longstrangetrip wrote:monsterpile wrote:longstrangetrip wrote:bleedspeed177 wrote:I just hope Bjelica is a better rebounder than Young was here.
I think he will be a better rebounder than Young based on his Euro numbers. In many ways I see parallels between Young and Bjelica...although I think Nemanja is better at most aspects of the game. Both are skilled players who are comfortable putting the ball on the floor and getting to the basket (Thad mostly with his left, and Nemanja mostly with his right), and both are above average at finishing strongly at the rim. Both are decent shooters for PFs, although I would argue NB's form is better and seems more reliable beyond the arc. Both are fairly good passers. And Thad is a below average rebounding PF, and I expect that Nemanja will be too. Most of us believed Young could be an important piece on a good team, but just not in a starting role. Nemanja will have the luxury of not having to be the starting PF right away, and we will see if he can grow into being KG's heir apparent. I'm guardedly optimistic that he can.
I think it's a reasonable comparison comparing the two. The bottom line is we will be really fortunate if Bjelica becomes a player that's as good as Thad.
One issue IMO with Thad's jumper is his release is not very compact. He has long arms and it's just a really long release. Bjelica does seem to have more repeatable shot mechanics.
That's the point I was trying to make about their respective shots, monster...you said it better.
I didn't mention one aspect of Thad's game that I think is superior to NB's. Thad is more clever around the basket and seems to have more ways to score inside than Nemanja. This is not to say the NB can't be an effective inside scorer, just that Thad seems more versatile. I also didn't compare them defensively, but here I see a distinct advantage for NB. Both have quick feet for PFs and the ability to switch effectively, but I see NB as a stronger force one-on-one inside.
Lots of similarities in their respective games...bottom line is there won't be as much pressure on NB though. I think he will be a nice bench PF for us this year.
I agree with pretty much everything you said and it's a good breakdown. Thad's defense is probably better and yet Bjelica has legit length so that's nice. He plays D more straight up and Thad was more like Brewer. lol I think offensively Bjelica may actually be more versatile but really both guys are and Thad more than he got credit for. I think Bjelica is more of that classic PF the "new NBA" is looking for than Thad was/is. Honestly I have a hard time not getting excited about Bjleica I think he will be a worthwhile player this year. I don't think he may ever put up stats that wow anyone but he may be one of those guys that helps you win basketball games doing a little of everything. Prince and KG will be good guys for him to learn from I think.