP’s development by finishing with the most loser culture in order to pick 4th instead of like 7th?
He seems to be a good strong finisher at the rim. So he can be a Giannis kind of guy (not saying that he will be that dominant). But then I looked at his at rim percentage last season. It's only 64%. That's not good enough. It might be that he forced too many bad shots going to the basket and could improve on playing smarter. Also, 58% of his 2p shots and 94% of 3p shots were assisted. That means he's not great at creating his own shots.
Cam had the 2nd highest 3FG% for a teenager in NBA history (with over 70 3FGM) last year. It's insanely hard to break out of a slump as a shooter when you're getting 1-2 random 3pt attempts in 6 minutes a game. 1-18 is awful but isn't indicative of him as a shooter at all. He's not a sniper or a specialist, but he is a 6'6" 230 freak athlete who's a natural scorer, terror in transition, and a very solid 3-point shooter for his age (when he gets consistent looks to get in rhythm). I also think he's going to be a plus defender in a few years with his physical tools and nose for playing passing lanes. I do think his maturity is the main problem right now. When he started the season sitting out 1st Quarters and was the last of the Core-7 to get in, you could tell he was deflated, knowing he was going to get pulled if he missed his first 2 shots. It's not a fun situation to be in as a scorer, but you have to find a way to contribute in the role you're given -- and only then will your PT/touches increase.
I am happy we got Amen and Ime. Who knows where we would be without that last tank year. I get what what you are saying but things could have broken different as well.
Exactly! He's just a catch and shoot guy who can run and finish on the break. It's painful watching him try to create his own shot in half court. He just can't do it at this level because his handles aren't good and neither is his first step. Cam's rim percentage is low because often he makes clownish decisions trying to finish in near-impossible circumstances. We saw that continue in summer league as if he learned nothing at all from last season.
