So is Alston really doing what we need him to? He's our starting point guard and is tallying 4.2 assists a game. Last season he was getting 6.7 per game. This is in stark contrast with T-Mac dropping 6.2 a game as our SG/SF. So who's the real point guard here. Why couldn't Spanoulis or Head start when we don't even need Rafer to get those assists every night. I mostly like Alston but this is just something to think about.
Alston is shooting too much this year. It wouldn't hurt as much, if he shot well, but most nights, he's not.
Why? His FG% is lowest when he's driving into the lane. He's shooting 39% from the 3 point line. When you have someone shooting nearly 40% from the 3 point line, that's what they need to do - shoot 3s. What is this backwards logic? For all the hate he was getting last night, he was 4-9 beyond the arc for 44%. And he hit the biggest shot of the game from there.
T-Mac has taken less of a scoring role (though he's shooting loads) and taking one superstar role player (if you can imagine that). These past games he's showing us the full arsenal he has, playmaker, rebounder, thief, part time blocker, he's practically a whole package rolled in one. And right now, he's into playmaker mode + some rebounding. So I'm fine with Alston averaging 4.2 assists as long as T-Mac doing great.
His 3 point shooting is fine, but he takes too many other shots. Last night was an extreme example of the problem: 4/9 on 3pt shots and 0/7 on the others. His 4th quarter decision making still isn't good enough. That is the crux of the problem with Rafer, NOT his 3pt shooting. Plus, when he starts off bad and it's clear he won't have a good game, JVG needs to pull him out faster. The leash needs to get shorter as the season wears on.
Are you serious? You picked the worst shooting night of the season for his average to drop to 39.2% from beyond the arc and 39% from the field to rip him up? Not to mention no PG since T-Mac's Orlando days has/have outassisted him? Forget that he goes to the line slightly more in slightly less minutes and is hitting a slightly better percenteage there? Oh yeah, and he leads the team in steals. Oh, and we're 8-4 with probably the toughest schedule in the league so far. We've played both Texas teams, Miami, and Utah already. What do you want from this guy for 4M a season? His soul?
I find Alston to be a bit redundant on the offensive end when he's on the floor with Battier and Luther. He has essentially become a spot up shooter that is useless when he's not behind the 3-point line. When you have 3 of those type of players on the floor together, the offense becomes terribly predictable and easy to stop.
I think he is just trying to take advantage of the doubleteams on Yao and Tmac. I don't think anyone would argue that taking a wide open shot is wrong. The problem is his shots are not falling. May be he is just not a good shooter.
We need Rafer to shoot 3's. It seems that alot of championship teams, the point guard doesn't get much assist compared to the league average. The point guards are usually just guards that shoot 3 pointers and minimize turnovers. He needs to stick those spot up 3s and stay out of the lane. He sucks inside the arc.
Rafer only does two things good so far this season: Hit open 3s, bring the ball up against pressure defense.
So maybe we can agree 3 point shooting isn't an issue with Rafer. What's the problem then? I'm not satisfied with him. His assists and rebounds are down even though he is still playing 38 mins/game. You can argue his assists are down because Tracy is playing the point more. Fine. When games are tight and every possession counts, I don't trust Rafer to use good judgment on the court, which is fundamental to being a PG. JVG must reduce his minutes when he doesn't have his "A" game. I don't mean to whine or bash the guy. Rafer has great handles and destroys most presses easily. He is a very good passer. 8-4 (leading to 10-4, hopefully) is a great start to the season. But I see problems down the road.
this was basically my point when i made the "obsolete Alston" thread. he is a true PG, but it seems that we don't need one anymore. instead we need a defender, a slasher, or a shooter. a player who can do a combination of those 3 would be excellent. passing is not one of the top 3 things we need from that possition, yet it's rafers best quality. he would be better suited coming off the bench.
God, exactly! I don't understand all the Rafer hate. It's like a lot of the Car hatred in that no matter what they do, it's always never enough and something they do is hurting the team. Everyone b****ed about his 3pt shooting all offseason and now he has greatly improved his shooting to nearly 40% and people still hate on the guy. He is getting less assists because Yao is the focal point in the offense now. Plain and simple. What more do you want him to do? He brings the ball up in pressure in a timely matter and gets the ball to who needs it determined by the play called, and he knocks down the open 3. We can't have an allstar at every position. Everyone talks about how he should not be the starting PG and we need a player that does this or that, but no one gives their thoughts or suggestions on who around the league would be THAT perfect fit. Come on, what players around the league that are attainable would be a better fit or better player period?
I'd take Mo Williams although he doesn't shoot as well from 3 as Alston. I'd probably also take Earl Watson for his great defense, and he's shown he shot 3's around a 40% clip for a three year span. I believe both of those guys could be had through trade without having to get too creative. I'm happy with Rafer though. Just answering your question.
Exactly. It's funny how many fans have unrealistic expectations. Rafer is the ideal PG for this team, and the reason TMac averages more assists is because he's the primary playmaker at this point. As of now, Rafer's job is to initiate the offense (which means he won't be getting that assist on the possession since its the first pass), hit his open shots, and play steady defense. He's done all three. His turnovers are still low, his 3-point shot percentage is considerably improved, and he still makes right decisions, particularly where this team needs it most--in transition. He's fine. Quit the bickering. I'm sorry, but you're not going to find their dream PG who averages 20 ppg, 8 rpg, 10 apg, 48% 3-pt shooting, and a 5/1 ast/TO ratio.
