SameOldNudityDrew wrote:But if we're making an objective decision based specifically on performance in these 27 games, I can't see how anybody could NOT pick Zach as having had one of the two worst seasons so far for our team.
I love Advanced Stats and use them often. But they are not the only way to evaluate a player and don't always provide a true reflection. There will always me anomalies and I think right now Wiggins in particular is an anomaly. Having watched most of the games, it would be difficult for anyone to convince me that he's one of the two worst players on this squad. But if that's your process and conclusion - run with it! I just wanted to see how people think and as I wrote about 10 times now - there is no right answer!
I used terms like "Best" and "Worst" which are not defined - so that people would come up with their own ways to measure. It seems like a few people were concerned that I used future value in my response. But as I wrote - my stated metric was actually total points scored. I could also use total minutes played as another metric. Generally speaking, coaches give their "best" players the most minutes and the "worst" players the least - right? And guys who lead their teams in points scored are generally the team's best players - right? There's a hundred ways to go about this and there is no right answer! Just put on your thinking caps and make a case for your guys.
I couldn't make an argument that Wiggins has been one of the worst. To me, and what my eyes have seen, that's not true. In the same regard, I can't see how one could even make the argument that he's been one of the two best. His stagnant nature on offense and inefficiency make that an easy call for me.
I'm going to evaluate it based on my expectations for how I thought each player was going to perform on this team going into this year.
Best - Bazz - the guy doubled down on what he does well and combined that with aggressiveness and pure hustle to become the best player on the part of the team that hasn't been injured. I thought before the year that his only chance to get on the court was because of injuries because of his selfish game play, but even before the injuries he was one of the better bench players on the team.
Mo - I think he's stepped up since Rubio went down and increased his playmaking efforts to lead to a good chunk of high assist games. I pegged him as JJ but more of a jump shooter and less of a dribble drive threat. He's the only competent PG on the roster right now and hasn't imploded like he did at times in Portland last year. I think we would more than likely be calling for JJ's head at this point if he were in the same spot.
Worst - Thad - he seems to have regressed from how he played last year in Philly. I was expecting low rebounding numbers but the guy is being out rebounded by some of the PG's in the league. I was expecting him to struggle with defense in the paint and at the rim, but he just hasn't been very good at any aspect of defense besides getting some steals. I just haven't seen the effort from him and he hasn't been the same since his mother passed which is unfortunate. Watching him play more also has shown a clear weakness of his that he can't go to his right hand very well and teams are starting to force him to go right and he has struggled.
Bud - the guy looked like he forgot how to play basketball for the first month of the season which relegated him to the bench rightfully so. I can't remember seeing a guy play so bad he literally had to be benched because he brought nothing to the table. I thought he would have been far enough removed from his knee injuries where he would get back some of the pieces of his game. He also looked decent in the pre-season where I thought he'd get back to role player status. He's picked it up as of late, but he was hot garbage earlier this year.
I didn't consider Lavine because I never thought he was a PG and judging a guy having to play out of position and play style is tough. I also didn't consider Bennett because he hasn't played enough in my opinion while having to fill in at C at times. He seems to get pulled pretty quickly and isn't really being allowed to play through his mistakes like Wiggins and Lavine. I also gave the younger guys a little more leeway than the vets because I expect better and more consistent play out of vets than 1st or second year guys.
Camden wrote:I couldn't make an argument that Wiggins has been one of the worst. To me, and what my eyes have seen, that's not true. In the same regard, I can't see how one could even make the argument that he's been one of the two best. His stagnant nature on offense and inefficiency make that an easy call for me.
He's top two in:
Total Minutes
3 PT %
Free Throw Attempts/Made
Total Rebounds
Total Points
Blocks
He's assigned the other team's best player on defense
He's probably top two in general athletic ability (jumping, speed etc.) I don't have stats for this one - just eyeballs.
There are no right answers. Guys are making good points for multiple people. But those are examples of how I would defend Wiggins since you specifically asked for more than I provided earlier.
Bazz (do I have to explain this) and I'm having trouble coming up with a second player.
Two worst:
Budinger (he's a broken player whom people still have inexplicable faith in)
&
Hummel. Let's face it. I can't remember the last open shot he's hit. I can't remember the little things he's done contributing to wins. I can't recall him having a good game statistically. I just don't know what he adds to a team this far down in the dumps.
To be honest, this thread would have more varying responses if it was about the 2 biggest surprises and 2 biggest disappointments.
Lots of different responses. I'll wrap it up at this point. Here's the totals by my count. Thanks to all for their input. One thing that came out of this for me is that we need more good players....several people couldn't even come up with 2 players worthy of nominating as "Best"! On the plus side, the Shabazz Bandwagon is rolling fast!
Best: Rubio and Muhammad Brewer would have beat Rubio if still on team* He was playing PG and I almost trusted him at it lol.
Team was good(better) with Rubio and he impressed me right before he went down, he was the heart of this team and I expect our wins to more than double when he gets back lol. He only played like 9 or 10 games but really I havent watched this team for about a month, and I dont think anyone else deserves it other than Muhammad. Shabazz I had high hopes from before this season and has forced his way into the starting line up because of trades and injuries but I think he deserved it after his never ending motor play. Like I said I havnt watched this team but Ive looked at the box score and highlights for everygame and Shabazz's stats are the first ones I look at .
Worst: Ehh. Young and Budinger
Young just because I expected so much more from him. Hopefully a contender calls for him, Raptors? Hawks?
Budinger is budinger. complete garbage half the team can be the worst in all honestly, last place in the west.
I have to agree with Basshole that Rubio and Muhammad have been our two best players this year. I realize that the sample size for Ricky is way too small, but the difference between the way the team played in his 4 1/2 games compared to without him is astonishing. His leadership skills were apparent as was his defensive presence, and it seemed to me that his shot is improved too. Can't wait until he returns...he will likely practice next week. As for Muhammad, he is the same relentless scorer that I watched in college. He had an unusual experience at UCLA with a PG who just refused to pass to him, but he still set a record for highest Pac 10 freshman scoring. It's not surprising to me that he is even a more prolific scorer in the pros. A wonderful breakout season for him.
I think I will go with Zach and GR3 as our two worse players this year, but I don't intend that as an indictment of Flip's draft. Glenn hasn't been given much of a chance and Zach has been forced into too big a role, and they have both responded to the NBA the way rookies generally do. I have a lot of optimism about Zach though, and even GR3 might still show us something. While I have been disappointed in both of our PF's (Young and Bennett), their level of play has been consistently higher than our two rookies.
Merry Christmas, everyone, and hurry back Ricky and Kevin!
