I was thinking this very same thing. Landry is without a doubt fast enough to stay with just about any three in the NBA. He is not the smartest defender yet, but he is not bad. He can handle the three as long as Mac is the two, I think.
Dude is pretty strong to me. I think he did 19 reps on the bench at the pre-draft workouts which ranked in the top 10 or maybe even 5. He has more than enough strength at the 4 and he would be stronger than every 3 in the league if he ever played their. I think he has more of an advantage at the 4 though.
Landry has Boozer's potential. As a rookie and a bench player, Landry looks more aggressive than Boozer. His FTA, FG%, Orbs are better than Boozer's rookie season. How much are we going to pay him next season?
I think Haslem might be a more apt comparison. Does anyone know if the Cavs running plays for Boozer his first couple seasons?
Okay the guy is pretty amazing and certainly a steal for any team, but to say that he can defend the perimeter? Amare is quick and athletic for his size , but do you see him defending the perimeter? There is a distinct difference in foot speed between the four and 3 positions even
I said develop a 40% 3 point shot because I am convinced he is working on it. Landry's game is a fit for Adelman because his game is based on moving around quickly without the ball in space and creating space. Developing a 3 point shot would make him ultradangerous in an Adelman offense combined with his ability to dive to the rim and get it up and down so quick. If you're gonna go out 18 feet and shoot a 2, who not move out a few more feet and shoot the 3? Do you realize a 30% shooter spotting up from 3 is just as good as a 45% shooter spotting up from 18 feet? Think about it. If he could get good enough to hit 1 out of 3 out there, that is 50% from 18 feet. That would be pretty good and would help spread the floor for our offense, and get him more backdoor crams as teams fade out on him when he gets hot and starts nailing the shot out there. So unless you can bang down that 18 footer at a 55-60% clip, might as well work on the 3 ball, especially in an offense that is dependent on spacing and player movement and you are a player that will be receiving the ball out there to fire it, not dribble around with it. And even if you can bang down the midrange shot at that clip, you should work on extending your range, SEE RICHARD HAMILTON. Unless you just physically don't have the capability of shooting a long ball. Every player has their limits. Juwan Howard, for instance, had no lift, he shot that stupid line drive jumper from the top of the key. Everybody loved it but I hated it, because it wasn't efficient enough. Luis Scola for another example is a player I wouldn't want to see attempting a three. He's 27 years old, and it's obvious from watching Scola's game that he spent his development time working on all those twisting spinning moves in the post, back to the basket and facing up. Scola is a 15 feet and in player. And perhaps, the limit for Landry is 18 feet, who could possibly know at this point? If that is the case, and I don't know how anyone could say it is at this point, then obviously we don't want him shooting any further out. Right now, with limited attempts he is hitting at a 53% clip from 15-21 feet. If he could knock down that corner 3 at a 34% clip it would be equivalent to what he is shooting from midrange now. Anything over that, and the 3 point shot becomes a more effective weapon than the long midrange shot for 2. I think that is a distinct possibility after watching him shoot, his shooting form, and his athleticism and size. Shooting is the most important skill in basketball. Teams routinely score 100 points per game, even against the best defenses on the planet. So, shooting is a premium. That's why guys like Korver and Kapono make it in the league and become big time millionaires when they can't hardly do anything else decent. Landry is young, with plenty of time to improve his game over the next summer and next season before his skillset starts to max out and boundary limits set in. If he can put in the work, get in the gym every day and knock down 100-150 3 point shots before he quits, I think he could develop the shot.
