None of them. How many game James Harden will start as a player of USA national team if Kobe Bryant is healthy? Also none of them. Starting spot is non factor in basketball.
It's a shame we didn't make it to the finals, but I have to be honest and say that Lithuania has better players than Croatia on every position. I'm delighted with how we've played this tournament so let's at least grab the bronze medal. If we lose tomorrow, who cares, Spain is also a lot better than us, but with the right approach and a bit of luck, everything is possible.
My thing with D-Mo is his inconsistency. That's it. He has had the same if not more time as Jones to show something definite. Yes, he can shoot, but not consistent enough to say that he is dangerous. He is still getting his post moves together and he still hasn't gotten better at rebounding. All of this is nothing to really worry about too much, though. He is still improving. OTOH, i can't recall too many games where Jones didn't show that he belonged. Whether he was scoring, rebounding, blocking shots or just playing defense, he was involved in pretty much all 19 games he played in during the season. He has also been very impressive in every other NBA event( SL, D-League ). I have nothing against D-Mo. I would much rather have a 7 footer next to Howard, but D-Mo, as good as he can be, is just not consistent enough to be that guy at the moment. IMHO.
My biggest knock on him was his defense. He always seemed lost on the defensive side of the ball and wouldn't know who his assignment was and where he needed to be. He really needs work on that end of the floor. I'm not so worried about his offense, although his 3-pt shot needs to be more consistent.
DMo understands the game though, his issues are youth, but you can clearly see that he is moving to the open spot, taking advantage of what he sees, passing the ball to the right person. His issue is that he needs to slow down and not rush, he too often is trying to do too much once the game slows down for him, he will really take off. He has great BBIQ, height, speed and he is left handed, if he has a serious work ethic he will have some great success. DD
I'm not convinced DMo understands the game to any significant degree over a pedestrian player. He has demonstrated the ability to come into a game looking for his shot. He has taken ill-advised 3-point shots. He is generally looking to score the ball or make a scoring play. He does have offensive post moves and a decent handle for a big man. But I haven't seen anything about his game that indicates to me that he knows how to play winning basketball. There's nothing wrong with understanding the game on that level. He certainly has a skill set and he's looking to apply his skill set. You can lump most NBA players into that category. But any demonstrable basketball iq beyond that...I haven't seen it yet.
Jones is definitely in a different class as a player compared to Marcus Morris who I would say doesn't know how to play. Him and Thomas Robinson. If anything, Jones just questions himself fitting his game into the team concept because he is good enough to do something with the ball every time he touches it. Plus, McHale's policy is that rookies establish themselves on defense & they get no plays called for them on offense since that is what Chandler Parsons went through his rookie season. I'm not sure I agree with that decision because both Jones & D-Mo were better offensively as rookies than Parsons was as a rookie, but I understand it. They weren't asked to do anything on offense, so critiquing them for what they did or did not do I think is sort of a moot point.
It's your fair right to bet against him but TJones IMO is already a decent player. The question is if he can become a good player or even better. #ESPNRanking And I think you were wrong about Morris. TJones had better stats at the Combine, longer wingspan, more versatile game. Morris might be a more accomplished 3 pt shooter but TJones is younger and should be getting closer. He has a brighter future IMO barring any substance abuse in the case of Lamar Odom or other factors. And saying that after only watching him his 20 games, college, SL and DL is saying nothing relevant. The guy is focused on getting better. Ok. He had an incident with a homeless guy. That should not be a setback for his game.
IDK for sure why you don't think it is possible that Dmo and Jones can coexist. You do not have to be for one and against the other. Both are young and could be a fit next to Howard/Asik or whoever comes to the Rokcets
I agree. TJones looked very reluctant last year. "A deer in highlights" says it right. On a number of occasions he had wide open three and he passed it off. DMo's kind of the exact opposite, too trigger happy.
Jones and Motiejunas have a decent chance to "get it" either next season or maybe later. One of the worst "headless chicken" Rockets player in the last few seasons was Jordan Hill in 2010-11 and he's become much more competent last year (when healthy) and much less lost on the court. The questions are what the probability of that Jones and Motiejunas improve and whether their upside is good enough for the Rockets to wait on each or both of them. The incentives for a contending team, which the Rockets are now, and that of a rebuilding team, which the Rockets were when these guys were drafted, are different.
It's odd to say this considering his team is about to win Eurobasket & he played in every game, so he can't be hurting his team too badly. On both the Rockets and Lithuania, he puts the team first and doesn't put his individual game before the team which shows basketball IQ. His biggest weakness though is probably boxing out. Some players are reluctant to box out because they don't want to take the punishment when the opponent's momentum hits them in the back. I think D-Mo is one of those players. By comparison, Asik for example takes a beating sacrificing his body, which he has to, to get rebounds. Then when D-Mo does get hit, he can't hold his position & he is knocked off balance so he can't get the rebound.
Sure the situation is different with the WIN NOW mode. Even a veteran team needs young players Xs and Ys to step up....
