He was the very first person that came to my mind too. He played 900 minutes as a rookie and I know he drives a % of Nugget fans crazy, but I think this is by far the best example. I wonder if there is a coach who in over 8 seasons doesn't have at least on Will Barton type example. On the flip side, Stotts got a lot more out of Nurk, Harkless, Skal, (Aminu?) than their previous coaches. Pretty solid ratio.
Moves his feet well and has the wherewithal to block that with his left without making contact down low. These defensive instincts aren't teachable. Need to give him more opportunity to develop his game. I like the idea of him and Nas at our forward spots.
What like about that he move his feet well and didn't the handler get into his body where it would hard to get that block. Instead he allow enough space between him and offense to get that block.
His defensive instincts are evident even in minimal playing time. They were evident in the g league. That usually translates. I just wanna see his offensive game and how his jumper translates. Even that missed dunk was explosive and we saw him beat AD off the dribble. If Nas is out Thursday he better get legit minutes.
Only highlight tonight. Scored on all three levels. That’s where he gathered. This ended up being a layup.
I applaud the kid for seizing the moment. When young players get a chance, they need to take advantage.
Just wool-gathering here, but I'm curious how folks would compare the physical tools of Gabriel, Trent, Simons, and Little? I don't think anyone would disagree that Trent has taken a clear lead on the mental side.
all things considered he looked pretty good tonight. The Pels don't have a dominant front line but still Gabriel displayed some skills at various parts of the floor. More importantly is he has athleticism and length. Those have been in short supply this season. I hope Portland can get him re-signed this summer. He's be a cheap end of the bench guy with enough versatility to climb up the rotation a little
Trent definitely has a 'maturity' advantage to his game and has the most valuable single skill. Little and Gabriel have the athleticism and potential. I can't get a good handle on Simons. I see the flashes, but project tweener-guards have a lot higher failure rate, IMO, than project front-court players and project bigs. Simons may have the highest ceiling but I'm pretty impressed with Trent's upside and his seeming fit into a modern offense
nba scouts maxims,can't teach height, can't teach length. add in great athleticism to the mix. he took 2 dribbles from behind the three point line, picked it up on the right side, behind the free throw line, finished with the left hand on the other side of the lane. covered a lot of ground with those two strides. i was impressed. hope to see more of this young man.
I’d say Nas at the top just because he’s got the strength, explosion, and length (that’s not what she said) I still think Gabriel’s best position is small forward, especially in Portland’s system. He can play the four and maybe even small ball five, but he presents the most mismatches at the three.
It was actually a little fun after a horrible 3rd quarter to see the Blazers go 7'1", 6'10", 6'9", 6'8" and 6'4" in the final stretch with Wenyen or Hoard playing the '2'.
