I am based out of Cincinnati, OH, so I never get to watch any games. I only get my Rocket news from box scores and ClutchFans. So from those folks who have been able to watch him in person the first 9 games, is Omar Asik better than anticipated, the same or not nearly as good. Personally, I figured he would be an outstanding defender, but I never dreamed he would put up the kind of numbers he has put up. But without watching him, I don't know if the numbers are hollow or legit. What say my eyes and ears in Houston?
Better than even Morey could've hoped. He's transformative on the defensive end, and not as bad an offensive player as many thought. Wish we would've signed him to a longer deal now.
He is really good, and only getting better. Sometimes he still fumbles the ball, but you can never fault his hustle. Great attitude. Very good, fierce rebounder. His FT shooting has been improving, too. Sometimes he even dares to make fancy offensive moves. I think he has not reached his ceiling yet.
After Asik arrived and began workouts, the Rockets GM and coaches already privately felt they got a steal. And it's proving to be the case.
Yes, we all knew he was an elite defender but his offensive skills are proving to be better than advertised...way,way better!
He potentially is the best player we picked up the off season. Harden is a great scorer but Asik, defensively is a beast of equal caliber and his offense is coming along considering how raw he was advertised and seemed coming off the Bulls bench. He needs to work on his hands because he is one of the starters that contributes to our high turn overs per game but he is a player,but Morey should work to lock up by next season if he doesn't have a major injury and continues to maintain the same level of play or grows.
He is showing a number of offensive moves now with confidence. His free throw shooting has been very good. He has just been amazing and much better offensively than advertised, while being just as good defensively as advertised.
We knew he was a good back up at the last team he was at. I think everyone knew he was ready to start somewhere.
He's an absolute joy to watch play basketball. Dominates defensively. Always hustles. Runs the floor incredibly well for a big man. Seldom makes mistakes. And as others have been saying, his offensive game is surprisingly good and there still seems to be room for growth and improvement in that regard. I'll add it's really refreshing/impressive to see a guy work so hard to improve right after a contract. It's clear he really wants to be the best he can be, which seems particularly rare in a big man. I couldn't possibly love this signing any more than I do.
If you look deeper, his 'counting' stats improving so much should not come as a great surprise. His rebounding ability was ridiculous as a Bull, and only diminished due to his minutes, and Chicago playing a slow style. Same with his shot attempts. Overall, his FG% has gone down but FT% up. So he's only been slightly more efficient as a scorer. The two biggest differences I've seen are his weight loss, which has resulted in better stamina but perhaps worse finisher around teh basket. And him stop being so foul prone, which is more dictated by having to save his fouls.
i'll happily eat crow about the signing. thought it was a silly contract, and i was wrong, it appears. dude inhales rebounds that are anywhere within reach, and is rapidly improving on offense. also, smart enough to play within his skillset. unfortunately, it's offset to an extent by the awful signing of lin.
Not on the defense and rebounding side of things. Cause he did the same things for the Bulls when Noah was injured and he got to start. But he actually has nice footwork and some decent moves down low, that I didnt anticipate. But the Dude cant finish, he misses so many easy layups.
Thing I like most about Asik is this coachability. In other words, we all knew his offensive game was going to be very limited when he came over. However, even since the preseason, you can see steady improvement in his offensive game. For example, in preseason and even in the first 2 games of the season, Asik would passively try and lay the ball in. Remember those weird up and underhanded fingerrolls from under the basket? Anyway, now he's dunking more and going to the hole with more authority. So yes, he's better than anticipated and I'm glad he's on our team.
Asik has been everything as advertised and then some. He plays with so much heart and puts 100 percent effort every night. He is a defensive juggernaut out there. His offense is slowly improving which is a bonus. Mostly everyone was excited about the James Harden acquisition but getting Asik can easily be the brightest spot for this past offseason. What a bargain.
The thing that belies his true talent is when Asik makes a mistake, he looks ridiculous. He'll fumble away an easy pass, or clumsily trip over someone. You think he's doing poorly, but then realize two bad plays that looked TERRIBLE, are still only two bad plays, compared to his many good plays. This is what really strikes me about him. His offensive game is much better than I thought it'd be. That move last night on JJ Hickson was awesome.
He's Tyson Chandler with bad hands. That's pretty amazing value for $8M, considering the salaries other bigs around the league are commanding. I wouldn't be surprised if someone (maybe us) signs him for near max money on his next contract if he keeps up his current production.
