Rookie Watch: What needs fixing?
Thorpe By David Thorpe
Scouts Inc.

Tyreke EvansJoe Murphy/NBAE/Getty ImagesSacto's Tyreke Evans is
averaging 19.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 4.8 apg. And he still has room to
grow. Scary.

We're a full month into the season, so let's look at some of the
rookies' weak points that need to be addressed as quickly as possible.
Some of the problems can be fixed quickly, others may require a few
seasons.

Although the impulse of fans may be to defend their rooks and say,
"Leave my guy alone, he's just one month into the season," opponents
already know all too well their faults and will try to exploit them as
often as possible.

Here are some of the things I've noticed so far:

The Top 10

1. Brandon Jennings, Bucks | Rookie card
Shot selection, shot selection, shot selection. No teaching point is
more important for a player like Jennings, who is quick and creative
and has the ball in his hands so often. The Bucks want Jennings to
attack with confidence at all times, so they are letting him get away
with a lot of deep, contested shots during the middle of the shot
clock. However, those are basically the worst shots to take in a
possession, other than deep, contested jumpers early in the shot
clock.

Jennings does this typically off ball screens where he does not turn
the corner, launching the shot with a hand in his face, his heels on
the 3-point line and with nine or more seconds left on the clock. But
watch the great point guards -- like Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Deron
Williams and Chauncey Billups -- and you'll see them take better shots
during the middle of the clock. They'll opt for uncontested looks
within their shooting range or get shots in the paint. Or they'll
continue to probe for better opportunities in the possession.

It's a habit that clearly improves with game experience and maturity,
so Jennings will learn this over time. But the sooner he does, the
quicker he'll become an even tougher matchup.

2. Tyreke Evans, Kings | Rookie card
It's easy to see that his perimeter shot is his biggest weakness right
now. That's because his balance is poor when he shoots. He'll kick his
right leg forward, while his head and shoulders fall backward. Vince
Carter does this a lot, too, and he's an excellent shooter, so perhaps
Evans will end up being just fine (he has been shooting far better
recently). But far more often than not, better balance is the best way
to better shooting.

Additionally, it's clear Evans prefers to drive to the hole with his
right-hand dribble, while feeling more comfortable pulling up off his
left-hand dribble (though he will drive left off the triple-threat
position). These are common habits for young players -- it's easier to
pull up and shoot off the dribble with the weaker hand because of the
ease with which the player can place his shooting hand on the ball;
it's tougher doing that off the bounce.

As Evans starts drawing more attention from the league's better
defenders, making himself more capable of driving to the hole off a
left-hand dribble or shooting a jumper off the right-hand dribble will
make him tougher to guard.

3. James Harden, Thunder | Rookie card
There's an axiom in basketball that shooters think about when they
miss their first few shots: Just keep shooting because they will start
dropping soon. Well, that just isn't true. Confidence is a big part of
shooting, and when a player misses multiple shots in a row, the rim
tends to look much smaller. Harden learned this the hard way last week
against the Lakers when he missed all 10 of his 3-point attempts (2-
for-15 overall).

Sure, Harden is a good shooter and if he keeps shooting the ball then
at least a few shots will fall eventually. But 0-for-10 or 2-for-15
isn't helping your team. Harden is capable of doing a whole lot more
than just shooting. The next time he misses a few deep shots, he'd be
better off looking to create an easier scoring opportunity closer to
the basket or getting to the free throw line.

4. Ty Lawson, Nuggets | Rookie card
I've studied the tapes, box scores and advanced stats, and the most
glaring flaw Lawson has is ... well, I have no idea. In the role he's
playing on the Nuggets, he's performing about as well as anyone could.
That's not to say he can't get better -- of course he can -- but I
wouldn't suggest he change a thing right now.

However, he could start to get more vocal with his teammates. It's
easy for a rookie to defer to the veterans on the team -- especially a
team that has leaders like Billups and Melo -- but anyone who has seen
the Nuggets play knows they often play way too casually. And Lawson
has earned enough respect from his teammates and coaches to speak up
when he sees this happening. He cannot just rely on his physical
energy to impact games when more is needed. Emotional energy can help,
too.

5. Darren Collison, Hornets | Rookie card
I've watched every shot Collison has taken this season, and it looks
as though he's taking too many kinds of shots -- pull-up jumpers, some
with fades, runners, floaters, teardrops, running hooks, "dipsy-dos"
at the rim, plus the standard shots off the catch and dribble. His
true shooting percentage is at 50.9, which is low for a point guard
who makes 90 percent of his free throws.

His quickness is enabling him to get wherever he wants to go, but he
is not yet able to read where the help defense will be when he gets
there, so he's forced into shooting all those shots. It would be
better for him to work on mastering one or two finishes before adding
to his arsenal. The key isn't to get clean shots off, it's to finish
them.

6. Marcus Thornton, Hornets | Rookie card
Thornton is the rare rookie who basically has the green light to shoot
the moment he checks in. He had taken 123 shots in 234 minutes heading
into this week's action, so comparing him to a more well-rounded guard
like James Harden (122 shots in 343 minutes) shows us his job is to
score points in a hurry. It's a role he's well-suited for, as long as
he's making shots.

One change he can work on with his 3-point shot (even though he's
already making 36 percent of his 3s) is to jump straight up on his
release and land in place. Right now he jumps forward with both feet
while leaving his upper body relatively straight, and that action
forces him off balance. To shoot with proper balance means that after
the release, a player should be able to either stand in place or hop
in place. Thornton does neither, as he's falling backward and coming
out of his form early with his arms due to the lower body lurching
forward.

7. DeJuan Blair, Spurs | Rookie card
When he plays, Blair continues to impact the game in the paint and on
the glass. But to make a bigger impact for himself and his team, he
needs to be better from the free throw line. He's made just 9 of his
19 attempts, and it's possible he'll start avoiding contact on some
shots to avoid going back to the line. That happens to some players,
and it could be devastating to someone who relies so much on contact
to be effective.

When I watch him at the line, I see a player who has a lot of motion
in his shot, and it all happens fast. He starts with the ball low, but
with his legs straight. And as he shoots, he brings the ball up while
his legs first bend before straightening. His left hand drops too
quickly on the release as well. Most great free throw shooters have a
certain smoothness to their stroke, making it far easier to repeat in
an identical manner. This is something Blair can work on every day.

8. Jonny Flynn, Timberwolves | Rookie card
There are many things Flynn does with the ball that are breathtaking.
But I'm sure there are numerous times in a game when his coach would
rather see him simply move the ball and let the offense flow, as
opposed to seeing Flynn dance with it before attacking the strength of
the defense.

The Timberwolves are trying to run the triangle offense, which
mandates quick ball movement. And although Flynn's cause is not helped
by the lack of shooters and big men around him, he still needs to be
more of a ball mover to help his team the most, especially in the
early offense. With weakside defenders paying more attention to the
ball these days, spreading defenders out by making them cover more of
the court as the ball swings from side to side is a must. The point
guard is the facilitator of that action, so Flynn has to work more on
that and less on his own dribble-drive talents, especially during the
first 20 seconds of the clock.

9. Omri Casspi, Kings | Rookie card
Casspi may be the biggest surprise of the draft so far, but he also
shocks his coaching staff with long, contested jump shots early in the
offense too often. His confidence surpasses his game at this point in
his career, which actually is a good thing most of the time. But bad
shots almost always result in missed ones, which are often converted
into transition baskets the other way.

Casspi needs to be a little more patient on his touches and more
opportunistic, playing off others more while creating for himself a
bit less. He's an excellent passer off the dribble, so when he is
attacking, looking for an open teammate is the better choice over the
deep jumper.

10. Stephen Curry, Warriors | Rookie card
Almost all rookies play too fast -- it's the biggest adjustment going
from college to the pros. Curry is no exception, which is one reason
why he's been prone to committing multiple turnovers in games. He's
made 3 or more in seven games even though he's not the team's primary
ball handler.

Because the Warriors play at such a fast pace, it's easy to see why
Curry makes the mistakes he does, but it's important for him to start
seeing the play before he actually acts it out. Too often he rushes
into something and gets himself into trouble. Then he's left with
nothing but bad options, which typically lead to a turnover.

Anticipating what will happen before he acts will help keep him out of
trouble, and it's one of the great values of watching game film.
Remember the great line from "Searching for Bobby Fischer" where the
teacher says, "Don't move until you see it"? It's probably easier to
do in speed chess than basketball, but the teaching point is dead-on.

Minor rookie observations:

Eric Maynor, Jazz | Rookie card
Maynor has maintained his steady play, keeping turnovers to a minimum
and playing important minutes for the resurgent Jazz.

David Andersen, Rockets | Rookie card
Andersen came off the bench to play 29 big minutes in Houston's win
over the Thunder, putting up 12 and 8. He figures to be part of the
rotation all season.

Chase Budinger, Rockets | Rookie card
No one expected Budinger to shoot lights-out all season, so a drop-off
had to be expected. He had made just 8 of his last 33 3-pointers (24.2
percent) before hitting 3-of-4 from downtown in Houston's win over the
Clippers on Wednesday.

Gerald Henderson, Bobcats | Rookie card
He had a breakout game in Charlotte's big win over Toronto, scoring 15
points on 5-of-9 shooting. But he has barely played since.

Jeff Teague, Hawks | Rookie card
He scored 13 points and had 4 assists in the Hawks' blowout win agains
Toronto, so maybe this will get him more playing time this week. He
had not played more than 7 minutes in a game since Nov. 14, after he
missed 14 of 17 shots in a four-game stretch.

Hasheem Thabeet, Grizzlies | Rookie card
Going up against Portland's huge front line helped get Thabeet
comfortable on the court, and he responded with his best game of the
season: 9 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. More importantly,
his contributions helped the Griz pull off the huge road upset.

Jrue Holiday, 76ers | Rookie card
Holiday is playing more, due to the injury to Lou Williams, and he
continues to show flashes of the talent that had scouts buzzing about
him over the past few years.

He is shooting poorly from the field but he makes enough plays with
the ball to keep earning minutes, even with the addition of Allen
Iverson. Most notably, he threw a left-handed lob for an easy bucket
and threw down a left-handed dunk in transition traffic against
Dallas, exhibiting the kind of ambidexterity a true point guard needs.

Sam Young, Grizzlies | Rookie card
Young has earned more minutes lately and responded with 17 points on 7-
for-12 shooting when he started in place of Rudy Gay, who missed
Monday's game for personal reasons.

Did Young do enough to stay in the rotation? Yes, apparently. On
Wednesday, he played 21 minutes and hit 6-of-12 shots in a comeback
win over Minnesota. He also had a terrific dunk in transition off a
nifty "Euro-step" around defenders.

Tyler Hansbrough, Pacers
After scoring seven points or more in seven of his first eight games,
Hansbrough notched a pair of four-point games following the deuce he
put up in Indy's home win versus the Clippers. His minutes have
dropped as well -- he played a combined 30 minutes in those three
games.

However, he played better Wednesday night in Sacramento, tallying 8
points and 4 boards in 18 minutes. He's still rushing some of his
inside shots, but his baseline jumper looked smooth.

Terrence Williams, Nets | Rookie card
Williams might be struggling more than any rookie getting consistent
playing time. He's simply taking too many 3s (14-of-47) and missing
too many interior shots (39.5 percent on shots near the rim). Maybe
the coaching change and some tougher love will help him.

Jodie Meeks, Bucks | Rookie card
Meeks has become mostly a designated 3-point shooter off the Bucks'
bench, with more than half of his shots coming from long distance.
This summer, I tweeted that for him to stay in the NBA, he'd have to
hit that shot with some accuracy. To date, he's made 32 percent -- not
bad for his first month in the league.

Leszczur napisal(a) posta, ktorego chcialbym skomentowac:

4. Ty Lawson, Nuggets | Rookie card
I've studied the tapes, box scores and advanced stats, and the most
glaring flaw Lawson has is ... well, I have no idea.

Wow, czyli caly czas moze osmieszyc paru GMow w lidze i pokazac
cyferkologie w bardzo dobrym swietle, a do tego wygryzl juz z rotacji
Cartera, ale troche nie chce mi sie wierzyc, ze nie wspomnial o obronie.
Nie jest po prostu za niski by to nie byla jego najwieksza wada?


--
pzdr
wiLQ

On 10 Gru, 13:02, wiLQ <N...@spam.com> wrote:

Nie jest po prostu za niski by to nie byla jego najwieksza wada?

Thorpe przeciez pisal o wadach, ktore da sie poprawic treningiem.
Co miał napisać o Lawsonie? "Jest za niski, powinien dużo szczawiu
jeść to urośnie i będzie silny. Planowany wzrost do końca sezonu 6-4".
Ewentualnie: "Lawson powinien przyjechać do mnie na dwutygodniowy
obóz. Mamy takie średniowieczne łoże, którym inwizycja rozciągała
przesłuchiwanych heretyków. Gwarantujemy urośnięcie o 10 centymetrów w
trzy godziny, aczkolwiek mogą temu towarzyszyć przewlekłe bóle
stawów" ;-)

Pozdro

L'e-szczur