100% not starting and playing 12mins for the game. he needs to be in the 2nd unit, find a role and gameplan in that situation, work hard in practice, learn and develop. the starting lineup version of NVL in 15-16 was not what we need him to be. Get in the mix, earn the minutes, earn the start, and reap the rewards.
He strikes me as a guy that has a lot of tools, but lacks in personal drive. A Kwame Brown. He'll probably end up being a decent journeyman, but wont live up to his potential.
given the minutes he got this season and learning Stotts system I expect more improvement next yr - a "B" from the "C" I gave him this yr, if he does not at least show significant improvement next yr then I pretty much give up on him becoming an important player on this team
I'd rather have Marquese Chriss than Vonleh to be quite honest. However, if we found a way to trade for Toronto's 9th pick to take Chriss (Davis/Aminu + CLEs 1st?), then that'd be awesome, as I think a Chriss/Vonleh frontcourt would be dynamite 5 years from now.
Wait, what???? His first three seasons in Portland, the Blazers' leading scorer was a PF. He was also the architect of the Mav's offense, when DAL won the finals in 2011. Their leading scorer was also a PF. When he was head coach in ATL, their leading scorer was a Shareef Abdur-Rahim - yet another PF. In fact, until this season, other than when he coached Michael Redd in MIL, the leading scorer on every team where Stotts has been head coach, or associate head coach, has been a PF. I don't think that's because he's too PF-oriented. I think it's a simple case of Stotts being smart enough to realize who his best scorers are and designing an offense to take advantage of their talent, regardless of what position they play. So, I'm confident that if Noah Vonleh ever develops any offensive ability, Stotts will find a way to take advantage of it. BNM
Vonleh has the makings to be something great in this league. He showed flashes of this last year, but lacked confidence. I wish we could have seen him play in the playoffs, especially against the Warriors. He's the guy that you trade and it's Jermaine O'Neal all over again. He is going to take over for Meyers Leonard who won't return next year....
Unless he dominates in summer league, a lot here will be ready to give up on him. I agree, that's shortsighted. Summer league is a lot like the NBDL. It's a guard dominated league with a lot of guys more concerned about getting themselves noticed than playing good team ball. It's hard for a guy who depends on his teammates getting him the ball to show much in that environment. Still, it will be interesting to see how Noah's game has improved since last summer. I'm not talking about scoring average, but I'd like to see some good weak side help defense to go with his solid man-to-man defense. I'd like to see him dominate the defensive glass and also be more aggressive on the offensive glass (his 8.4 ORB% is pretty weak for a guy with his size and length - for comparison, Ed Davis had a 14.4 ORB%). And, I'd like to see him finishing at the rim with authority and confidence. If he can show those things, I think it will be a successful summer league for him, regardless of his scoring average. BNM
Vonleh will be fine. He's way too young to have figured it out yet mentally. Physically, he's many good traits. He's wide, low base, strong legs, and great wingspan. He could be a wonderful small ball center. He rebounds really really well for a 20 yr old!! He's learning to score around the basket more consistently without so many yips too! I don't like his shooting form on jumpers (hitchy, bad motion) hope they work on it this summer and next year. He'll be fine in another year or two - absolutely part of the rotation. Next year - to answer the question - will be another development year. I hope he gets consistent minutes as b/u PF or b/u C. I liked the comparison to McDyss or even Vin Baker.
We need to play Vonleh at C in dinner league and see how he does protecting the rim. Offensively he'd be better as a C. Defensively, he could lock down guys in the low post. I just have questions about his rim protection.
