Q-was-here wrote:AbeVigodaLive wrote:Q-was-here wrote:monsterpile wrote:After a couple good games from Nowell that we all hope is a sign of him turning things around he is shooting 43% overall and 31% on 3's. This isn't great but it's not too horrendous all things considered how he started out. He is also shooting over 51% on 2 point shots. Another positive is he is taking more shots at the rim compared to all but his rookie year. He is also still increasing his volume of 3's taken from less than 6 per 36 to over 8. This could be a good or bad thing depending how it ultimately works out percentagewise but I'd like to see a higher volume of 3's play out for Nowell as long as they are not bad ones while significantly contested etc. Overall he is taking more shots per minute than last year but that's almost all 3's. He also still doesn't turn over the ball much either which is pretty good for a guy that puts up a pretty interesting stat line per 36 ministers including over 22ppg.
He's really critical to our success moving forward. He's never going to be a good defender, which means he HAS to produce efficient offense when he's playing. Last year he took such a great step forward (3rd year leap! .7 Vorp! 58 TS%!) and it's been such a disappointment to see him struggle as our featured 6th man bench scorer. I don't mind the gunslinger mentality he has - that's his role - but if the shots aren't falling, he is such a huge liability. Let's hope he continues on a roll.
While Nowell has had a shoot-first, shoot-second, shoot-third mentality this season... it's probably excusable.
Often, there's a reason why 6th men scorers aren't starters. They're limited in some ways.
I think back to a guy like Jamal Crawford who didn't seem to have a good season for the Wolves in 2018 statistically. In fact, it looks awful in hindsight. But I also remember him coming in and saving games with his gunner mentality. Sometimes, teams just need a guy to get buckets during certain parts of a game. You just hope they don't shoot you out of games other times (which is why they might have a shorter leash when they're not on.)
[Note: I hate watching Jordan Clarkson play, too. But damn if he doesn't give his team a spark at times. You just have to learn to live with his bad nights, too.]
Agreed, it's a good role for Nowell. The thing that has disappointed me is that he isn't just a long range sniper that looks to jack up 3's at a high volume (Exhibit A: Malik Beasley). He has a very deep bag offensively - a legit 3 level scorer. So I thought he'd be a bit more immune to the hot and cold nature of the role. E.g. Ok, the 3-ball isn't going in, but he's still able to take guys off the bounce and get buckets in the mid-range or at the rim. But man, he has struggled to put a consistent set of games together where he is being effective. May the ship is turning for him now.....
The 3 point has been a question for Nowell but let's see how this season turns out for him as I mentioned in my post. Currently he is taking 8.4 3's per 36. To compare after coming over in a trade Beasley's first season with the Wolves he shot 8.9 3's per 36. IF...Nowell keeps up his current 3 point volume he is a top 30 guy in that category which is a pretty big jump from what he was previously. Obviously if he shoots what I would consider a decent percentage even say 34 or 35% for the season that would be a nice development in adding value. Like you said what he adds is he can score multiple ways and actually create at least some for others unlike Beasley who was basically a guy as a threat behind the line and some seasons added value as a guy running in transition. Beasley also didn't need to have the ball in his hands but I think Nowell's ability to score and put pressure on the D with his offensive bag will offset Beasley's value of playing off the ball.
Of course the other big question is how long is Nowell going to remain on the Timberwolves...
