What can I say? I'm a pragmatist. I would love for Little (or Simons) to be assets to the team. They aren't.
can we at least agree that wingspan means very little on the offensive end? so then, you've dialed in the defensive side of things and the vast majority of defense is not played by extended fingers, it's played with positioning, anticipation, reaction, and footwork. And yes, some of it is simply due to mass. I haven't seen enough of Little to know what kind of a player he's going to be. He's done next to nothing so far. All I was saying is with a 6'2 PG and a 6'2 SG (with a poor wingspan), the thought of a SF under 6'5 isn't too exciting.
Saying that Simons is not an asset to the team is a bit premature. Saying Nas isn't is absolutely ludicrously jumping the gun. I mean seriously where do you come up with this take? The guy showed major progress in a system that very very rarely lets rookies shine... give it some fucking time please. Yikes, your impatience is astounding. Even if you end up being right and Nas doesn't pan out... you're still wrong because you're making such a knee jerk reaction.
Pragmatism has to be based on facts. Little is 20 years old and is an athletically-gifted but extremely raw player. How many rookies has Terry Stotts played significant minutes? Trent got virtually no burn last year yet he has developed into a major talent on the second unit. Saying Little isn’t an asset at this point is so premature it’s hard to take you seriously.
Standing reach which is almost always severely impacted by wingspan is important on both ends of the court. Quite simply it makes it so a player is closer to the rim, making it easier for that player to get rebounds on both ends, blocks and dunks which makes them more efficient scorers. The idea that height is the measuring stick for a player's position is outdated by at least three decades. Of course I don't like CJ and Dame paired together in the back court for a number of reasons including their lack of length but Nas has freakish length and athleticism that makes him a great prospect at forward... not even just small forward in this day and age in the NBA.
standing reach? nobody rebounds or shoots while standing except maybe Meyers or guys on the foul line
Clearly, we are speaking different languages. You are talking about some vague point in the future, while I am talking here and now. I'm talking about building a team around one of the best players in team history. A year ago, Trent wasn't contributing to that goal. Now he is. Maybe Little also gets there before our window closes. Most young players wind up falling by the wayside, so the odds are against him. If he is like Trent and beats the odds, I will give him credit then. You imply my attitude isn't based in fact. Can you at least admit that your view is based on speculation?
I think that’s made pretty clear in my opening post. I’m not saying anything about what Nassir will become. I’m just curious, based on reports that he had really improved his shot during the layoff, what Olshey is thinking about him and his future with the team. It will influence what moves he makes this offseason. Oh, by the way, are you feeling bullied yet?
You're joking right? This whole discussion has been about you thinking that Nas isn't tall enough which last time I checked is measured while someone is standing. So I was just making the point that standing reach is a much better measurement when talking about if a player has the height to be effective in a position. As far as when he's not standing Nas has a 38.5 inch vertical which is pretty damn phenomenal. So combine some of these things, Nas has a wingspan of over seven feet and great lateral quickness meaning he has great tools to be a wing defender horizontally, then he has an 8'9" standing reach and a 38.5 inch vertical (11'11.5" of verticality) meaning he has amazing tools to be a wing defender vertically.
You dont play basketball with the top of your head though, so if you're trying to quantify size in relation to its impact on basketball, using standing reach is much better than using height.
Apparently you catch rebounds and contest shots with the top of your head, not with outstretched arms...
This is probably a dumb question, but is there a reliable test for how quickly a player can jump? We've all seen big guys who take so long to gather themselves that they lose the ball to smaller, more explosive players.
That was rare for e-blazer to go out on a limb like that. I made him retreat to his usual hidden veil of Buddha-like subtlety.
The Thunders SGA played SF. The Rockets played PJ Tucker at Center. Its not 2005, Trent and Little are plenty big.enough to play forward. Basketball is played with your hands. It doesnt matter where his head is, as others have posted his wingspan is big.
