What Did Julian Wright Do?

[666]

You trust this coaching staff? Lost credibility there man.

Trust probably was a poor word choice. I just think the staff is properly evaluating him. I don't think their is some sinister plot in limiting Wright's minutes or even bad judgement. Wright is just not that valuable in the scheme of things. He hustles and plays decent defense (good length), but that's about it. He's not a lockdown defender and we overrate his abilities on this end.

One problem of ours, as fans, opinions is that we tend to over-value the short-term performances of athletes. Great game = hype, bad game = bust. We hear this a lot about Derozan and Amir. Regarding Wright, he played exceptionally well against Boston so now we're unconsciously biased with the assumption that he can compete on a similar level on a nightly basis. Here is stats from the entire season: http://www.basketball-reference.com/.../gamelog/2011/. While its tough to rate good defense (as steals/blocks are tough to come by) and rebounding has a lot to do with chance and positioning, but his overall production is not enough to place him in front of Kleiza or Weems.

Another problem in evaluating Wright is that we've never really seen him start a game. I think he would get very exposed here. It's one thing to defend Lebron James in the 2nd quarter/half when the Raptors are down by 15 points and be "good defensively" on a uninterested superstar. It's also another thing to come off fresh off the bench and defend tired starters or sub players that just may not be that good. I think these two reasons help exaggerate his defensive abilities.

With Weems injured, Wright should be playing about 15 minutes a game. That seems fair. Now this is an average so let's not get too emotional when he plays 5 minutes (today against Sacramento), because the other night he played almost 30 minutes against Boston. It baffles me how many people make conclusions about a players ability in a few or even one game. I'm sure some people may be thinking Derozan is the future Kobe after today. Regression to the mean folks.

[Maleko]

This is a 82 game season and you cannot judge a guy on less than ten games. I understand Wright frequently plays limited minutes but I trust the coaches/management in evaluating his potential to the team.

You trust this coaching staff? Lost credibility there man.

[octothorp]

The thing that gets me is that every time he and Bargnani are on the court together, I think how Wright is exactly the sort of guy Bargs needs on the court with him: a good perimeter defender who can defend both penetration and the entry pass, and who can stay out of Bargs' way on offense, keep the ball moving, and help rebound. Basically, covers for the things Bargnani is weak at and still allows Bargs to do the things he's good at.

The 5-man unit stats at 82games bear this out. The Calderon - Barbosa - Wright - Johnson/Davis - Bargnani units are a combined +33 in 24 minutes, with an offensive production rate over 1.4 and a defensive rate of around 0.85. That's absolutely fantastic, by far the best lineup for Bargnani, although it's a small sample size; it's a combination that definitely deserves more time to see if it continues to be such an effective combination.
http://www.82games.com/1011/10TOR16.HTM

[grindhouse]

Wright is a spark player. I'm not trying to disrespect him but he shouldn't be playing more than 20 minutes a game based on his skill level. His main proficiency is defense and hustle plays. Plus he's not a lockdown defender... he looks good because every other SF/SG is horrible defensively.

The reality is that Wright, who usually comes in against other teams' bench players, performs well in a short-time span. It's one thing to do that briefly or to play heavy minutes/start. He is an offensive liability. He cannot shoot well and most of his points come from tip-ins, dunks or short jumpers. Defensively he creates turnovers and steals, but is not a better rebounder than Kleiza per se.

Wright is a role player at best. In Toronto his job is to defend. On many other teams (contenders) he'd be lucky to be on the roster. I think we see him play two games very well and we immediately recommend he start. That's just a major fallacy in our thinking. This is a 82 game season and you cannot judge a guy on less than ten games. I understand Wright frequently plays limited minutes but I trust the coaches/management in evaluating his potential to the team.

You are right Wright is a role player and is becoming a very good one, no one is expecting him to go out and score 20 pts a game thats not his role but the things he is doing is making the TEAM as a whole better. That is really the justification for him getting more minutes. The other players in his position can score points but if they are not scoring do they provide anything else that would make the team better. When Toronto scores a point the other team comes back and scores a point, play like that is not going to lead to many wins because we are not a team that can put up 120 points a night.

At the start of the year I would agree with you that Wright was nothing more than a spark of energy off the bench but he is showing he has a high basketball IQ and can do more than just run around aimlessly. If Kleiza or Weems had the ability to create turnovers, provide weak side shot blocking, and not only make the extra pass but create scoring opportunities for others we wouldn't even be having a decision but Wright brings to the game something these other players can not. In today's NBA where defensive minded players is a rarity his skill set has tremendous amount of value for any team.

[kuzzybear]

Julian Wright

Offense is not a big problem with the raptors. Stopping someone is. to be a plus on a BB team providing some hustle and intangibles are just as valuable as scoring(if not more).

[minks77]

I recommend he start or at least get an even split at the 3 for exactly the reasons you state: he's a role player who defends and brings hustle. Kleiza is terrible. He's slow, doesn't man up well, doesn't help well, doesn't hustle, doesn't do much of anything unless he's the feature attraction getting tons of touches (and even then it's only if he's "on"). In other words he isn't bringing anything to the team that Demar, Jose and Bargs don't already bring, and they are all better than him. The starting lineup, especially the perimeter, desperately needs a hustle/defender type of role player who's job is to facilitate and be energetic and not try to jack up a shot everytime down.

I'm not saying he's the next Scottie Pippen, but the Raptors starting 5 is a boring old mess and Kleiza is not helping out. I think his skills would be much better on the bench.

[666]

Wright is a spark player. I'm not trying to disrespect him but he shouldn't be playing more than 20 minutes a game based on his skill level. His main proficiency is defense and hustle plays. Plus he's not a lockdown defender... he looks good because every other SF/SG is horrible defensively.

The reality is that Wright, who usually comes in against other teams' bench players, performs well in a short-time span. It's one thing to do that briefly or to play heavy minutes/start. He is an offensive liability. He cannot shoot well and most of his points come from tip-ins, dunks or short jumpers. Defensively he creates turnovers and steals, but is not a better rebounder than Kleiza per se.

Wright is a role player at best. In Toronto his job is to defend. On many other teams (contenders) he'd be lucky to be on the roster. I think we see him play two games very well and we immediately recommend he start. That's just a major fallacy in our thinking. This is a 82 game season and you cannot judge a guy on less than ten games. I understand Wright frequently plays limited minutes but I trust the coaches/management in evaluating his potential to the team.

[Liston]

Wright has one good game coming off of the bench against the worst team in the NBA and everyone wants to start giving him huge minutes.

Too funny

Watch more games. You missed a number, not just the CLE win where Wright contributed to a win.
A few more in here: http://raptorsrepublic.com/2011/01/0...nd-minuses-of/

It's about contribution during the minutes he DOES play.

What's our main issue? Wing defense. Question for you: who plays the best wing defense on this Raptors squad?

[BC Boy]

|Anyone else see that rediculous steal Jwright had from Rondo? Jwright dove for the ball on the sideline and somehow pulled it out and passed it up to derozan i tihnk , crazy steal!

Wasn't that Amir Johnson?

[Joey]

Nothing to contribute huh? So why bother? I gotta say, lookin' suspiciously like a post whore lately. It's a shame, you started off with so much potential.

hahahaha

But I don't condone name calling.

[minks77]

He does the little intangibles that cannot be discounted,

This is exactly what I like about his game. Ever since the Orlando win he's been more good than bad and brings hustle and energy when he's on the floor. His offense is terrible but he does play within himself. He gets on the glass, hands in the lanes, plays as hard as he can whether or not his shot is dropping and has shown to be a nice passer with good vision. It's not like the guys ahead of him are All Stars.

[minks77]

Wright has one good game coming off of the bench against the worst team in the NBA and everyone wants to start giving him huge minutes.

Too funny

Nothing to contribute huh? So why bother? I gotta say, lookin' suspiciously like a post whore lately. It's a shame, you started off with so much potential.

[pesterm1]

|Anyone else see that rediculous steal Jwright had from Rondo? Jwright dove for the ball on the sideline and somehow pulled it out and passed it up to derozan i tihnk , crazy steal!

[Joey]

Wright has one good game coming off of the bench against the worst team in the NBA and everyone wants to start giving him huge minutes.

Too funny

It hasn't been 'one good game' as you put it Buddah, and for you to state that simply shows that you don't watch the games.
Julian Wright has been consistently making the most of his minutes WHENEVER given the opportunity. He does the little intangibles that cannot be discounted, but seem to have been in your eyes. Which is a shame.

[Buddahfan]

Wright has one good game coming off of the bench against the worst team in the NBA and everyone wants to start giving him huge minutes.

Too funny