<div align="center"></div>'06-07 Season: 69 games, 60 starts, 16.0 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 1.5 bpg, .51% FGCareer(2004-present): 199 games, 68 starts, 10.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.0 bpg, .51% FGYou could make a case that Jefferson is better suited as a center rather than a power forward, but in the 19 games he started at C, he only averaged 15 and 10 a game. He started 41 games as a PF and his numbers were fairly better, averaging 17 and 12 a game. Jefferson's production continued to rise as the season went on, averaging 19.8 ppg after the All-Star break. The 22-year old has proven he can play and be a dominating post presence, and with three years of experience under his belt, Jefferson will continue to rise.<div align="center"></div>'06-07 Season: 52 games, 52 starts, 18.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, .47% FGCareer(2003-present): 227 games, 135 starts, 11.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.3 apg, .48% FGLike Jefferson, West spent the first two years of his career on the bench, earning very little playing time. West won the starting job last season and had an amazing run, improving his numbers dramatically. Although he has been sidelined with a lot of injuries thus far in his career, West has shown that he can dominate his position with great shooting range and superb rebounding. If he can survive a full season without an injury, his dangerous playmaking abilities could lead the Hornets into the postseason. We saw how close New Orleans was with West averaging 25 and 8 a game during the month of April.So basically, these two guys have had similar careers and have broken out into young stars for their respective teams. West may have the advantage with a guy like Chris Paul feeding him the ball, but Jefferson has shown that he is among the top PFs in the league. So if you had to choose one of these guys to start for your team's PF position, which would you choose? And who will end up having the better career, in both production and wins...
I'm gonna say Jefferson and be a homer. I think both have a lot of talent and ability but West's injuries are a bit more serious and I'd rather not take the risk.
Al Jefferson, much better rebounder, legit 50% from the field. I think most people will agree that Jefferson is going to be the better player.
I'd also go with Al Jefferson. David West is a better shooter, a lower FG%, but he takes more mid-range J's and even a few 3's as well, so that's understandable. But Jefferson is a better rebounder, has a better post game, and I think he has more upside than West.
Al Jefferson probably has more potential since he is younger. He 1-ups David West in the rebounding department, and is more versatile being able to play two positions, but West has him offensively in terms of his perimeter-post game, his quickness, and his free throw shooting. I'd take either to tell you the truth, but right now David West is the better post player.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (noballer07 @ Jun 20 2007, 11:38 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>but right now David West is the better post player.</div> I don't think you even know what Al Jefferson is capable of in the post. West averaged more points on the season, but there's only a small handful of players in the league right now that have a low-post arsenal like Jefferson's. I can't wait until the Celtics improve and actually get on TV, because most people have no idea what he can do.
I'd like to see both guys get more exposure next season, it's going to be interesting to see which of these teams will make it to the playoffs as well. I've seen a few games of A.J., and he was pretty darn good at rebounding and drop-steps to the basket. But when I think of Jefferson, I think he's more of a center than a PF, so it's hard to compare these two guys based on that. Jefferson has more versatility with his size and strength, and can easily guard either the 4 or 5. But David is starting to grow into a Elton Brand type post player. The way West can either post up or step out and hit an 18-footer is pretty good for a guy that couldn't hit anything his first two years. If you look at the comparison this way, you'll see that they both were pretty much even in terms of what they produced head-to-headGame 1 David West: 18 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocksAl Jefferson: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 blockGame 2David West: 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assistAl Jefferson: 9 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (808Hornetsfan @ Jun 20 2007, 03:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I'd like to see both guys get more exposure next season, it's going to be interesting to see which of these teams will make it to the playoffs as well. I've seen a few games of A.J., and he was pretty darn good at rebounding and drop-steps to the basket. But when I think of Jefferson, I think he's more of a center than a PF, so it's hard to compare these two guys based on that. Jefferson has more versatility with his size and strength, and can easily guard either the 4 or 5. But David is starting to grow into a Elton Brand type post player. The way West can either post up or step out and hit an 18-footer is pretty good for a guy that couldn't hit anything his first two years. If you look at the comparison this way, you'll see that they both were pretty much even in terms of what they produced head-to-head Game 1 David West: 18 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks Al Jefferson: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block Game 2 David West: 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist Al Jefferson: 9 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks</div> You just posted 2 stat lines, that means absolutely nothing. Big Al has SO MUCH MORE than a drop step, it's ridiculous. He has one of the best hooks in the league, his up-fakes are deadly, he has a great touch around the basket, he finishes well with both hands, his up-and-under move is sickening, and he can now hit the 10 footer pretty consistently. Here's a small taste: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg3yACaFzRI (mix made by me, by the way) And that's only from a handful of games, really.
I just wish David West would man up in the post a lil bit more. I like him over Jefferson because of his versatility and the fact that he has put up 30 on many nights against other good players (not to mention several of his buzzer beaters), but Al Jefferson has big hands, is strong on the boards, blocks shots...David West came out as a pretty solid rebounder at Xavier, but much of that strength hasn't translated to the NBA. He turned out to be a good offensive player, but I'd like to see him be more aggressive and claim some space down low (all the while keeping his jumpshot of course).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (noballer07 @ Jun 20 2007, 05:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I just wish David West would man up in the post a lil bit more. I like him over Jefferson because of his versatility</div> There's the thing. Explain to me how/why David West is more versatile than Al Jefferson, because I think that's the thing that separates Al from a lot of bigs in the league. He's one of the most versatile post players in the league, hands down. West has more range on his jumper, that's really all he has over Jefferson, IMO.
David West can fill up the stat sheet, but will never be a go to guy. Mostly like Andrei Kirilenko. Al Jefferson in the future could be Boston's number one option downlow, as we all know his post game. Defensively, West is WAY more quicker, but Jefferson is just that presence down low.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Jun 20 2007, 05:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>There's the thing. Explain to me how/why David West is more versatile than Al Jefferson, because I think that's the thing that separates Al from a lot of bigs in the league. He's one of the most versatile post players in the league, hands down. West has more range on his jumper, that's really all he has over Jefferson, IMO.</div>Tell me how Jefferson is more versatile, using the definition of the word to its fullest. Al Jefferson has a solid arsenal of post moves and is a solid rebounder, but he is more slow footed than West and doesn't have the jumper in his game like he does. <u>West is quick on the perimeter, driving the lane to the basket, and in the post. He's even shown he can pop a few threes.</u> His ball handling is solid and will improve, maybe even to the point where he will be able to create his own shots more often than he does now. He doesn't rebound at the same clip but he uses this quickness to compensate for his size and grab boards. While it isn't a bad thing at all, Jefferson is definitely more relegated to the post than West.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (RaptorFan#1 @ Jun 20 2007, 03:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>David West can fill up the stat sheet, but will never be a go to guy. Mostly like Andrei Kirilenko. Al Jefferson in the future could be Boston's number one option downlow, as we all know his post game. Defensively, West is WAY more quicker, but Jefferson is just that presence down low.</div>I believe he is our go to guy down low, it certainly isn't Tyson Chandler. West can do more things than just score, his rebounding is and passing skills are pretty good, and I think he's more athletic that Jefferson. I guess we'll have to wait for West to play a full season to see if he reallly is one of the top PFs.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (noballer07 @ Jun 20 2007, 07:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Tell me how Jefferson is more versatile, using the definition of the word to its fullest. Al Jefferson has a solid arsenal of post moves and is a solid rebounder, but he is more slow footed than West and doesn't have the jumper in his game like he does. <u>West is quick on the perimeter, driving the lane to the basket, and in the post. He's even shown he can pop a few threes.</u></div> Again, all West has on Big Al is the range on his jumper. Big Al's face up game is outstanding. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>His ball handling is solid and will improve, maybe even to the point where he will be able to create his own shots more often than he does now.</div> There's another difference. You get the ball to Big Al, clear out, and literally nobody can stop him... even ask Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard. Big Al is a legit go-to option. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>He doesn't rebound at the same clip but he uses this quickness to compensate for his size and grab boards. While it isn't a bad thing at all, Jefferson is definitely more relegated to the post than West.</div> And Big Al being more post-oriented is another reason that makes him that much more valuable. There aren't many guys you can rely on in the post nowadays. Al Jefferson is one of them, and he's a guy you can count on to get you buckets 1-on-1 any night. Not to mention, he's an excellent passer out of the double-team and he doesn't commit a whole lot of turnovers on most nights. West has more range on his shot, and that is honestly all he has on Al.
I understand all of that, but you still haven't told me why he is more versatile than David West. I'd really have either player to tell you the truth, I hate to say which one is better because they aren't exactly the same, but I don't see why Jefferson is more all-around than West right now. He does not score in all of the ways West does.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (noballer07 @ Jun 20 2007, 07:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I understand all of that, but you still haven't told me why he is more versatile than David West. I'd really have either player to tell you the truth, I hate to say which one is better because they aren't exactly the same, but I don't see why Jefferson is more all-around than West right now. He does not score in all of the ways West does.</div> Again, you have it backwards. West is the one that can't score in the ways Jefferson can. Why is Jefferson more versatile? We've already established everything about his post game. He can score in ways that West can only do in video games, he's just as quick inside with actually a quicker second-leap, and he is able to play the 5 almost as well as he can play the 4 (something West really can't do). Offensive versatility: Jefferson Jumper: West Defense/Blocking shots: Jefferson Rebounding: Jefferson Quickness: Pretty equal Position Shifting: Jefferson Al Jefferson is a guy that can handle the load, West isn't a go-to type of guy. You even said it, he really can't create his own shot that well. Jefferson is a guy that finds a way to score through even double-teams, and his offensive awareness is off the charts.
I believe West has more athletic ability in the paint, especially given that he's smaller than Jefferson in size and strength. West can score in just as many ways as Al, but your right, he's limited on defense and he can't carry his production over to the 5 like Al can. But I can't name too many PFs that have a balanced offensive game like West has, the way he can drive to the hoop, the way he can step out and hit shots beyond 20 feet, and the way his athleticism is able compensate for his smaller frame. This debate will have to continue once the season begins.. It's pretty fun comparing these two! :happy0144:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (808Hornetsfan @ Jun 20 2007, 08:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>West can score in just as many ways as Al</div> He really can't. Again, David West will never have what Al has offensively. Al Jefferson's post game is one of a kind, and West doesn't have anything close to it. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>But I can't name too many PFs that have a balanced offensive game like West has</div> And I can't name any more than 6-7 players in this league that have anything close to Al Jefferson's low-post arsenal.
Al Jefferson without a doubt. Coming out of HS, he averaged 43 ppg - and his offensive game was so great back then. His offensive game is polished now even more so, and he's one of the premier offensive post-players in the NBA. Al is a better rebounder, better shot blocker, and he is sized better than West.West is a good offensive player, but I don't think he's close to Al Jefferson.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Jun 20 2007, 06:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Again, you have it backwards. West is the one that can't score in the ways Jefferson can. Why is Jefferson more versatile? We've already established everything about his post game. He can score in ways that West can only do in video games, he's just as quick inside with actually a quicker second-leap, and he is able to play the 5 almost as well as he can play the 4 (something West really can't do).Offensive versatility: JeffersonJumper: WestDefense/Blocking shots: JeffersonRebounding: JeffersonQuickness: Pretty equalPosition Shifting: JeffersonAl Jefferson is a guy that can handle the load, West isn't a go-to type of guy. You even said it, he really can't create his own shot that well. Jefferson is a guy that finds a way to score through even double-teams, and his offensive awareness is off the charts.</div>Can I pull the dictionary out right quick?versatile: adj; Capable of doing many things competently.David West has a solid post game. Did I say it was much better than Jefferson? No. Does Jefferson have a solid post game? YesDavid West can hit the 20 foot jumper at a good clip. Can Jefferson do that? NoAs players offensively at the 4, West is more versatile. You see, being "more versatile" doesn't always mean that you are the better player. I'm not saying West is better than Jefferson. I don't have an opinion on the two. Hell, I think Jefferson will eventually be one of the top 5 offensive post player in the league in a few years if he works on his conditioning. I am speaking about versatility in terms of what the player is able to do on the court. This is what makes David West more attractive to me; his ability to hit jumpers at a good clip on the perimeter, his driving ability, and his quickness in the low post. And David West is the go-to guy, I don't know what Hornets games you have been watching. If you haven't noticed, he was our top scorer, has been so for the past two years, and has hit game winning shots in the past.
