[Insider] Proving or debunking conventional Wisdom

One of the few espn articles I enjoyed in a while

 

I concur, usually it's just bad media writing in the only media outlet...

 

Very interesting article, thanks for posting.

 

Yup, that's been my observation on Aldridge for a while. Aldridge is absolutely not an elite PF. He's still a stud though.

 

That was actually a really good article. The triple double part was pretty true, you have guys that get 8, 9 , or even 7 in a category sometimes and it is discounted because it doesn't fit the aesthetics of a "10" or more.

 

maybe..just maybe...hickson's teammates try to rebound the ball when he's off the floor. and when hickson is on the floor, they go to the other end and leave him there to fight for the reb?

 

If you watch Aldridge that seems obvious. He shoots the least efficient shot in the NBA (20 foot 2 pointers), if he steps back 4 feet and keeps his percentages, he would go from good to great, and be the best PF in the NBA.

 

You spelt "whisdom" wrong.

 

Golden State's defense is a surprise. They are #3, better than OKC, SA and Charlotte. Only Pacers and Bulls are better, both in the East. (9 of the top 10 offensive teams are in the West.)

Another surprise is Minnesota. They are #8 on defense and #9 on offense. Didn't Morey say that you need to be top 10 on both offense and defense in order to contend?

 

I'd already said this about Dubs a week ago. Here's the repost:

Warriors have two great wing defenders in Klay and Iggy and a top paint protector. Curry is average and doesn't have the size to be a good defender. Lee is their only weakness. Contrary to what you believed, Warriors are a much better defensive team. Last year they were pretender. This year? Not anymore. They are more of a contender than Rockets.

Despite missing Iggy for 12 games, they are tied for 3rd with Thunder in D efficiency with 0.986 point allowed/possession, a huge leap from 15th from last year. Simply put, they are 9 games better than Rockets defensively.

Offensively, they remain about the same as last year--a mediocre offensive team. They are where they are because of their defense.

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I will say this about Aldridge. Blazers have the #1 offense in NBA and he is their #1 option. All their plays run through him, whether its PnR, PnPop, or postup. It's doesn't matter how inefficiency his shots are, he is the heart of their offense.

No team can become a top offensive team without an elite #1 option.

Despite his below average TS%, he is still the 3rd best mid-range shooting PF in the league behind Bosh and Ibaka. If you watch enough of Blazers games, they are night and day comparing to Rocktes in getting a quality shots when the game is on the line. The reason? Aldridge!

The ability to get off a decent percentage shot when the game is on the line is is one of the keys in separating elite from the rest of players.

 

I don't watch JJ Hickson. So quite frankly I have no freaking idea what kind of a rebounder he is. But according to his on/off court numbers, his teams always play better offense when he's OFF the court. This is incredibly surprising given that Portland literally had no bench last year.

So if what you say is correct, that his teammates can run the floor better when he rebounds, then he must be a god awful offensive player for his team's offense to suck so much with him.

 

A few years ago, the Rockets were 4th in Off Rtg and 3rd in PPG with Kevin Martin as our leading scorer.

 

This exactly. The Blazers are more an exception than the rule. The first half of the season, they were bonkers from three point range. They were hitting above 40% from everywhere along the perimeter. That usually never happens especially for half a season. It also doesn't hurt to not be missing any of your starters for any injury, much less significant time, as most teams have done so this year. Those two factors definitely play a role I'm them having the best offense.

About LMA, that's the one thing I worry about when everyone is so ready to call him our third star, provided we get him. He takes so many shots! Taking 42 more shots that Kevin Durant? That's insane. I don't see how effective he would be playing next to 2 stars that need shots also. He definitely wouldn't be as effective as he is now and that's not what you want from the third star. You want the third star to more or less keep the same effectiveness with less shots. Look at Bosh. He gets less shots but he is more effective in his role. I don't think LMA or Love could do that.

 

LMA is more effective with a lower shooting volume, his efficiency has dumped with his volume going up this year....He's also always been pretty good at the Moses Malone, which impacts efficiency stats without impacting team performance.

 

First, there is difference between 97 percentile and 90 percentile. It's a lot easier to become #3 than becoming the best.

Most of #1 options are inefficient by nature. Oppositions key in in stopping #1 options. Most of the time they can't be stopped from scoring. The best the teams can hope for is an off night.

Harden had insane TS% as #3 option, second best only to Tyson Chandler in the league. When he became a #1 option, his TS% plummeted. That's the nature of the game.

How many players in the league, when well defended even by the best defenders, can still get a decent shot off? Not many! Again, this is what separates the elites offensive players from the rest of the league.

Rockets don't have a reliable scorer when the game in on the line. This WILL bite us in the ass during playoffs. Until Harden develops his pull up jumpers, this is what the team is missing the most if we want to contend. Paul George developed his in an offseason. I hope Harden can do the same next year.

 

Harden's TS% is still insane it is up there with center

LMA on the other hand has one of the worst amongst all players because he's alergic to the key and doesn't like to draw fouls.