ROY HIBBERT PROJECTIONS Scoring Efficiency: 5.43 Passing Efficiency: 1.99 Hustle Efficiency: 3.66 Position: BIG Positional Efficiency: 83 -Hibbert blocks shots, grabs offensive rebounds, and does it efficiently. His passing abilities aren't terrible, and although he's a bit of a volume shooter, his FT%, especially good last season, makes him a relatively good scoring option (for what it's worth, he was in double digits in 40 of his 76 games last season). Role: Starter Roy Hibbert, seen by many as a consolation prize, might have been a better fit than any Free Agent Big this offseason. He's a defense-first player, a rim protector, and he is a vet. Pencil him in for 1900+ minutes and 65+ starts, something he has done in six consecutive seasons. Player Comparison The knee-jerk response is to say that Hibbert is Hibbert, an established vet. That misses a good deal of the Hibbert back story. Hibbert finds himself suddenly in the place to be for a big man. The change of scenery is an opportunity for him to assume a mantle that hasn't been fastened to anyone's neck securely since Shaq. Howard couldn't wear it; Bynum flirted with it; Gasol came the closest, giving the Lakers 6+ years of memorable service, but even many staunch fans were questioning his heart the last two or three seasons in LA. Still, I find myself thinking of Hibbert as facing a similar path to Bynum's in 2007. In the midst of a season in which he shot 64% from the floor, averaged a double double, and blocked 2.1 shots per game, Bynum was THE Big Man in LA. And then the injuries came, discontentment set in, and Bynum was never quite the same again. Here's looking for Hibbert to follow a different path.
So, here are the composite ratings so far... *Added in Lou and Nick Scoring 7 - exceptional Kobe Bryant 6.59 Lou Williams 6.13 Nick Young 6.05 6 - excellent Jordan Clarkson 5.88 5.75 good D'Angelo Russell 5.71 Jabari Brown 5.59 Julius Randle 5.52 Brandon Bass 5.51 5.5 solid Roy Hibbert 5.43 Anthony Brown 5.38 Larry Nance Jr. 5.21 Dwight Buycks 5.17 Tarik Black 5.11 5 - adequate Ryan Kelly 4.93 Robert Upshaw 4.77 4 - poor 3- terrible Passing 4 - exceptional Kobe Bryant 3.57 3.5 - excellent Jordan Clarkson 3.47 D'Angelo Russell 3.38 Lou Williams 3.20 3 - good Dwight Buycks 2.79 Ryan Kelly 2.58 2.5 - solid Jabari Brown 2.47 Anthony Brown 2.32 Larry Nance Jr. 2.20 Julius Randle 2.16 2 - adequate Roy Hibbert 1.99 Brandon Bass 1.90 Nick Young 2.06 Robert Upshaw 1.85 Tarik Black 1.83 1.5 - poor 1 - terrible Hustle 4 - exceptional Robert Upshaw 3.67 Roy Hibbert 3.66 Brandon Bass 3.52 3.5 - excellent Tarik Black 3.40 Julius Randle 3.36 Larry Nance Jr. 3.00 3 - good D'Angelo Russell 2.67 Jordan Clarkson 2.54 2.5 - solid Anthony Brown 2.44 Ryan Kelly 2.40 Kobe Bryant 2.31 Dwight Buycks 2.24 Lou Williams 2.23 Nick Young 2.04 2 - adequate Jabari Brown 1.68 1.5 - poor 1 - terrible Positional 100+ superstar 90+ star ....Kobe Bryant 86 .......Roy Hibbert 83 ..........Brandon Bass 80 80+ starter .Julius Randle 79 ......Jordan Clarkson 74 ......D'Angelo Russell 74 ......Lou Williams 74 .......Robert Upshaw 73 ........Tarik Black 72 ..........Larry Nance Jr. 70 70+ role player ..........Nick Young 60 60+ rotational ....Ryan Kelly 56 .....Jabari Brown 55 .....Dwight Buycks 55 ......Anthony Brown 54 40+ NBA body 20+ potential NBA body
Awesome job @trodgers . I'm thinking it'll all just about end up that way. Again, I think Jabari increases a bit and Buycks drops below 40 because I hate him. I seriously don't think he could have done worse in Summer League.
RYAN KELLY PROJECTIONS Scoring Efficiency: 4.93 Passing Efficiency: 2.58 Hustle Efficiency: 2.40 Position: BIG Positional Efficiency: 56 -Whatever promise Kelly holds (I think it is considerable), he struggled mightily last season with hamstring issues. He might end up being a good shooter, but he has not yet showed that ability consistently. Nor has he done much on the offensive glass, blocking, or stealing. His passing ability is, however, quite good; he's an excellent decision-maker at the 4. Role: Is he on this team? Ryan Kelly may not be on this team at the start of the season, and he isn't obviously in the longterm plans for the Lakers. A healthy Kelly with a full training camp would be a great complement off the pine to the bruising style of Randle at the 4 and the towering Roy Hibbert at the 5. Player Comparison: Vlad with Luke's Brain/Passing Tall, nice shooting stroke, and able to make good decisions (with the ball in his hands), with enough athleticism to make him dangerous, Vlad Radmanovic fell into ridicule during his tenure with LA by making foolhardy decisions whenever the ball wasn't in his hands - including on the slopes. Ryan Kelly seems a more cerebral player, so he could become a hybrid of Vlad and Luke Walton - a smart player who can stuff the stat sheet with decent boards, good assists, and timely shots.
I still think Kelly has a place in this league. He's not going to get the minutes to develop here. He seems like the kind of players the Spurs would drool over. Maybe they can train him to be their white Diaw.
LOU WILLIAMS PROJECTIONS Scoring Efficiency: 6.13 Passing Efficiency: 3.20 Hustle Efficiency: 2.23 Position: Wing (PG) Positional Efficiency: 74 (73) -Lou can score - very well, and he's no slouch in terms of creating scoring opportunities for others. What he might lack in defensive effort compared with Nick Young, he seems to make up for with better decision-making with the ball. Role: Second String, Heavy Rotation Lou Williams will be counted upon for scoring and ball handling with the second unit. He could lead the team in scoring on a few nights, and he will receive heavy burn. Player Comparison If you're thinking that Lou Williams is essentially the same player as Nick Young, you are likely mistaken. Young has averaged one assist per 22 minutes of playing time but one shot per 2.3 minutes. Williams has averaged one assist per 8 minutes of playing time and one attempt per 2.4 minutes. In other words, Williams creates far more scoring opportunities for his teammates while taking roughly the same number of shots. Like Farmar, Williams will be a ball handler, not just a shooter.
NICK YOUNG PROJECTIONS Scoring Efficiency: 6.05 Passing Efficiency: 2.06 Hustle Efficiency: 2.04 Position: Wing Positional Efficiency: 60 -Nick Young can score well in the NBA, and when he gets hot, it's impressive to watch. When he isn't scoring, he isn't doing much on offense. Role: Second String, Heavy Rotation Young will be the primary wing scoring punch off the bench. His burden will be lightened this coming season. With Lou Williams and Jabari Brown also being competent scorers, Young will have help. Player Comparison The Lakers need the engaged, more accurate version of Nick Young (ca. 2013-14) for this upcoming season. His scoring and defense with the second unit could be huge and set the tone for others.
ROBERT SACRE PROJECTIONS Scoring Efficiency: 4.74 Passing Efficiency: 2.08 Hustle Efficiency: 3.26 Position: BIG Positional Efficiency: 66 -Sacre turns it over surprisingly few times for a big, and he has an excellent ast/to ratio for a Center. He doesn't score well, however, and he's rather foul prone. Role: Is He On the Team? Sacre showed a good deal of improvement in year 2. He then proceeded to lose his ability to score effectively, something that had made Sacre a solid backup. With Hibbert and Black manning the Center spots, and with Upshaw's status up in the air, Sacre might be on the way out. Player Comparison Sacre had a decent stroke in year 2, and he could regain that he could again be a serviceable second stringer. Then again, Sacre could be on the way out of the league after three seasons, but he doesn't have to. He could go the way of a player like Louis Amundson, who has parlayed meager skills and so-so athleticism into nearly a decade-long NBA career because of hustle and hard work.
Anyone I've missed? Scoring 7 - exceptional Kobe Bryant 6.59 Lou Williams 6.13 Nick Young 6.05 6 - excellent Jordan Clarkson 5.88 5.75 good D'Angelo Russell 5.71 Jabari Brown 5.59 Julius Randle 5.52 Brandon Bass 5.51 Jonathan Holmes 5.50 5.5 solid Roy Hibbert 5.43 Anthony Brown 5.38 Larry Nance Jr. 5.21 Dwight Buycks 5.17 Tarik Black 5.11 5 - adequate Ryan Kelly 4.93 Robert Upshaw 4.77 Robert Sacre 4.74 4.5 - poor 4- terrible Passing 4 - exceptional Kobe Bryant 3.57 3.5 - excellent Jordan Clarkson 3.47 D'Angelo Russell 3.38 Lou Williams 3.20 3 - good Dwight Buycks 2.79 Ryan Kelly 2.58 2.5 - solid Jabari Brown 2.47 Anthony Brown 2.32 Larry Nance Jr. 2.20 Julius Randle 2.16 Robert Sacre 2.08 Nick Young 2.06 2 - adequate Roy Hibbert 1.99 Brandon Bass 1.90 Robert Upshaw 1.85 Tarik Black 1.83 Jonathan Holmes 1.81 1.5 - poor 1 - terrible Hustle 4 - exceptional Robert Upshaw 3.67 Roy Hibbert 3.66 Brandon Bass 3.52 3.5 - excellent Jonathan Holmes 3.45 Tarik Black 3.40 Julius Randle 3.36 Robert Sacre 3.26 Larry Nance Jr. 3.00 3 - good D'Angelo Russell 2.67 Jordan Clarkson 2.54 2.5 - solid Anthony Brown 2.44 Ryan Kelly 2.40 Kobe Bryant 2.31 Dwight Buycks 2.24 Lou Williams 2.23 Nick Young 2.04 2 - adequate Jabari Brown 1.68 1.5 - poor 1 - terrible Positional 100+ superstar 90+ star ....Kobe Bryant 86 .......Roy Hibbert 83 ..........Brandon Bass 80 80+ starter .Julius Randle 79 ..Jonathan Holmes 78 (Big) ......Jordan Clarkson 74 ......D'Angelo Russell 74 ......Lou Williams 74 .......Robert Upshaw 73 ........Tarik Black 72 ..........Larry Nance Jr. 70 70+ role player ....Robert Sacre ..........Nick Young 60 60+ rotational ....Ryan Kelly 56 .....Jabari Brown 55 .....Dwight Buycks 55 ......Anthony Brown 54 40+ NBA body 20+ potential NBA body
I'm curious about the eye test now - how does the Scoring and Passing rating stat looks to you lot? The Hustle is complex, and it's not EXACTLY hustle...so I don't know that the eye test is fair.
One that stood out to me was Randle's high Hustle rating. He doesn't actually hustle much right now... Previous experience shows much greater hustle, but it stood out after watching him in Summer League.
All good @therealdeal, @trodgers. Honestly, last season was kinda excruciating.. I kept watching but not with the same level of enthusiasm, and I didn't feel like talking and debating about the team all that much. I also started posting a lot on a Real Madrid forum I found, a soccer team I've always been a fan of, AND a River Plate forum, the argentinian team I root for. So I just spent most of my time internet-forum time on those 2... I've been following our offseason on twitter mostly, and it's finally looking more promessing, after a few weeks where everything was moving very slowly. I think we've made some great additions to the team. Hibbert was just what we needed at the C spot, and Bass and Lou Williams have always been very valuable rotation players in my view. So if everyone stays relatively healthy, I think we are in for a decent season (the Western Conference is SO tough though), and hopefully our young guys turn out to be everything we hoped they could. Assembling a solid team was/is key to that, IMO... I mean, I don't think we are close to being true contenders, but in terms of helping the development of Clarkson, Russell, Randle & Co, we needed/need to build a sound, solid squad. It really makes a difference, I think, when a young player is surrounded by guys who understand the game, who make good decisions, who can play hard and help the team compete every game. Rookies don't just need positive, hard working environments, they need quality teammates that do their jobs on the court and allow them to focus solely on theirs, so they can improve on what they need to. It's probably gonna be hard for me to be as active here as I used to be, because I'm really into those other soccer forums, and also I'm close to graduating college, so I've started working, plus obviously there's still a lot of studying to do. Still, it's great to see everyone's pretty much still here, and I really like the way the new forum looks and works. Good stuff.
Hey no worries man, I'm just glad to see you come around. Your contributions are always well thought out and I love seeing what you have to say. Any extra time you get, we'd love to see you post more often. :Yes:
http://www.twcsportsnet.com/lakers/...-speaks-highly-of-randle-russell-july-24-2015 Metta said Julius's size reminded him a bit of LeBron because he's 6'9" but still really quick. Take THAT @trodgers !
JONATHAN HOLMES PROJECTIONS Scoring Efficiency: 5.50 Passing Efficiency: 1.81 Hustle Efficiency: 3.45 Position: BIG/WING Positional Efficiency: 78(56) -Not a bad scorer, especially in the Summer League thanks to arguably unsustainable three-point shooting (shot 45% after shooting ~33% through four years of college). Everyone calls him a higher impact player than his stats. Role: Cheering on the Team If Holmes can make the team, he could carve out a role as a more mobile four, threatening to stretch the floor in a way that no big other than Kelly (who might be on his way out) can. Perhaps a more mobile, less skilled version of Brandon Bass. There's a need for that on this team. Player Comparison: Jumaine Jones I wanted to call Holmes Brian Cook with more athleticism and less shooting, but that's basically Jumaine Jones. Jones strung together a career spanning eight seasons, with averages of 7.1 points and 4.2 rebounds. He had tools on defense that he didn't always employ. He shot out of his mind in that one season with LA (39.1% from the arc) and never shot above 35% otherwise. If Holmes could do that, he'd deserve a spot on the team, for sure.
Some updates after the preseason games. BTW, there are two players whose numbers are so limited as to be useless: Frazier and Huertas. Scoring 7 - exceptional Kobe Bryant 6.69+ Lou Williams 6.34++ Julius Randle 6.03+++++ 6 - excellent Nick Young 5.98 Jordan Clarkson 5.94 5.75 good Jabari Brown 5.64 D'Angelo Russell 5.62 5.5 solid Tarik Black 5.46+++ Larry Nance Jr. 5.36+ Brandon Bass 5.35- Ryan Kelly 5.29+++ Roy Hibbert 5.22-- Jonathan Holmes 5.19--- Dwight Buycks 5.17 Huertas 5.02 5 - adequate Anthony Brown 4.94---- Robert Sacre 4.67 Metta World Peace 4.55 4.5 - poor Robert Upshaw 4.48--- 4- terrible Frazier 3.54 Passing Huertas 4.73 4 - exceptional D'Angelo Russell 3.55+ 3.5 - excellent Jordan Clarkson 3.26-- Lou Williams 3.13 3 - good Kobe 2.86------- Metta World Peace 2.86 Dwight Buycks 2.79 Julius Randle 2.72+++++ 2.5 - solid Jabari Brown 2.40 Ryan Kelly 2.34-- Larry Nance Jr. 2.31+ Frazier 2.24 Roy Hibbert 2.22++ Robert Sacre 2.07 Nick Young 2.03 2 - adequate Brandon Bass 1.91 Robert Upshaw 1.84 Anthony Brown 1.83----- Jonathan Holmes 1.62-- 1.5 - poor Tarik Black 1.46--- 1 - terrible Hustle 4 - exceptional Roy Hibbert 3.80+ Jonathan Holmes 3.75+++ Tarik Black 3.62++ Brandon Bass 3.54 3.5 - excellent Robert Upshaw 3.32--- Larry Nance Jr. 3.21++ Julius Randle 3.13-- Robert Sacre 3.05-- 3 - good Jordan Clarkson 2.64+ D'Angelo Russell 2.61 Huertas 2.59 Ryan Kelly 2.51+ 2.5 - solid Kobe Bryant 2.43+ Lou Williams 2.25 Dwight Buycks 2.24 Nick Young 2.10 Anthony Brown 2.02---- 2 - adequate Jabari Brown 1.90++ 1.5 - poor Metta World Peace 1.40 Frazier 1.27 1 - terrible Positional 100+ superstar Huertas 90 90+ star ...Roy Hibbert 87 .......Julius Randle 83 ..........Kobe Bryant 80 80+ starter .Brandon Bass 79 .Jonathan Holmes 79 .Tarik Black 79 ....Lou Williams 76 .....D'Angelo Russell 75 .....Larry Nance Jr. 75 .........Jordan Clarkson 71 70+ role player .......Robert Upshaw 63 ........Robert Sacre 62 .........Ryan Kelly 61 60+ rotational .Nick Young 59 ....Jabari Brown 56 .....Dwight Buycks 55 ................Metta World Peace 44 ..................Anthony Brown 42 40+ NBA body .............Frazier 27 20+ potential NBA body
