rebounding is positioning + athletics/height. Obviously SS has part 2 down, as for part 1, he isn't that strong or smart enough to gain position
Strangely, when I watch swift, I can't help but notice that his lateral movement and footspeed is simply not up to par with his amazing jumping ability. He really doesn't seem to have great quickness for a guy who jumps so high, and seems to lack overall leg strength in any direction but up. I always get this feeling that he can be "pushed over" as his based just doesn't seem very stable. Yao seems to have a similar balance problem, except that his is simply due to his height vs. width which seems to give him the balance issues of a tall unstable SUV. Yao has improved the balance issues of his game tremendously under JVG and I believe that Swift will also given time. However, I wonder whether Swift will ever become motivated enough to improve his overall quickness and lateral leg strength, because that is something that rarely changes amongst players.
WTF? Why? Why would you want to be a 6th or 7th seed compared to being at the top of the conference? "Being the underdog and surprise team in the playoffs" is bullcrap. We have to make the step to top/elite team sometime instead of always being the underdog/surprise team. I don't really know why people want their teams to stay mid-pack teams instead of being a really good team. But hey, it's your opinion and you are entitled to it.
Good point. I have the same feeling that his speed is not up to par with his jumping ability. He's like a pogo stick. His overall strength also leaves a bit to be desired. He's now a player who doesn't do anything exceptionally well(maybe save for shot blocking and dunking) and plays erratically. He is what he is. There's a reason why the Memphis let him go for free.
I don't know. Ive seen him make a few ultra-quick moves to the hoop. But, yeah, most of the time he looks slow. It makes me think he's just not sure/afraid of what to do. Like other posters said. But he does have quickness.
To me the question is why can't he rebound but why did anybody who saw him think he could rebound. Critical mistake on the part of the Rox brass to pursue SS like they did this past off-season, the guy isn't that good. At this point, I would have taken Toine, SAR or Marc Jackson over SS.
00-01 / 16.4 / 1.4 2.2 3.6 01-02 / 26.5 / 2.4 4.0 6.3 02-03 / 22.1 / 1.7 4.0 5.7 03-04 / 19.8 / 1.8 3.1 4.9 04-05 / 21.3 / 1.5 3.0 4.6 05-06 / 21.5 / 1.4 2.6 4.0 His rebounds have been dropping since he entered the league. I've seen a lot of situations where he could have gotten the rebound, but missed. He just doesnt posess the instincts.
Rebounding is not just heart and hustle. There are at least 6 elements (in no particular order) that make a good rebounder: Height/Hop (going higher than other players) Width/Strength (taking up space under the basket) Good Hands (grabbing and holding on to the ball) Technique (boxing out, positioning, etc.) Instinct (knowing where the ball will go) Hustle (fighting for the ball) I think Swift possesses only one (maybe 2) of these.
That's what I see too. He just needs to get more physical. He relies on his athletic ability to make plays but that just isnt enough all the time. He needs to get more physical in the paint and play with higher energy. From what I have seen so far, he just can't "sustain" the energy. It comes and goes and so does the rebounding. He needs to get more physical and sustain his "high energy" to take his game to the next level. Clearly there is an adjustment period under JVG, but so far Swift has been disappointing.
There are players with his size and athletic ability on playgrounds not in the NBA- Effort, position/technique, mental, heart, character... There are only a hand full of players who put it together and are good rebounders. He is below average and may not improve. Van Gundy doesn't play potential or hype so I expect him to improve or sit down more.
Swift needs a change of attitude with regards to attacking a rebound. My perception is that rebounding is not a priority for him. How else can you explain him almost always being out of position? That frankly upsets me more because it looks like he is not even trying and waiting on the ball to magically come his direction. In his defense it could be that he is so pre-occupied with doing the right defensive/offensive sets that it takes him out of rebounding position. At the same time Yao who has less athleticism and less quickness is rebounding better and has improved this year because he almost always goes to the basket when a shot is thrown or boxes out. Someone needs to tell Swift that his effort is unacceptable.
His effort is simply DANG'OL I was so glad that we signed him and thought we got a bargain, but man this guy makes some bonehead plays with occasional glimpses of athleticism. If JVG can't bring out the discipline out of him within the next month, Swift will be a Dang'ol bust.
I got destroyed on this forum prior to the season for asking why everyone was so high on this underachiever scrub. I still stand by what I said. He's a scrub.
No comparison. So would I and I'm sure JVG would, too. At this point, Stro is really a tweener. A too-skinny center- pf who has few skills, but can't bang.
