CJ had 36 points shooting over 50%.. Yes CJ didn't carry the Blazers single handily over a Lakers defense that was focused primarily on stopping him. They trapped the hell out of him in the 4th and he made smart plays giving the ball up to open teammates. Dame hasn't done even as well as CJ in many of those same style elimination playoff games. Dame forces shots in double teams. I'd much rather have Dame and others learn to play as CJ did in that game. It takes a number of teammates contributing to win in those playoff situations. Defenses are too good to have a plan of just one person scoring. In that game Trent started, played 39 minutes, and without Dame when the team needed him to score made 5 shots on 38% shooting. He had a PER of 5.8 in the 2020 playoffs. I'm positive for the future of Trent. But CJ is getting criticized and held to a standard that is ludicrous.
Where was the criticism? Merely the factual stating of what happened. Not one single point in the last 8 minutes of the game when it really mattered. Trap or no trap, create contact, get a FT....something. But that's not what happened. All the rest is just opinion and conjecture.
Maybe you haven't seen much of the Heat, then. A layup is a shot too, and being able to manufacture an ability to get to the rim is one of the best skills an offensive player can possess. Creating one's own shot is being able to make enough separation off the bounce to get a clean look without needing a screen. It involves being able to both get to the rim or get space for a jump shot. I saw examples of all three doing this multiple times in the Heat's last two games. All three of these guys do this, maybe not at McCollum's level of craftiness with the dribble, but all of them do this. Butler does it with size and strength, pushing a defender into the paint, giving a bump and either going around them to the rim or fading away with the jumper. Dragic is just a crafty, solid, all-around offensive player who can get to the rim off the cross, shoot at effective runner, or stop on a dime and pull up from midrange, and his effectiveness of this makes you have to respect his 3-point shot. Herro's the most like CJ of the 3. Changes direction very well with the dribble and has a big stride step that he can use out to 3-point range or to get his defender off balance allowing him to attack the paint or the rim.
I rather have Trent than Dort. Dort may be a little better defender than Trent but he’s no where near as a legit of a shooter as Trent is. I would actually like to see advanced stats of defense if someone know where to get that info. Trent is still improving in certain aspects of his offense and even defense. Dort of course can still improve but as of right now Trent is better and I rather have him for the future
Pretty obviously Gary. I was suspicious about one thing though, did they play similar minutes per game? The answer is yes they did, Dort played about a minute per game more than Gary so that's virtually the same. The one difference is Cary played in about twice as many games so that could be an advantage for Gary. Their measurements and athleticism at their respective combines were virtually identical. It will be interesting to see how they both progress. The one advantage that Dort may have is if the Thunder trade CP3 Dort will likely get the starting spot next to SGA in the back court. Those two are a great match for each other, while we will most likely keep CJ, limiting both Trent's progress and our team's success.
Kudos for managing to bring CJ-and-Olshey bashing into a discussion about Trent vs. Dort. Inspired work!
I mean can we have a discussion about Gary without pointing out the fact that although he's the inferior talent, he is the better fit next to Dame... or CJ for that matter. One thing that I didn't say was the need that we have to extend Gary, he will be a UFA after this next season and we can't afford to lose him for nothing.
Yeah he’s a much better fit next to Dame than CJ is. Him playing next to dame bring back memories of Wesley Matthews time here. Those were glorious days. Trent will actually be a restricted free agent after this year meaning we can match any offer and bring him back. With that being said we should sign him to an extension soon as we can. Something like 4 year 40 to 50 mil would be pretty reasonable
I never want Dame traded. That being said as far as fit goes both Dame and CJ need the ball or at least hang onto the ball. Gary can be effective off the ball and defends the 2 better than Dame or CJ. So while obviously Dame is far superior to Gary and CJ is too for that matter Dame and CJ just don't fit together and Gary would fit better next to either of them than they do... that doesn't mean a CJ/Gary back court is better than a Dame/CJ back court Dame is too damn good to make that true but the offense with Gary next to either would be more cohesive and wouldn't stall as much as it currently does. The defense would just be better flat out.
Who the better fit is next to Dame at SG depends on who we have at the SF spot (or possibly the PF spot ) Ideally we have 3 guys on the floor who can create their own shot, but at the bare minimum, we need at least 2. If CJ brings back that forward in a trade then sure there is an argument to made for Trent. But as of right now CJ is the better option at SG with Trent at the 3. If the "ideal" trade is not possible, then we need to somehow generate more production from the 4 spot. The health of Hood is key as well...since he can also create his own shot.
Lost in the early shit-show of this season is Trent's continued growth. The guy is gunning with incredibly bad shots and he's still making them. Floaters, threes with an inch of space, drives....he's really taking the worst shots among our guards, and yet has the highest EFG% among all our guards. When you are beating out Dame and CJ at shooting, well, fuck that's pretty impressive. Personally, it feels to me like he's got the attitude that he's getting yanked anyway so if he's going to get his buckets he's going to take any shot possible. In this last game he pushed the break and he looked really good with the ball. He got called for a charge for being too aggressive, but jeez, it's hard to be mad at him for seeking contact. And of course he's easily the best defender among our scoring guards, and that's not even remotely close. If I could ask Stotts just one question, it'd be, "What is keeping Trent from being a 35mpg player?" Because honestly, I don't see why he can't get those minutes. Dame and CJ play 35 mpg, so there's 26mpg whenever he subs in for either. And I think it's absolutely legit to run him at SF for 12 minutes. So far this season, he's our third best player even while chucking. I think with a more featured role in our team he'd probably be a little more judicious with shots.
