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Got some time to kill till the next game, so I thought we could hand out some grades for our rotation guys.
Here's mine:
Starters
DeMar: B+. Offensively gets an A/A+ - elite usage, scoring and passing for his position with improved shot selection (though a bit too much mid-range for my liking). Still not the defence I would expect from a team leader.
Kyle: B. Usage down, not attacking the rim as much as in the past, but taking over 60% of his shots from 3 at 39% is excellent. Passing the ball, but turning it over a bit too much. Gets gets beaten off the dribble, but still does a lot of things well defensively. 10% rebound rate is outstanding for a guy his age/size.
JV: B Terrific rebounding, improved passing and defensive awareness. Love the 3 ball.
Serge: C Deadly from mid-range, 3 pt shot has regressed this year, though still OK. Offensive rebounding is a shell of what it was in his OKC days. Poor passing skills. Looked slow far too often on D, with almost totally inactive hands. Mediocre rebounding on D, though still good block rate.
OG: C High effort, low usage. Smart for his age both on O and D. Cuts well. Terrific shot selection when he does shoot, almost all rim or 3's, even if the 3 accuracy has regressed. Active hands and energy on D. Seems unflappable.
Bench
FVV: B- Epitome of "Not the size of the dog in the fight." Massively exceeding expectations. Smart floor leader, keeps mistakes to minimum. 40% from 3. Still has trouble finishing at the rim (and probably always will). Like Lowry, does a lot of smart stuff on D, with even more toughness, although lack of length will always be an impediment.
Pascal: C+ The really, really bad 3 ball (only 1 player in history has taken 104 3's in a season with a worse % than Pascal).Excellent finishing at the rim, helped by often beating his man down the floor. Poor rebounding on both O and D. Surprisingly good passing skills, with outstanding assist/usage ratio for a guy his size. Extremely disruptive on D with length, athleticism, intensity and good hands.
Poeltl: C+ No range (I think - 94% of his shots are inside 10 ft). Soft hands on the catch and decent finisher. Needs to dunk with authority more. Great offensive rebounding instincts. Contests everything on D, to the detriment of rebounding. Also gets pushed around when boxing out. Foul machine - a lot him, but good for at least one weak call per game from refs.
Delon: C+. Solid from 3 and maybe should shoot more. Has flashed a nice euro-step, but his finishing isn't much better than FVV's - not good. Decent assist rate considering he plays off ball quite a bit though a few too many TO's. Terror in the passing lanes, making good use of his length without excessive gambling. Very good rebounder for his position.
C. J.: C- 39% from 3 on high volume would merit a higher grade if he did much else. Finishes well, but hardly ever drives. Passing not much better (or more frequent) than Ibaka, only positive is he hardly ever turns it over. Decent steal and block rates for a wing, but provides little else on D except excessive fouls and is one of the box out culprits.
Others
Bebe: D- Great lob finisher and willing even if not really effective passer. Awful rebounder. Blocks and especially alters a ton of shots when he plays well; unfortunately "well" can probably be counted on the fingers of one hand this year.
Norm: D- Wanted to give him a better grade than Bebe, but I can't. He's been multi-faceted awful. Tunnel vision drives to the hoop, 3 ball not falling, Way too many turnovers. Plays hard on D with good block and steal rates for his position, but his D is too often over-aggressive, turning him into a foul machine.
Here's mine:
Starters
DeMar: B+. Offensively gets an A/A+ - elite usage, scoring and passing for his position with improved shot selection (though a bit too much mid-range for my liking). Still not the defence I would expect from a team leader.
Kyle: B. Usage down, not attacking the rim as much as in the past, but taking over 60% of his shots from 3 at 39% is excellent. Passing the ball, but turning it over a bit too much. Gets gets beaten off the dribble, but still does a lot of things well defensively. 10% rebound rate is outstanding for a guy his age/size.
JV: B Terrific rebounding, improved passing and defensive awareness. Love the 3 ball.
Serge: C Deadly from mid-range, 3 pt shot has regressed this year, though still OK. Offensive rebounding is a shell of what it was in his OKC days. Poor passing skills. Looked slow far too often on D, with almost totally inactive hands. Mediocre rebounding on D, though still good block rate.
OG: C High effort, low usage. Smart for his age both on O and D. Cuts well. Terrific shot selection when he does shoot, almost all rim or 3's, even if the 3 accuracy has regressed. Active hands and energy on D. Seems unflappable.
Bench
FVV: B- Epitome of "Not the size of the dog in the fight." Massively exceeding expectations. Smart floor leader, keeps mistakes to minimum. 40% from 3. Still has trouble finishing at the rim (and probably always will). Like Lowry, does a lot of smart stuff on D, with even more toughness, although lack of length will always be an impediment.
Pascal: C+ The really, really bad 3 ball (only 1 player in history has taken 104 3's in a season with a worse % than Pascal).Excellent finishing at the rim, helped by often beating his man down the floor. Poor rebounding on both O and D. Surprisingly good passing skills, with outstanding assist/usage ratio for a guy his size. Extremely disruptive on D with length, athleticism, intensity and good hands.
Poeltl: C+ No range (I think - 94% of his shots are inside 10 ft). Soft hands on the catch and decent finisher. Needs to dunk with authority more. Great offensive rebounding instincts. Contests everything on D, to the detriment of rebounding. Also gets pushed around when boxing out. Foul machine - a lot him, but good for at least one weak call per game from refs.
Delon: C+. Solid from 3 and maybe should shoot more. Has flashed a nice euro-step, but his finishing isn't much better than FVV's - not good. Decent assist rate considering he plays off ball quite a bit though a few too many TO's. Terror in the passing lanes, making good use of his length without excessive gambling. Very good rebounder for his position.
C. J.: C- 39% from 3 on high volume would merit a higher grade if he did much else. Finishes well, but hardly ever drives. Passing not much better (or more frequent) than Ibaka, only positive is he hardly ever turns it over. Decent steal and block rates for a wing, but provides little else on D except excessive fouls and is one of the box out culprits.
Others
Bebe: D- Great lob finisher and willing even if not really effective passer. Awful rebounder. Blocks and especially alters a ton of shots when he plays well; unfortunately "well" can probably be counted on the fingers of one hand this year.
Norm: D- Wanted to give him a better grade than Bebe, but I can't. He's been multi-faceted awful. Tunnel vision drives to the hoop, 3 ball not falling, Way too many turnovers. Plays hard on D with good block and steal rates for his position, but his D is too often over-aggressive, turning him into a foul machine.
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