Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 5:42 pm Post subject: Which Laker will be most improved ?
Who do you see improving their game the most ?
- Jeremy Lin
- Xavier Henry
- Wes Johnson
- Ryan Kelly
- Ed Davis
- Jordan Hill
- Robert Sacre
Can one of them possibly win MIP overall ?
I think Jordan Hill if he can work on his durability and conditioning this guy can avg 14 and 12. Other than Hill I'm hoping Henry breaks out and makes our future hopeful, I love his game and he's still very very young.
In order
1. Jordan Hill
2. Xavier Henry
3. Jeremy Lin
4. Ryan Kelly
5. Ed Davis
6. Robert Sacre
7. Wes Johnson
I'm on the fence with Lin tbh. I think he's a tad bit overrated. Last season he would of been perfect with MDA and Kobe out. I see him avg 12 and 6 just because Kobe will have the ball mostly. I like a big improving then Henry off the bench. Him and Young will be fun to watch in the second unit.
Probably Lin. He's added something new to his game every single off-season and his shooting has gone up every single year.
2011 off-season: Bulked up and added the stability and physicality to finish through contact for And-1's. Result was that new ability lead to his Linsanity breakout with his signature and-1 layups.
2012 off-season: Worked on his left after the criticisms of "can't go left." Chose to go left instead of right deliberately to test his new ability during the season. Might have ended up going left more than right. Result is that opponents can't force him to his "weak" side anymore, since he's now able to finish both left and right. Even made a "you've changed, bro" youtube video with Harden complaining about Lin now going left instead of right
2013 off-season: After playing with Harden, he realized he would have to play more of an off-ball catch-and-shoot role instead of being the PG controlling the ball distribution. Worked on his 3pt shooting. Result was that he made nine 3pter's in a game to now hold the arena record for most made three's by anyone in the Sixer's building.
2014 off-season: He said that he's added working on his floaters. He studied film and said that all elite point guards had a good floater. A more consistent floater will add to his arsenal of threats, especially if opponents try to pressure and trap him on his drives into the paint.
I'm excited to see how much wisdom Lin can squeeze out of Nash. Lin has never really had a good vet PG mentor on a team. The closest he's got was D'Antoni, who used to play PG.
Lin has so little experience in the NBA that he was even learning from guys as recently as last season. He said he asked Aaron Brooks (3rd string vet pg on the Rockets) how anyone can slow down a fast offensive gunner like Steph Curry that was giving the team a hard time containing him, and Brooks used his vet pg experience to tell Lin that the best way to deal with someone like Steph Curry was to force him to work on the defensive end. Go at him and force him to waste energy on defense, so he would have less energy for offense.
If he was learning PG tricks like that from vets like Brooks last season, imagine what he can learn from Nash!
I think the fact that Lin isn't a seasoned vet with lots of NBA experience means he still has room to improve and upside as he learns more about the NBA game and gains experience. He'll be entering his prime soon, if he isn't entering it right now. So if the Lakers re-sign him after this season, that means the Lakers will get Lin's prime years.
I'm hoping Hill improves and doesn't just cost because he got a sizable payday, then again, he does tend to have problems staying on the court due to health issues, but regardless, the hope is that he does improve, given the minutes and the less likely chance of being somewhat healthy throughout the season I could see him being a double-double guy or at least near it.
But if I were to be realistic about things, I'd say Lin is more likely to be most improved than Hill. I say this because Blake was often labelled as Bagel before Nash's arrival and once Nash arrived some sort of tutelage had to have happened in practice/locker room for Blake to all of a sudden start balling out of his mind like that last season. So I expect the same for Lin, under the wings of Nash he could really learn a lot.
out of all listed and barring injury, JLin is the most likely to get the most extended run and almost certainly the highest usage rate. he's also the only player listed capable of dominating any given game. considering he averaged 12 and 4 coming off the bench and playing out of position as a 2 guard, i expect to see dramatic improvement in those numbers. if kobe or nash go down with another injury, JLin may become a primary option. my second choice would be ed davis. he has the most raw talent of any of the bigs, he just has never gotten consistent extended playing time. could be a serious sleeper for MIP.
It's funny that so many of these guys have nice per __ minutes stats, the MIP on the team will really come down to who stays healthy. If 2/3 of them stay healthy, I don't know if anyone gets the minutes to be the MIP in the league though. Lin is a safe bet for team MIP, he will get more PT this year, and depending on how they use Kobe Lin will either see a boon in assists or points. I like Davis, but his game depends on what Hill does.
EDIT: I find it interesting that Ryan Kelly has so many votes. He looks like a guy that could put up nice stats if he gets more PT, but where exactly does that come? They have to somewhat protect the rim with Hill/Davis, and you'd think Boozer/Randle will take most of the PF minutes. Ryan may have it in him to be LA's MIP, but will he get a chance to?
Probably Lin. He's added something new to his game every single off-season and his shooting has gone up every single year.
2011 off-season: Bulked up and added the stability and physicality to finish through contact for And-1's. Result was that new ability lead to his Linsanity breakout with his signature and-1 layups.
2012 off-season: Worked on his left after the criticisms of "can't go left." Chose to go left instead of right deliberately to test his new ability during the season. Might have ended up going left more than right. Result is that opponents can't force him to his "weak" side anymore, since he's now able to finish both left and right. Even made a "you've changed, bro" youtube video with Harden complaining about Lin now going left instead of right
2013 off-season: After playing with Harden, he realized he would have to play more of an off-ball catch-and-shoot role instead of being the PG controlling the ball distribution. Worked on his 3pt shooting. Result was that he made nine 3pter's in a game to now hold the arena record for most made three's by anyone in the Sixer's building.
2014 off-season: He said that he's added working on his floaters. He studied film and said that all elite point guards had a good floater. A more consistent floater will add to his arsenal of threats, especially if opponents try to pressure and trap him on his drives into the paint.
I'm excited to see how much wisdom Lin can squeeze out of Nash. Lin has never really had a good vet PG mentor on a team. The closest he's got was D'Antoni, who used to play PG.
Lin has so little experience in the NBA that he was even learning from guys as recently as last season. He said he asked Aaron Brooks (3rd string vet pg on the Rockets) how anyone can slow down a fast offensive gunner like Steph Curry that was giving the team a hard time containing him, and Brooks used his vet pg experience to tell Lin that the best way to deal with someone like Steph Curry was to force him to work on the defensive end. Go at him and force him to waste energy on defense, so he would have less energy for offense.
If he was learning PG tricks like that from vets like Brooks last season, imagine what he can learn from Nash!
I think the fact that Lin isn't a seasoned vet with lots of NBA experience means he still has room to improve and upside as he learns more about the NBA game and gains experience. He'll be entering his prime soon, if he isn't entering it right now. So if the Lakers re-sign him after this season, that means the Lakers will get Lin's prime years.
Good post !!! I hope you're right.. I also feel he has a chip on his shoulder and wants to prove to people that he can ball.
I like the thought and never thought of it but Nash as a teacher, maybe paying Nash this season could benefit Lin in the long run.
Probably Lin. He's added something new to his game every single off-season and his shooting has gone up every single year.
2011 off-season: Bulked up and added the stability and physicality to finish through contact for And-1's. Result was that new ability lead to his Linsanity breakout with his signature and-1 layups.
2012 off-season: Worked on his left after the criticisms of "can't go left." Chose to go left instead of right deliberately to test his new ability during the season. Might have ended up going left more than right. Result is that opponents can't force him to his "weak" side anymore, since he's now able to finish both left and right. Even made a "you've changed, bro" youtube video with Harden complaining about Lin now going left instead of right
2013 off-season: After playing with Harden, he realized he would have to play more of an off-ball catch-and-shoot role instead of being the PG controlling the ball distribution. Worked on his 3pt shooting. Result was that he made nine 3pter's in a game to now hold the arena record for most made three's by anyone in the Sixer's building.
2014 off-season: He said that he's added working on his floaters. He studied film and said that all elite point guards had a good floater. A more consistent floater will add to his arsenal of threats, especially if opponents try to pressure and trap him on his drives into the paint.
I'm excited to see how much wisdom Lin can squeeze out of Nash. Lin has never really had a good vet PG mentor on a team. The closest he's got was D'Antoni, who used to play PG.
Lin has so little experience in the NBA that he was even learning from guys as recently as last season. He said he asked Aaron Brooks (3rd string vet pg on the Rockets) how anyone can slow down a fast offensive gunner like Steph Curry that was giving the team a hard time containing him, and Brooks used his vet pg experience to tell Lin that the best way to deal with someone like Steph Curry was to force him to work on the defensive end. Go at him and force him to waste energy on defense, so he would have less energy for offense.
If he was learning PG tricks like that from vets like Brooks last season, imagine what he can learn from Nash!
I think the fact that Lin isn't a seasoned vet with lots of NBA experience means he still has room to improve and upside as he learns more about the NBA game and gains experience. He'll be entering his prime soon, if he isn't entering it right now. So if the Lakers re-sign him after this season, that means the Lakers will get Lin's prime years.
Well stated. My guess is Lin. He will have probably somewhere in the range of 13/6-16/7 depending on team health. On the other hands, Jordan Hill and Ed Davis will be closely second depending on opportunity. This will be an exciting year!
Byron Scott and Kobe seem to be hoping it be Wes Johnson. And man, if he'd actually break out, that would be one hell of a steal.
But I seriously doubt he will. He just doesn't have the mentality.
So I'm guessing (or hoping for) Xavier Henry.
Jeremy Lin may put up better stats than he did in Houston but does that mean he will have improved? He was just utterly misused there, that doesn't mean he improves here. He'll just be put in a better position to succeed. _________________ Kobe
I voted for Jordan Hill because I think with minutes he's going to put up some reasonable numbers. He wasn't on the list but I think Young is going to come back improved, as well. I think he finally found a home, he showed some good progress last season, and if he's working out with Kobe this summer maybe he's a guy who finally gets it and reaches his potential.
Hill and X certainly have the capacity to improve, but I'm not sure their bodies will hold up.
I vote for Lin because it's likely Nash goes down again and Lin will finally get the starting gig and a shot (in a contract year mind you). _________________ From 2-10 to the Western Conference Finals
I was torn between him, or Xavier, out of the list.
Ed Davis is young, but I've never seen him play before, so I can't reliably give an opinion on his potential.
I really like Hill, Lin, and Kelly. Those guys can improve, but I feel like they are who they are.
When it comes to Wes, and Xavier, I just feel like they have much more room to growth, and upside. This especially goes for Wes.
Xavier has shown what he can do, last season. He can handle, shoot(streaky), penetrate with force, and finish at/above the rim. His main areas of improvement are shooting a good percentage on a consistent basis, and decision making when driving towards the bucket.
As for Wes, all I've heard from coaches is how he has these great practices, and that he has all the tools to be a really good two-way player. But, what I saw last season from Wes was a dedicated defender, yet a passive, indecisive player on the offensive end. That speaks of him needing improve his mental fortitude. On one hand, where X was too aggressive at times, Wes would be too passive, and get lost on offense.
Joined: 07 Jul 2006 Posts: 8287 Location: Oxnard, Ca.
Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 6:20 am Post subject:
If J Hill can stay healthy he will get playing time under Scott that he did not get with MDA. Yes, staying healthy has been an issue with Hill, but when he was healthy under MDA he played at a high level and still did not get paying time his play deserved. _________________ .....
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ALTHOUGH HE STANDS 6 FEET 2 INCHES, JIM BUSS ATTENDED JOCKEY SCHOOL WHEN HE WAS 20.
Lin. With more playing time in L.A. as opposed to Houston and limited depth behind him, Nash getting injured, etc...he'll be our most consistent player outside of Kobe, and really shine this year, IMO.
Going with Lin. Not going to wow anyone with his athleticism but I think he becomes more consistent on both ends of the floor.
Not a lock down defender (who is at PG) but similar to Blake in the hard working and annoyance factor. Smart playmaker that can score in bursts. IMO his 3pt% goes up this season. Would not be surprised to see him in the 18pt and 8ast range with the mpg.
My hopeful longshot is Johnson. Perhaps the confidence Scott and Kobe are placing on him will elevate his game. Could see his role as primary defender working because of it. He runs the floor well and can slash to the basket. Also see him getting a lot of opportunities with spot up 3's.
All the big men are competent rotational players. Do not see any breakout seasons from them. Maybe they surprise us.
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