How very generous and kind of you! so far, I have got that the league average for all players in the restricted area is 60.8% and Leonard' % is about the same as Cousins and David Lee,a little bit better than Monroe and quite a bit lower than Drummond and Blake Griffin. And you are saying that Leonard usually did better in previous years, so yeh he seems pretty decent in the restricted area. This is probably mostly dunks and layups. If he could get his three back; it seems he would be best served shooting only from threes and the restricted area.
Just curious, how long does that page take to load for you guys? Wish I could use that site, but the BRUTAL load times keep me away from it.
This is not Meyers' specific. It's pretty much the definition of modern NBA offenses - layups and 3-pointers. Stotts is a big proponent of this philosophy. His offense is designed around creating these opportunities and his defense is (supposedly) designed to protect the rim and run 3-point shooters off the line, conceding long 2-pointers to the point of actually daring opponents to shoot them. BNM
He WAS a dunker his rookie season. He had 53 dunks in 1206 minutes. That's 1.6 dunks/36. In his first three seasons, Meyers averaged 1.3 dunks/36. In the two seasons since Kim Hughes was fired, he's averaged 0.3 dunks/36. He was over 4x as likely to dunk when we had an actual big man coach than he has been since. So yeah, the lack of a REAL big man coach, one who has achieved proven results coaching big men at the NBA level, is my current pet peeve. We need a big man coach that will teach our BIG MEN to play like BIG MEN. Or, Paul and Neil can continue to be stubborn and go with the guys who teach our big men to play like small forwards. The lack of a big man coach has completely ruined Meyers Leonard. Let's hope the same fate is not in store for Nurkic, Collins and Swanigan. Meyers Leonard, as an NBA player peaked during the MEM series, right before the team fired Kim Hughes. He had been showing consistent improvement up until that point. Since then he has regressed to the point where he is useless and his contract, that would normally be considered a good value in today's NBA, is an albatross that no other team wants to take off our hands. HIRE A FUCKING BIG MAN COACH ALREADY! BNM
The great "Maybe". He might. Or, he might not. I hope he does. The team needs a b/u center and he's got the physical body for it. He's just got to learn how to play and not think all the time.
Offensively he could improve, no doubt in my mind...... if the coaches used him correctly. Coming off the bench cold and expecting him to hit 3's does not help his confidence. The guy has offensive skill other than 3 point shooting. Bring him closer to the basket. At least 15 feet of it. Defensively I have my doubts because I don't think anyone has been helping him get better. And he needs coaching...
And you never smoked again, right? (cameras are watching....) Yeah, on the serious, I still remember my first time. I was 5 years old....
The problem with Meyers, always has been and always will be, is that he has no sense/instinct or feel for the game. None. Offensively you can program a guy to go to certain spots and if you are open shoot it. Defensively this doesn't work. In transition this doesn't work. Offensively on any broken play this doesn't work. I do not think for one second ML plays basketball if he isn't 7 ft tall. He is all about his dog and wife and clothes. He can work out, look great,shoot threes in an empty gym and do great things vs an assistant coach. That's it. I think players do not have any respect for him and coaches are almost done with him. The absolute best thing would be a miraculaous 5 game stretch of good play and then deal him. I'm sure he's a nice guy - people have told me over and over he's nice- but you have to, without question, have a chip on your shoulder, a killer instinct and a feel for the game to not just excel in this league, but to survive.
I think maybe you missed the joke. I've never actually smoked pot. I have, however, made a pot smoke.
I am going to boldy predict Blazer Roy will not bang Kate Upton this year, but banging Kim Jong-Un is probable.
Collins proven his mental toughness in the NCAA tournament in a key game, and proved his utility by having the second highest number of blocked shots in team history in 17mpg. Swanigan proven his mental toughness by beating his weight problems, and proved his utility by leading his team in scoring (18ppg), and placing second in the NCAA in rebounds/game. In 5 NBA seasons and one college season Meyers Leonard has proven his mental toughness by....changing his hair style...and proved his utility by...guarding Marc Gasol well a couple times? These rookies have already proven themselves more than Butters in their last year of college. Between them, Nurkic and Vonleh, we have a whole coat rack of young bigs to hang our hopes and dreams on. Why on earth would anybody waste their Kool Aid on Meyers Leonard at this point?
Because despite all his obvious failings, Meyers still has a combination of height, weight, and range unmatched by anyone on the squad. He's taller than Noah/Caleb, thicker/stronger than Zach, and has more outside game than Nurkic. IF (and I understand it's unlikely) he gets his mind right, he offers a physicality/skillset combo that nobody else can bring.
I think he's the current dean 0f The Darko Milicic School For Big People Who Can't Basketball Good and Want to Do Other Stuff Good Too. I totally get why people still dream about him. For 4 years in a row I predicted that this time Meyers Leonard was going to break out. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me 4 goddamned times, and really, we're getting into Vitas Gerulaitis territory: In other news, I am absolutely convinced Zach Collins is going to Batum his way into the starting lineup this fall.