Game Thread GAME# 47: PELICANS @ BLAZERS - JANUARY 18, 2019 - FRIDAY, 7:30 PM, NBCSNW

Another thing I really like about Layman is that what he does is all SO in the flow of the offense. The ball doesn't stop with him. He catches it and lays it in, dunks it or shoots it. It doesn't stop the flow of the other players because it is back out of his hands almost immediately. That is so needed with this team.

 

How about Nicolas Batum with some aggression and effort? Not the best, but better than some comparisons.

Wilson Chandler pre injury is still the closest I can come up with.

 

The next time Nic goes back door will be his first. And he turned into a great playmaker from the wing. I don't see that at all

 

Granger wasn’t much of a ball handler either and was putting up near 20 shots on a bad team. Jake can score in multiple ways he just hasn’t been given the consistent opportunity to do it.

 

Heres my comp for Layman. Paul Millsap.

 

From another generation but.....Layman reminds me a great deal of Bobby Gross. Great at moving without the ball, the ability to slip away from whoever is supposed to be guarding him, and an uncanny ability to show up when and where the other team least expects. Gross was a better rebounder and defender but the offensive skills are very similar. Guys with Layman’s (and Gross’s) intangibles are guys teams need......

 

I loved watching Bobby Gross back in the day. Two major difference though between he and Jake, one is that Jake can jump out of the gym, and he has way more range on his jumper. Gross succeeded by being extremely fundamentally sound which playing in a Jack Ramsey offense was essential.

 

I heard someone mention Tom Chambers the other day in comparison to Jake. I went back and watched some old videos and I think that's a pretty good comp. Obviously Jake isn't as good but they have very similar form on their jumpers and have that same extra bounce on their dunks where it looks like they are at their peak and then they keep going. Chambers also had a little finger roll.

 

Jake's constant motion reminds me a lot of Bobby Gross ability to get open and find back doors.

 

Anthony Davis will miss 1-2 weeks after spraining his index finger last night.

 

Never know what to make out of him. Great player, but kind of always has some injury, only made it to the playoffs twice in his career. Definitely wouldn't mind if he was a Blazer, but I kind of question if you could build a team around him and expect him to lead them where you want to go. He seemed to quit last night on defense especially, to be fair just about every player quits at some point in a regular season game it's obvious their team is getting beat down in. He just seems to lack a lot of leadership qualities.

 

Look at these dinosaurs.

 

Jake has finally turned into the player we all hoped he'd become. He's confident and smooth on the floor. This could truly be the beginning of something special. Lovin' it!

 

Jake was very effective with Nurk on the floor. But when Nurk got in foul trouble it was tough for Jake to cover when they went small. I'm thinking if Nurk didn't get his fifth foul early Jake would have seen more minutes?

 

Layman is a better fit with the starters than Moe imo. I know Moe is the better defender, but Layman isn’t a liability on that end either. Offensively he brings so much more. His off ball game in itself is a weapon. Harkless has nothing beyond a set shot and the occasional post up against smaller players. There’s no reason for defenses to respect him. I’m not hating on Moe, we need him, but Layman plays so well with the starters, especially as you mentioned, Nurk.

 

They don't have Rondo. Their guard defense shut us down.

 

I would love to see a Line-Up with Jake and Moe together

 

So i thought long and hard and i came up with THREE new nicknames for Jake:

1) Jake CakeMan
2)Jake The Cake
3)Jake KLayMan

I'm glad we gave him time to bake.