What the hell! Who is this guy?? I’ve never seen this kind of transformation in a player. He’s gone from a tentative, uncertain guy to an all-star overnight. Ok, “all-star” is too much, but I don’t even recognize him on the court anymore. It’s like another player has crawled inside of his body. He used to stand around the three-point line and miss every shot he took, sometimes horribly, but now he’s a scoring machine with a variety of very deft moves and playing with total confidence. Anybody know how this happened? Was it counseling, a new fitness regime, a pep talk from Lillard or Stotts? I haven’t seen Layman address the change, but I’d be curious to hear other people’s opinions.
3rd year leap - it's not all that uncommon. He was getting a lot of good looks before this year, and sometimes he'd really impress. However, there were way too many 2-12 games, so Stotts had to bench him. His shooting is now way more consistent. In addition, he's getting a lot of dunk, alley-oop and otherwise, increasing his FG%. I'm pretending like I'm answering your question, but the truth is, I want to know, too! Stotts credit? Unlikely, on these boards
Confidence? The biggest difference now is that it looks like Layman doesn't give a shit who is on the floor. He's gonna attack regardless.
I was typing in confidence when you posted this. I think it gets lost at times but almost every NBA player is a great athlete, a lot of what makes a guy go or not happens in there head.
Jake is a + athlete. 6'9" with a 40' vertical and at the Draft combine, had the 5th fastest shuttle run...at 6'9"! That is freakish athleticism. Simons is another one. If they can both actually play with that freak athletic ability, that is two serious weapons to have. Can someone feed Anfernee a couple of cheeseburgers?
Am I the only one that was bullish on this guy from way back? Based on my first Layman related post - he is still not where I expect him to be: http://www.sportstwo.com/posts/3999398/
Jake has acquired the "I don't give a f**k...I'm going off!" attitude. He is certainly making people expendable next season. Pay the man!
Honestly, I always knew Jake could play. Problem is, the coaching staff never trusted him. A few mistakes or bad shots, and he was benched for many games/weeks. It even happened this year too, where he was benched after having a very fine game. How can a player grow, if they are on a short leach from day 1? Jake was never utilized right. He was thought as a one dimensional 3 points shooter. He is more than that. We need to leverage all his tools like we are doing now.
Pat Connaughton got all his minutes...it's just his turn now and he's way better than Patty C....I've liked Layman since we drafted him...his defense is finally up to snuff so he can stay on the court...he's going to be a phenomenal two way player and I hope he stays a Blazer
Basketball is a game of confidence, and Jake having increased confidence is the most likely explanation. This may be an ideal example of why it is important to build the confidence of every Blazer, which we fans can and should do for all of them.
Here's some of my pre-draft comments on him... To be honest though, I was lower on him they more I watched his college tape and wasn't much of a believer before this year.
Jake is also a 4 year college player. He is head and shoulders more mature than a one and done player.
Ive said it many times. All nba players are talented. What separates the good from the great is more often in thier head than in thier body. Confidence is a huge factor in excelling and one of the reasons i have faith Collins will turn into a solid player on a contending team(us). But self confidence is as important to me as anything else when grading an nba player.
You just pissed off a bunch of religious folk... Im not one of them. Beat me too it but i firmly believe this is to be true. Its just rare to see confidence boom so much, so quick.
Yeah, I didn't think we'd be able to defend w/ Layman at the four as well as we have. Not having Nik around has really helped with that (105.7 DRTG w/ Nik OFF). Still think he's a pretty limited offensive player, but he's not asked to do a lot (and doesn't need to) and what he's good at is perfect for Stotts system. His quick trigger from 3 and speed and athleticism off the ball has been a huge reason for the offensive surge lately.
This is probably it. Over the last several years, I've noticed rookies and 2nd year players defer to Lillard and McCollum too much. For crying out loud, Vonleh wouldn't even look at the basket unguarded, he'd try to get it to someone else. My guess based on nothing is that Stotts WANTS them to defer when they're young. But too much of that and you're out of the league. It seems to me that Layman isn't deferring.
Just wait until he starts showing the stuff he did in the g league when he had complete freedom. The post ups. The playmaking. Taking more risks defensively. There’s more in his toolbox. He was used as a complimentary piece in college, and so far in the NBA. But I really believe he’s built for more responsibility. He’s never going to cross anybody over but he can get his own shot. He’s got size. Hes got a good first step. He’s coordinated. It’s funny, looking back on his predraft interviews, he was asked where he saw himself in five years. His answer was simple; “all star.” It’s not looking so ridiculous anymore. That shot at :45...that barely even touched net!
