Don't see a thread for him so I guess I'll start it. When I saw Portland traded Hollis-Jefferson for Plumlee I'll be honest I was pissed. As time has passed, I've realized what a steal he was, and how wrong my reaction was. Plumlee gets better every game and is a great fit for this team. I wish he'd learn how to make a fucking free throw because he has the potential to be a pretty complete center in today's NBA.
Unlike some bad FT shooters, he seems like he's serious about improving. Hopefully some time will tell there. I love Mason's game, and was glad we got him. His numbers for Brooklyn was comparable to RoLo's. I knew we wouldn't lose a step there. Olshey was Tricky!
When Plumlee made team USA I thought it was 100% because he went to Duke and was buddy buddy with Coach K. Since then I never really watched him much and held the thought that he was just some scrub who was a name because he went to Duke. Sometimes its great to be wrong.
Yeah his FT would be nice to improve but even if it doesn't he has a ton of value. Play him the start of quarters so the team gets in the bonus. Obviously he and us fans would like him to make those but at a point extra work and obsessing over something your not great at doesn't help you improve. I'm a Mason fan.
A really good point that holds increasing value as the collective team improve their FT shooting. CJ's work in the off-season has really shown. Perhaps there wasn't enough time for Plumlee to work on free throws to the point where it would have been effective. That's all about repetition, which add's up to a lot of time spent taking FT's. It was probably more important that he spend that time learning the offense here. CJ having a few years here was way ahead of the game, and had more time to do other things like work on his FT's. Anyone want to bet whether or not Mason Plumlee comes back at least a 5% better FT shooter next season?
I'd be interested to see the stats if somebody has the time to find out how the FT % of the guys we brought in has improved over the years for the past decade or so. It could be hard to pinpoint a players time here as the reason for the improvement. Not with a player like Plumlee who makes it look hard.
I posted this in the game thread. He's being used a lot like Lopez was, but he pulls off some moves in the post that you just never saw from him. There are plenty of examples where you think he has a chance at being a legit focus for scoring. I think if Stotts were to give an honest reply, he'd say, "Yeah, he could give us 15 a night. Maybe 20 if he really develops. But then you have another Deandre Jordan/Dwight Howard situation where you come to really rely on a guy through three quarters and are terrified at the end of the game to play him because of free throws. Since Shaq broke down, you just just don't see scoring centers in this league win championships if they suck at free throws."
He got worse from his rookie year to second year, and appears to have taken another step down this year. I suppose, logically, he should be able to get it back up to around the 62% he shot as a rookie. I don't understand how he has gotten worse in the first place though..
He also shot 68% his senior year of college on 7 attempts a game.. I really don't get it. Shouldn't one of our coaches be able to figure it out?
Great post! It could be a real possibility when teams start clamping down on Dame/CJ/Aminu by trying to take away driving lanes and what not. Once that happens we will have a great look at what we have with our bigs. The outcome is promising, the guys definitely have shown that they are not lacking in offense. I thought Davis was gonna be D and Boards, his scoring has really impressed. All of our bigs can finish well at the rim, which is being over looked right now because nobody in the league has been able to stay in front of our guards (some good tests coming up).
I wonder how you'd work around the fact that a designated hitter can't play defense. Rules and such. The designated shooter should'nt be allowed beyond half court on the defensive end for the duration of his minutes on the court. That would make it fun.
This guy surprises me every game. Plumlee passes while dribbling long distances, causing turnovers. With a season of skill polishing, followed by a summer nose job, he will be a beautiful gem of a hybrid center.
