One aspect of his game that I don't think has been talked about is his defense. Watch him switch out on the perimeter here on Terry Rozier at 1:12. He stops Rozier's (who has above average NBA handles and speed) attempts at getting a shot off or getting into the lane until Dawkins switches out on him and Rozier his a contested three. He won't get credit for it because Rozier makes the shot, but this is the kind of stuff that just makes you excited. Vonleh had some Paul George level lateral movement there and it's easy to get excited about our ability to stick three defenders at the 2-3-4 and have them be able to switch consistently. That was essentially the backbone of GSW's number one defense last year.
Vonleh has the ability to be a good defender, but right now he isn’t. At times in SL he showed flashes of being able to defend a couple positions, and to affect shots at the rim, but mostly he just watched as guys drove past him to the rim, and either fouled them, or was late if he rotated at all. He also doesn’t get his hand up on defense which gives his man open jump shots. I don’t think he is ever going to be a shot blocker, but if he can learn to rotate and go straight up he is athletic enough to be a good defender. As for his offense he has a little to much T-Rob improv driving going on for my liking. That works in SL, and college, but in the regular season he will get destroyed inside with that kind of stuff. He needs to develop a go to move off the dribble, and a counter move when they back off. There is no reason he shouldn’t be able to shoot a elbow jumper, or a baseline jumper, but he took zero midrange shots during SL. Adding that short jumper, cutting out the spin moves and using a simple post move like a hook, or push shot, will allow him to remain effective against better talent while making his decision making process simpler. If he can limit his decisions to A,B,C he will do much better then if he tries to reinvent the wheel every possession.
I wont name any names but those wanted to throw Vonleh in packages for Rudy Gay or Roy Hibbert.... FOR SHAME!
I wasnt one of those people, but both have accomplished way more than Vonleh has even thought of. He very well may turn out to be a gem, but also just petrfied poop too
How do you go about developing him? His post game is raw right now but his frame is extremely wide - he's going to be a force on the block when he's 24-25. Short-term? Heavy on the p&r/p -- the PHX Suns model they used on Amare.
I agree with all of this but we need to put this in perspective: 1. He's 19. 2. He's 19. 3. He's 19. He has shown flashes of being a good two way player. By the time his rookie contract is up, he'll be the same age as Dame was when he came into the league. I'd be very surprised if Vonleh doesn't become a solid two way starter. That's his floor IMO.
I'm actually optimistic about him (go figure). He's got the ass to play in the post but also has the shooting touch to hit the mid range and three. I have a feeling he will be our PF of the future.
If player development is ideal this season we should start Vonleh and Meyers. Both should get 25+MPG, and realistically only one of them needs to pan out. Plus I like the idea of having 5 shooters on the floor at the same time, or 4 I guess, since Aminu can't really shoot. We would also lose more, which is actually a positive.
While I would love them both to get ample playing time, i think pairing one of them with one of Davis/Plums most of the time would be better for the long term.
Also, Plumlee is still only 25 as well. It's not like he's some hardened veteran who has reached his peak.
We all know he's 19, there's nothing wrong with pointing out his weaknesses and what he needs to improve on.
I think this is another nickname you've coined that should stick. "Nova" means "new" in Latin, and in astronomy terms, refers to a bright new star shining in the celestial sphere. Sounds perfect. Nova. Learn it, love it.
Thing is, I can see these two as the front court of the future, interchangeable at the 4-5 depending on matchups. Davis and Plumlee are fine players, but neither are as dynamic as Meyers or Vonleh. If the end goal is to have both Legend and Vonster as our starting frontcourt (and it should be IMO), I'd rather they get started now, even if there will be more bumps in the short term.
I agree, I guess Im just thinking that Davis and Plums compliment Leonard and Nova very well. I think that it makes sense for them to see the floor together. That said I also think Leonard and Nova compliment each other nicely. With the caveat that they will likely delve the depths of the lottery in the process, I'm pretty excited to see it play out!
