No wings are going to post good numbers if they are consistently attacking centers at the rim. It's not just the Rockets, that's everyone. Our wings can strive to be average when attacking centers, but thst average isn't going to be good. Are you under the impression that there's wings who are efficient at consistently attacking big men at the rim? Ja Morant is probably the best driver and finishing guard and even he misses more than he makes overall. Against bigs, that percentage is even worse. Continually trying to drive into a center at the rim is the definition of a bad shot.
Never said only attacking the rim. In today's game, shot diet has to be rim and 3's or 3's only. Middy is rare. On my first comment you replied to, I wasn't disagreeing, was saying that if a wing / guard, our guys have to better at it instead of being below average to other people who attack. The opposing centers at the rim is not the issue, other teams deal with the same centers. The rim finishing needs to level up.
Realize that open 3's are not all equal and are not all neccessarily good shots. A Jalen Green double stepback creates lots of separation but it's also not likely to go in. A 28 foot Damian Lillar-esque 3 pointer is wide open shot that isn't a very high percentage shot for most players. Corner 3s are a much higher percentage shots that shots from above the break at almost 24 feet.
But our guys aren't below average if you compare the same context. Nobody is very successful having guards try to consistently attack bigs at the rim. Most guards are finishing against other wing players. Thompon, Green and Whitmore would do great if they were finishing against wings. Other teams aren't seeing a center camped at the rim the whole game. Watch the game tonight. If the answer is to tell the wings to finish over Wembenyama, then we're asking the wrong question. That's simply not a battle that you are going to win on a consistent basis.
I made a list not long ago, maybe I'll dig it up. But you can easily make your own list, just go through the starting centers of the current 30 teams. More than half are not stretch 5's. So when a Valanciunas square off against a Zubac, they are usually near the rim. Maybe a quarter of the really good teams like a Chet or a Porzingis, may draw your center out, when they do it's super effective but those centers are a premium. Not every team have them. Performance is relative. All I'm saying is if Jalen or Dillon attacks the Poeltl of the worlds, they should aim to be better, when they're not shooting 3's and opted to attack the rim. If Raptors was playing the Hawks, where Capela doean't draw Poeltl out, if a Hawks wing attack Poeltl at the rim, that defensive percentage is counted in that good post you had earlier. The hope is that our guys Jalen/Dillon/Cam...etc strive to be near average or better. Instead of hoping the test is easier, study harder. Most (not all) students of the other teams are taking the same tests.
I've pointed this out over the past two years .... Silas offense was generating open looks at an even higher rate than the current team - the problem has been the inability to put the ball thru the hoop. Last in 3% last season and 26th this season. This team is full of guys who just can't shoot. 5 players who average 19 minutes or more per game all shooting .308 or lower. Jalen Green 30.6 minutes .308 Jeff Green 16.6 minutes .307 JaeSean Tate - 17.1 minutes .304 Alperen Şengün 32.3 minutes .287 Amen Thompson 19.6 minutes .149 Jock Landale 9 minutes .111 The problem with spacing comes when you have two or more of these players on the floor together and that is pretty much all the time. Need shooters.
This triangulates with his Boston year, as well. Offensive creativity was his weakness, and it ultimately hurt their chances at winning it all because Golden State learn. This was touched on in the Duncan & Hollinger 2024 Coach Rankings podcast, where they put him top 10. I think he may need to find an offensive assistant that can expand his playbook. Sort of a reverse Jeff Bzdelik. Though I know it's less common for head coaches not to lead the offense, and most offensive minds aim higher than assistant positions.
Everyone in the top 20 in offense has at least 1 all star except the Pelicans. Make your shots please. At this moment the best player on the floor is Cam or Amen. That’s it. We have a talent problem.
Our most productive action (FVV-Sengun PnR) is 17th in the league - and many teams above us on this list have other actions being executed highly efficiently at a high volume. The only 2 plays that have been used more than this PnR are a Nikola Jokic post up and a Luka Doncic iso. It's not good enough to be used that much. We have to change the context of how we play. More pace and if possible more space. I'd rather have some more turnovers and a high pace. I'd rather Udoka yells at them to get back in transition rather than yell at a bad shooter for not making a 3pt shot. Makes so much more sense. When teams force us to turn up the pace (like the Spurs) we look so much better. Green and Sengun are far better at attacking defenses that are back-peddling. I know it's import to learn how to play in the small half court, but a better balance is necessary. We need Sengun and Green to spend as little time as possible together - I want to see a lot more of Jalen overlapping with the bench unit. Also we need Green's 3pt percentages to go up - shifting more 3PT shots to the other 3 shooters - and this is only possible at this point in time by reducing his attempts specifically the more difficult ones he takes. He has to get back to being at line 6+ times a game, his game doesn't work without it.
Been saying it for two years, these dudes can't shoot. Stone should call up Trajan Langdon and offer him Jalen Green for Trey Murphy iii. (who says no?) Get some dudes that can shoot.
In a vacuum that may be true, but if those guys were 40% 3pt shooters, the way defenses play us would change. Spacing the floor helps every player out there and everyone's game would improve, including guys who don't shoot the 3.
