Effort vs Talent - What on earth is Ariza lacking?

It really is. It isn't even close. The stopping, the shooting motion ... it is all so awkward, and it is so obvious that the shot isn't going in, but he does it all the time anyway. Ariza is horrible on anything that isn't either an assisted open three pointer or a dunk. And he isn't getting any better. That's the harsh reality.

Note that I qualified the phrase "three pointer". Ariza sometimes tries to launch 3 pointers off the dribble, especially on the fast break. It never, EVER goes in.

 

i think the fact that his shot can be so off is a big clue as to the nature of the problem. it's balance. many nba players shoot off balance shots, don't get me wrong, but even those shots are "controlled" off balance shots. dirk's one leg fadeaways, rip hamilton's leaning shots off the curl, kobe's fallaways, manu's awkward rhythm shots, they are all controlled. ariza isn't there yet. he's playing like he's at the ymca.

controlling balance comes from proper footwork, strength, conditioning, and a good amount of muscle memory (practice). we all know ariza was lacking in fundamentals when he was drafted out of ucla. we all know that he's still relatively thin. we all know that he's never had the workload he has now. so the question is whether he will work with the trainers to get his fundamentals in line, so that the shots are more predictable and more accurate. my bet is that he will do what it takes.

also, keep in mind that ariza is a focal point on our team. so defenders are going to try to take away his pet moves and what he's best at. that's the difference between the good focal points and the role players. take away AB's drive and he's got a shot, or a cross, or a step-back. he has counters, which is why he's got so much potential and can score so well. ariza doesn't have that arsenal yet, so when defenders scout him properly, he becomes limited, and starts doing what the defense dictates instead of dictating the game to the defense.

it's all correctable though, imo. it's going to be a lot of fun watching him develop.

 

That's what I don't know about though. At this stage, is it really possible to improve that much with respect to fundamental skills? Almost every player I've seen comes into the NBA with some form of raw skill that he subsequently refines with coaching and training. Ariza just doesn't have it, at all. And I don't know how well he can actually develop those fundamental skills at this stage. Even Jermaine Taylor looks a lot more refined already. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm just saying a common sense look at the situation certainly warrants skepticism. I certainly hope that they can actually work with him to develop a couple of simple go-to offensive moves that utilize his athleticism to his advantage. But if I had my way, I'd have Chase in Ariza's role, force him into a big role in the offense and make him do the stuff they have Ariza doing now. I think there is a LOT more promise there.

 

Talent. - Superstars have the ability to combine the different physical attributes of their body to do one task.

Ex. Leaping, balance, vision / aim, strength, breathing, hand-eye coordination. -The more of these you can combine the greater "talent" you have. People like Kobe, and Jordan have that ability.


- Ariza may have the POTENTIAL / set of tools, but does not have the "Talent" like a kobe bryant.
- Ariza does make up for a lack of talent, with super effort. The guy is awesome.

 

that's a great point. it's entirely possible that ariza just doesn't have the room to develop that we might hope he does. in that case, you do have other options, and ariza becomes an average value at the MLE, a role player instead of a focal point.

taking the current approach with Ariza does not mean this is a permanent commitment though, it's simply giving the guy freedom to explore his game and develop. someone like chase or other not-currently-a-rocket player might assume that role if it turns out that Ariza just doesn't have the overall game to be that guy.

good thought to kick around though. the decision to have Ariza in this role definitely has an opportunity cost.

 

Hey dude calm ur ass down, and give the guy break, i know he just keep jacking up shot, but he wouldn't do it unless the coach told him too, i know he hasn't been playing well the last 5 games or so, but it's only 17 games, and he is averaging 18.5 PPG and 3.5 A, is pretty good for a player who averaged 8.9 PPG last season,,,so relax and trust me he'll get better because he is givving his effort but he is not finding his shot.........

 

Your in for a rude awakening if you think the rockets incompetent trainers are going to fix anything (strength,skills,athleticism). The evidence is in your face. (tmac,battier,rafer,)These players since they got here havent improved.

 

landry? brooks?

 

Ariza is what he is. Some of us have been saying that since day one. The inability to dribble in traffic, the inability to finish at the rim when there is contact and the poor body control are issues he will have until the day he retires. He is very near his ceiling.

He is a complimentary player who has been forced into a primary role (just as Brooks has). We can't really judge his contributions this year when his ultimate role all along was (or should have been) to be a cog in a team featuring Yao. He's a good value despite being on a team that needs a lot of things more than it needs a wing player who can't score the ball efficiently.

I will say that his defense needs serious work. I don't know if it's laziness, low basketball IQ or just impatience but the gambling on steals needs to stop. I've watched him put team mates in foul trouble over and over by going for steals that he was never going to get and letting his man get into the paint. That's going to be an even bigger issue when his gambling is getting Yao (the star player) in foul trouble as opposed to Hayes or Scola.

 

he lacks talent. nobody in their right mind would think he's more than a 4th option on a championship team.

adelman and morey need to check themselves for this one. give the shots to AB, landry, scola, lowry, cbud, jermaine taylor, ANYBODY but ariza.

 

He needs to continue practicing good skills on both ends of the floor so he can develop good technique. I don't think the Rockets signed Ariza expecting an all-star caliber offensive player but instead hoped to get an all-NBA deffensive player with timely shooting.

 

false.

 

in terms of creating their own shot. but you're right, chuck hayes is worse. other than that, anybody else is better. yes, even cookie.

 

you're painting a pic where ariza is the worst offensive player on our team and that adelman giving him green light has been a huge mistake. and this sounds false to me.

 

Its annoying when he gambles and it results in the defense breaking down. But I think the Rockets like his defensive style, for a few reasons:

(1) Rockets want to push the tempo and get easy transition baskets this season. Getting steals/deflections helps a lot in that regard.
(2) Ariza's steals were down to start the year, and they've increased substantially in the last couple weeks. To me, it looks like he was told to be more aggressive.
(3) Daryl Morey said the Rockets rated him as a top defender at his position. According to some recent advanced stats presented at Hoopnumbers.com (here), where Ariza had the biggest impact defensively was in forcing turnovers. In the preceding 3 seasons, their analysis suggests that he had the biggest impact in forcing the opposing team to turn the ball over than any other player. He's also had a good impact in team field goal defense (79th percentile), but its in forcing turnovers where he really excels. I think the Rockets knew this, and its a big part of why they coveted him.

 

he's shooting 38.2%. that's more than pathetic. that's worse than a one-legged mcgrady limping like a 70 year old woman.

again, ariza was our biggest offseason signing. and morey and adelman want to see how good he really is. apparently 17 games aren't enough yet.

 

Preach on, just wished we have a universal remote for this case.

He is just learning were to be on offense and where the help defense will be on d, so he knows where to place himself.

 

to me he still gambles too much. steals are nice, but going for a steal too much doesn't equal being aggressive necessarily. the other night in the spurs game, he made a big mistake in the end on jefferson.

steals make one look good when successful, as it often leads to a fastbreak. but when failed, it really puts one's teammates in bad position (whoever the helper is) and many fans would say it's the helper's fault. it's fine balance issue as always.

 

that's in a big part due to the volume of shots he takes. btw what are the % of the other rockets this year (excl. post players)?

 

I dont know if half a season would be good enough when on a new team.

again, ariza was our biggest offseason signing, true but he was brought in for his defense, any offense, any at that if a plus.

dont know why you guys are sacking him when other players are doing just as bad.

Is it because he is the newest acquisition? Because Andersen is finding his spot so cant knock on him? Because Ariza is playing just as good if not better then whom he replaced? Because no one cares that Lowry jacks up 3 pointers? The inconsistent Brooks story is getting old? Hayes dribbles too much?

Pfft