Trade Grades: Blazers Send Mason Plumlee To Nuggets For Jusuf Nurkic

I would have liked to see a poll and a link to multiple trade grades by the OP, instead of the typical Canzano-esque baloney BGD hands out.

 

In other words, he has great potential, but at 22 still has some stuff to learn. Sounds promising.

 

Looking over all those numbers, the thing that stands out most to me that I hadn't known about the guy is the number of shots. He takes nearly 16 per 36. That's really quite a lot of volume for a young guy. Basically the same as Zbo took at the same age.

The days of Plumlee 15 feet from the basket desperately trying to find somebody to give it to are definitely over. If Nurk can't quickly find an option, he's going to call his own number some way or another.

 

I think he has great potential on the defensive end, not so much on the offensive end. At least, no more so than any offense-challenged young player. I think scoring efficiently (over a significant number of shots per game) and reducing turnovers aren't trivial things to learn.

 

It's a good point, but to be fair, he was trying to score on a team with pretty poor spacing and no playmaker. And this year he's shooting at .507 FG . I haven't heard a lot of Denver fans describe him as a chucker.

Just getting a few chippies every night from Dame/CJ double teams could make him look a lot more efficient.

 

The turnovers are a huge problem though. That and an inability to hit a free throw.

 

Very likely he is out of shape as he hasn't played much in quite a while. That will come with some practice and regular game minutes. I worry a bit about his offensive efficiency and FT% as well but hope that his impact on the boards and the defensive end make up for that as well as just being a 'big' presence with some attitude.

Much needed.

 

Yeah, I wasn't saying he's a chucker. My guess is that he was trying to make the most of his dwindling minutes and trying to work as the fulcrum of the offense when he's on the floor, probably with mostly reserves. I agree that having a substandard group around him can be a problem. That role probably doesn't suit him, though. Ideally, he'll probably only take the easy shots opened up by defensive pressure on other guys. I just think that his points-per-36 is probably inflated by inefficient attempts to be a main scorer (when on the floor). My feeling is that his main impact will come on defense and the boards and he won't be a tremendously impactful offensive player--his scoring will decrease and his efficiency will increase.

 

Hopefully he will be more relaxed knowing he will get all the minutes he needs assuming he plays halfway decent. He should keep it simple initially and focus on good D and rebounding and do not force anything on offense and limit the TO's - take it slowly. With Dame and CJ he'll likely get a lot more easy buckets and that should help his confidence.

 

I was surprised by the difference in his no-step vertical and his one-step vertical. Nurk seams very ground-bound when going strait up (but quick, like Zach), but if he gets one or two steps he can get up there. I think he will be much better at the PnR than posting, but I do like his quick drop-step. I just can't imagine teams won't have scouted for that and just force him to the middle.

 

After reading a report on how terrible he is on setting screens, perhaps the scenario above is the best. Just tell him to find a spot out near the top of the key and don't move, act like a big tree..

 

I honestly think we can not really tell much about him until next year - assuming he gets in shape and has a proper training camp. This year is just getting him some feel for his team-mates and system - and hopefully lighting a fire under his rear to work hard this summer.