Ed Davis is a true pick and roll big. While he isn't as good as he was last year, he's a pretty damn good roll big.
Ed will benefit from practicing against Nurk instead of Plumlee...hopefully it'll get him back to his game
Definitely true, but he just isn't that great at setting picks. He's a crafty finisher around the rim--pretty efficient really. But it's hard to get him the ball because he's no threat more than 3 feet from the rim and he doesn't create space for the guard with the pick and he isn't big enough or athletic enough that you can just throw it near the rim and watch him dunk. So 90% of the time you can count on Dame or CJ taking the shot, and Davis scrapping hard for the rebound. It's pretty predictable. When Nurk is running the pick and roll, he presents so many problems for the defense: He really, really seems to enjoy laying the wood on guards. Something we haven't really seen since Przybilla. That alone creates fatigue and wariness that only opens the game up more as the game goes along. Re-watch Lillard exploding in the fourth against Orlando and just look at how tentative the defense looked. It is just not fun to run into Nurk compared to Ed. He gets the ball up high on a pick and he'll just palm it and see over top of defenders to pass to the open man. He catches the ball on the roll because he's so big the guard can lob it in. He's got the footwork as he comes in close to avoid travelling calls. If he's near the rim he's so strong he can power through a lot of single coverage contact. If you double down on him he'll find the guy left open. Because of all those problems, Portland pick-and-rolls are no longer just, "Shit, I got to work through this guy to make sure Dame/CJ don't get a clean shot." It's now, "Shit, there's a fucking mountain between me and Dame/CJ. I got to get around him, but also worry about the consequences even if I succeed." I'm really, really excited about this addition. I think it's the single most under-reported change in the NBA right now. It's not that he's a brilliant top 3 center (who knows, maybe some day?) it's that his skill set is EXACTLY what our two best players desperately needed to make them effective. His addition to the team is so much more than the much-needed talent injection. It's his ability to create so much more leverage for our key guys to succeed.
Oh you're not wrong that after two games Nurk seems better than Ed is as a screener. As well as more ability once the ball is in his hands after Lillard creates a 4 on 3 opportunity by passing out of the double team. I was just mentioning Ed is a true pick and roll big, who if he returns to his 15-16 form. He's pretty damn good in that role. Tbh I consider Ed to be more of a pick and roll big than Aldridge was. Aldridge just had more talent. Nards though does set the same wide body screen that Nurk did late in Orlando. Just Nards only rolls to the rim a handful of times a year.... Rest of the time he's a piece of drift wood.
lol, BB27 does seem to be getting a lot of touches, which I really like. Not only that, but he's getting them all over the court - low post, high post, mid range...
Yeah I think eventually we'll play through him just as much, if not more, than Plumlee. He's not just a post up guy. He's a legit playmaker.
I definitely won't be holding my breath when we need a bucket at the end of games like I did when Mason had to shoot them..that's for sure. Nurk can go get a bucket anytime
Mason Plumlee is top 5 in the league in screen assists so get out of here with that. I'm not disagreeing with your main point, but if you want to call Nurk the best P&R player Dame has played with then you should also call Mase the best screener Dame has played with.
2nd... witness the glory.... we are all witnesses. What a great trade Neil! Now if you can figure out what to do with Crabbe's and Leonard's contracts I'll give you a pass for this season.
WTH is that anyhow? Some sort of mega sun visor? A launching trampoline for lice? A place for birds to build a nest when they migrate back north this spring? I mean. Ive been trying to figure out wtF it is for a while now....
Well, he gets assists with nifty passing off the screen (which Nurk can also do), not because he just made the guard on the pick suddenly wonder where all the chirpy birds dancing around his face came from. I never saw Plums actually daze somebody with a pick. Plumlee is a gifted passer for a center, but actually extremely forgettable as an actual pick-setter. Nurk is a good passer but not as good, but then you don't have to deliver a brilliant pass if you just made a big opening for the guard.
I love all those slick little post shots he gets in there. He's very Sabonis-esque right around the rim. Big and slow-looking but oddly coordinated and versatile. And like Sabas he just kind of moves people around a lot more than you'd think he would (especially after watching Meyers Leonard for several years.)
One of the things I like about BB27's game is his method of offense. He goes into the defender, not to overpower them a la Shaq, but because when they're pushing so hard against him, they can't jump. So, he just raises his arms and shoots right over them. An awesome tactic for a big man, and a sensible one for a big man that can't jump. Not physical domination, just using what you've got. Since the technique is based on size, and not "athleticism", he'll be able to do it when he's 35, no problem. Lock him up, Neil!