Did Pat Connaughton make his case for being one of the untouchables?

Holy Crap. I like Patty C alot. But untouchable?

Goodbye Felicia.....

 

I know it's a very small sample set, and the HCP will probably mock me for saying it, but Connaughton's play gives me a glimmer of hope he could eventually give us some of what both Turner and Crabbe currently give us. Everyone has noticed his ability to knock down the open 3-pointer, but he's an even better rebounder than Turner, and a very capable passer. The one area he's lacking compared to Turner is defense.

But, what gives me hope that he can perform well in a larger role is Stotts' track record for player development. OK, Meyers is the obvious exception, but look at how much all of Dame, C.J., Crabbe and now Vonleh have thrived when thrust into larger roles. Many players see their production tank when their minutes and the level of competition increases, but the exact opposite has been true for the 4 players I mentioned.

Think about it, Aldridge leaves (and Lopez, Matthews and Batum) and Dame becomes the clear No. 1 option and carries the team to the playoffs, exceeding all expectations. He took on a larger role and fucking owned it.

C.J. goes from a bench player averaging 6.8 ppg to averaging 20.8 pp and unanimous MIP. It wasn't just a case of him getting more minutes. Sure his minutes doubled, but his production tripled and his efficiency improved while playing against better competition. That's true improvement.

From years 2 to 3, Crabbe also saw his minutes double while also tripling his production with improved efficiency. He went from a guy who wasn't even part of the regular rotation to a 6th man averaging over 10 ppg. Unfortunately, that led to BRK giving him a 20x pay raise. Still, another example of a player whose production went up disproportionately with an increase in playing time and a more significant role.

And now we're starting to see the same from Vonleh. Yes, he's still a work in progress (but still only 21), but look at he pre and post all star numbers:



Yes, his minutes went up by 11, but his production outstripped his increased playing time. He's now a starter getting starting minutes. Look at his improved percentages and ORtg and DRtg. He's a better player now, as a starter, than he was as a back up before the all star break. Again, that's real improvement, not just a guy getting more minutes.

We've been saying for years that Pop's system in San Antonio seems to turn everyone else's castoffs into great role players. Are we seeing a similar situation in Portland? Are guys like C.J., Crabbe and Vonleh able to move into more prominent roles without seeing their production suffer (quite the opposite). Is there something about the way this team practices and works with their bench players that prepares them to succeed when thrust into larger roles?

I'd like to hope this is a trend. Again, I know Meyers is a counter example, but I think that says more about him than our system and culture. If this is a trend, it bodes well for Connaughton and possibly Layman, as well as the three draft picks we have in the upcoming draft.

A lot of folks here have been critical of Stotts and company for not using the D League more, but given the way Dame, C.J., Crabbe, Vonleh and potentially Connughton have grown, I'm starting to agree that it's better to have more direct control over developing your young players than it is sending them off to the minors.

And that reminds me, Nurk is only 22. Holy fuck, imagine if he makes a similar jump to what C.J. did. He won't only win MIP, he'll win MVP, too.

OK, that was certainly hyperbole, but I sensed Nurk fever was starting to fade, so I brought it back.

BNM

 

This is really my point. The fact that he was able to play, and play well, during this two game stretch actually gives me some hope that he's not a total lost cause.

 

He also played decently in the handful of other games where he played at least 12 minutes. Again small sample size, but at least he hasn't totally sucked when he's been put out there.

BNM

 

People on here that take 30 min of play and move the player in the hall of fame. This always happens on here. 1 bad game, trade em! 1 good game, he should be an allstar.

 

Pretty sure no one did that, at least not in this case. The discussion, if you'd care to actually read it (I know you haven't, don't pretend like you did) is actually about Pat's potential as a possible bench player moving forward. Not one person mentioned starting him, overpaying to keep him, or nominating him for the Hall of Fame.

BNM

 

LIES!

 

Hyperbole is fun! What would this forum be without it?

BNM

 

So what you did was, read the title of the thread, ignore that it's BGD, and then apply that ridiculous logic to "people?"

 

ZZZZZZIIIIING!

 

Let's be honest here, HCP is our version of a teenage girl on Instagram.

 

I DO NOT FOLLOW TEENAGE GIRLS ON INSTAGRAM!!!!!!!!

 

They follow you?

 

Despite what he might have told HCP, Sly is not actually a teenage boy....... or girl.

 

If that's what teenage girls look like on Instagram, I'm glad I'm old and technology is passing me by.

BNM

 

He's a dream bout. All girls follow him.

 

What's a dream bout? Is that slang for someone you dream about?

BNM