^^ Great post, realdeal. Count me in your salient point about our two guys capable of being even more diverse than Steph and Klay. No they won't be the same level of shooters, but they are more capable in terms of driving and Clarkson particularly has found ways to score all over the floor. To your point, here's what Curry said about Russell: http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/stephen-curry-warriors-lakers-dangelo-russell-praise-030816 In answer to the question "What do you think about D' Angelo Russell and his potential?" on Twitter, he answered, "He has total skill set. Will be great for this league going forward."
I think the comparison to the Splash Bros is not a direct comparison between Curry/Klay and Russell's/JC but more of the fact that Russ/JC can be a very talented guard duo. The thing with the Splash Bros is they are arguably the best shooters in the league right now. But Klay isn't much of a playmaker, Goode defender though. Curry is arguably the best player right now, a magician offensively but not the greatest defender, he tries but he doesn't have the size or strength. Russell and JC can become a very well rounded duo, they both have similar games but different, if that makes any sense. They've both developed a nice stroke from outside, they can both create for others (Russ more so than JC), they have the tools to take it to the rim at will. Defensively JC needs a little work , especially when he has to face a bigger SG. Russell has been surprising defensively, he's bigger than most of his opponents and longer too and he has put that to good use. Our guard duo can only get better from here. The important thing is, they really do get along with each other on and off the court. Hopefully over summer they put in some work together and come back even better next year. Oh and let's not forget about Randle and Nance Jr.
That's what I was trying to say, but maybe put better. It's important to note I'm not trying to say our guys are better now. It's not even close really that Klay and Steph are the best back court in the NBA so we've got a heck of a mountain to climb. All I'm saying is our guys CAN be one of those great back courts and they have their own style to do it. Maybe the most exciting part of this recent run is the defense. Jordan had really been struggling defensively all season, but the last few nights he's been on point. He and D'Angelo have the length and athleticism to disrupt the passing lanes. The communication and effort defensively has been tremendous compared to earlier in the year. I have to credit the coaching staff a bit there for sure. Just like the offense is more modernized now, the defense looks a thousand times more effective. Our bigs are showing and we're rotating REALLY well these days. The only weak spot? SF. Our bigs and guards are all doing really well.
Yeah that's a solid comparison. Here's their numbers side by side: McCollum: 20.8 pts/ 4.2 ast/ 2.9 reb/ 1.1 stl/ 44.6 fg%/ 41.1 3pt%/ 2.4 tos/ 35 minutes ( 27.2% usage) - Age 25 Lillard: 26.1 pts/6.9 ast/ 4.3 reb/ 1.0 stl/ 43.1 fg%/ 37.5 3pt%/ 3.2 tos/ 36.1 minutes (31.8% usage) - Age 24 Clarkson: 15.9 pts/ 2.6 ast/ 4.0 reb/ 1.1 stl/ 44.7 fg%/ 37.5 3pt%/ 1.8 tos/ 32.4 minutes (22.8% usage) - Age 23 Russell: 13.3 pts/ 3.5 ast/ 3.5 reb/ 1.2 stl/ 42.7 fg%/ 35.9 3pt%/ 2.4 tos/ 27.9 minutes (23.9% usage) - Age 19 Here's McCollum's sophomore numbers and Lillard's rookie numbers: McCollum: 6.8 pts/ 1.0 ast/ 1.5 reb/ 0.7 stl/ 43.6 fg%/ 39.6 3pt%/ 0.8 tos/ 15.7 minutes (20.5% usage) - Age 23 Lillard: 19.0 pts/ 6.5 ast/ 3.1 reb/ 0.9 stl/ 42.9 fg%/ 36.8 3pt%/ 3.0 tos/ 38.6 minutes (24.2% usage) - Age 22
It's nice to see the young core getting more PT together since the All Star break.. Or, maybe more accurately, since the Trade Deadline. I'll take winning & developing any day, but it would be nice to still be able to hold on to that pick after such a long season. Good thing both PHO & BKN are having small winning spurts right now too..
This is a great breakdown. Bottom line, Lillard was amazing his rookie year but he was also 3 years older than Russell and that should excite us a lot. Plus CJ's sophomore year is definitely not as good as Clarkson's
Yeah. Their styles and what they provide are more similar than the Splash Brothers comparison. Dlo/JCs games, like the Lillard and CJ, have more driving and are more balanced. That's not to say balanced is better in this scenario. The Splash Brothers bomb the bleeping bleep out of people in a way that is so insane, Russell and Clarkson would need the driving ability of Vince Carter in his prime to offset how much better from the outside the Splash Bros are.
The Warriors definitely do hide Steph though on defense. He's usually guarding their worst perimeter player. Klay usually guards their best. Despite his steals, he's not a good defender at all.
Jordan and D'Angelo are behind even CJ and Damien in terms of ability and effectiveness let alone the Splash brothers. We've got a long, long way to climb. The usage rate of Lillard is insane. He's tied for 5th in the NBA with Russell Westbrook. Russell Westbrook! His usage is higher than Kobe's!
Oh, I'm not saying they are as good as Lillard/CJ. I was merely speaking in terms of "style" of play. There are several guard tandems that are better than Dlo/JC currently are. I mean,
^^^ Not until he tries to save his own job after totally wrecking me and Julius' "ROOKIE" years. Forever. Thanks coach!!
I wonder how much of that is due to Portland not having much (talent wise) outside of their back court. I think it is serving them well during the regular season; they'll probably make the PO's. The problem is this can easily be exploited in the PO's where teams can hone in on that and take it away.
Well, they're not a finished team yet. But they have a solid backcourt and a max slot available this offseaon. Actually, a max slot and a little extra. Maybe they come out of nowhere and sign Durant and, let's say Jeff Green? It'd be tight and Green would have to take about 8-9 million a year. But damn. Lillard and CJ as your backcourt...Durant and Green as your forwards...That's a scary team. And heck, Portland isn't a bad place to live at all. If Pau is looking to win, he could sign there too.
Kind of on topic but Sporting News recently wrote an article about what is essentially NBA inflation this summer with these contracts. Here's their rankings of landing spots for Durant.
