Was I the only one that noticed that Francis stopped using his jump shot as much as he used to. Last year he would pull up from about 15-17 and make over half of those. This year it seemed like he only did it like once a game and only in the 4th after he did his 2 dribbles b\t his legs and everyone knew he was gonna take it. With his improved 3pt. shooting I would think his jump shot would be even better. I think if Steve starts putting his whole game together nexr year he could avg. 23 - 25 ppg. and still shoot closer to 50 % from the field.
Steve has changed his game a lot, trying to give the ball to other players before he does something himself. He tried to pass down low to Yao etc. The change so far has messed with his offensive game. Also, the zone sucks!!! We were a good team when there was no zone, now that it is here it helps teams like Dallas a lot, and destroys teams like Houston that relied on ISO's.
Yes, it is more to do with the zone defence. In the past, Steve was accurate because he pulled off a jump shot with dribbling and ISO. So, he has the option to dribble toward to low post or stop to take a jump shot. Now, he can't do that with the zone defence. He has to look for a pass and his jump shot is not that accurate without much dribbling.
You said, "Steve has changed his game a lot, trying to give the ball to other players before he does something himself. He tried to pass down low to Yao etc. The change so far has messed with his offensive game." It's just funny to me that a PG's offensive game has suffered because he looked to create offense for other players. That is like saying a center is suffering because he's asked to rebound. I'm not saying that I disagree with you. I am saying that Francis shouldn't be negatively affected from trying to actually play the role of a PG. Yet, he is.
I think defenses have adjusted. They know that the pull- up jumper is his go-to move. They can force him to the lane and have somebody ready to help so he has to pass off.
