So Vonleh was 4-4 in 26 minutes with 6 rebounds and 3 assists! And he was a boxscore positive, as well. In general, since we got Nurkic, he seems more comfortable. I've never thought much of his NBA future (seems too mechanical and a bit lumbering) but he's shown flashes of being not-terrible. Thoughts?
I agree. I like what I've seen from Vonleh lately. The addition of Nurkic has seemed to make him more comfortable and improved his confidence. I think Nurk's enthusiam, unabashed self-confidence and not so subtle bad-assery, has rubbed off on Vonleh. I think Nurkic plays the way Vonleh wants to play. Plumlee was a completely different player with a completely different skill set. I loved Plumlee's motor and BBIQ, but he wasn't the right kind of player to mentor/inspire Noah. Nurk is. BNM
If the question is "who's a solid bench player in the model of Mark Bryant?" maybe. I think he is also benefiting from the attention Nurkic draws, leaving him open near the hoop with time to think. Not being instinctual, he needs that extra split second.
Certainly we cannot answer that question. But, I would like to see Vonleh continue to get minutes to answer the question. He is so young and has such a great skill set. He has the capability of being one of those rare players with size to defend in the post, but also quickness and outside shooting to cause mismatches on the other end. No harm in giving him another year to see what happens. I do agree that Nurk is rubbing off on him in a positive way. Saw an article on the Gasol-Randolph relationship the other day. Maybe this will mirror that. We can only hope so.
Last night, he got an O board and just bounced back up and dunked it hard. Then he came back on D, contested a shot and pounced on the glass for an emphatic board. I've been waiting for this for a looooooonnng time for him to actually use his physical skills. I didn't see him getting a second NBA contract, but his whole mindset has changed since the AS break.
I like that every time he took it to the basket, he went hard. Even when he was fouled, he was going for the power dunk. Because he was the aggressor, he got the calls, and he made his FTs. Nice. BNM
I'm pulling for Vonleh big time, I think he'll be a real player down the road. The Nurk effect is basically the playing with a real center for the first time effect.
he needs to show what he did last night in EVERY game, gotta be able to do that consistently, he's tantalized us before and then left us disappointed - will this time be different? we'll see, with Nurk now onboard Vonleh really has no excuses
Hubie Brown would say "Now listen now, this is a kid we would be seeing play in this weeks tournament if he stayed in college. Okay now, he's a young kid, and he still has a lot of room to grow"
I even saw Nurk giving Meyers some "advice" last night - is it conceivable that might help Meyers? doubtful but one can dream!
Meyers is still Meyers, but we have seen more flashes of good Meyers after the trade than before it. Less than two weeks ago, both Meyers and Noah had PER = 8.3. Today, Meyers is at PER = 9.4 and Noah is at PER = 9.3. The Nurk Effect is contagious and spreading. BNM
The game that has always stuck in my mind was when we beat GSW last season at home in the regular season. He played as a stretch 5 and when he was hitting his jumper our offense was unstoppable. He was drawing Bogut out of the key and our guards were feasting. Vonleh has all the physical tools and size to become an absolute problem in the NBA, and I really hope he can piece it all together. I don't necessarily think it is a horrible thing that he develops slowly, as we can resign him to a deal in possibly the $6M range and groom him to play the 4 and backup 5. He is a solid screener and has shown the ability to step outside, those skills alone will keep him in the NBA past his first contract.
Since January 1st he is shooting 100% from behind the arc! He needs to keep that up, not the percentage but the fact he is not shooting from out there. (1-1) He has a good looking mid range shot. That is good enough for a PF. Between that, his baby hooks, and his dunks thats all he needs offensively....right now.
I remember being shocked at that putback. I fully expected him to softly toss it up and have it carom off harmlessly. When he elevated and threw down, I was like, "WHERE THE HELL HAS THAT BEEN?!"
He has missed some put backs in the past that would have been highlight material....except they have often bounced off the back of the rim.. So close
