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Authored by Christopher Reina - 28th November, 2007 - 4:58 pm
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The First Three Weeks of 2008-09
Now that we’ve had a little time to watch free agency unfold, along with the usual accompaniment of trades, let’s look at some of the key moves and how they impact the teams involved.
'Improved' Wizards Defense Is A Fallacy
Read a mainstream media account about the Wizards, and you would think they were a significantly improved defensive team. The numbers tell a very different story.
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By scoring an unreal 1.93 points per shot, Eric Gordon is leading the country in scoring with a 27.3 average (just ahead of fellow freshman Michael Beasley’s 27.2).
He is shooting 51% from 3-point territory (18-35) and what makes the percentage even more staggering is the fact that so many of his shots are created by Gordon himself. With his exceptional handle in the halfcourt, Gordon generates separation from his defender and particularly is infatuated with the step back jumper.
His jumper is world class for a player of his age: it is very fluid, his release is high and is quite compact. His range comfortably extends to about 25-feet.
Not just a perimeter shooter, he is equally content to drive to the basket when defenders try to take away his jumper. He gets deep into the paint after shaking defenders with remarkable change of pace moves, invites and even generates contact and is strong enough to finish despite a hard foul. Strong and agile, he has the ability to contort his body and get his shot off.
Gordon defines the term ‘pure scorer.’
He currently has a high turnover rate (4 per game), but many of the said turnovers are a result of high degree of difficulty passes that would be caught by higher caliber teammates. While maintaining the dribble, Gordon has exhibited excellent vision for knowing where everyone on the floor is stationed. Although he doesn't have the passing abilities of a true point guard, he has shown glimpses of strong promise in this area.
When he doesn’t have the ball, Gordon is sometimes a little too idle and stationary. He could get a few more open looks per game if he worked harder to move without the ball. Gordon is so adept at creating his own shot that he hasn’t really needed help in getting them, so this is pardonable for now, but is a facet of his game he eventually will need to address.
Defensively, like many young players of his caliber (O.J. Mayo is another one), Gordon is far better as an on-ball defender than he is off-ball. Averaging 1.7 steals per game, he possesses very good lateral quickness and anticipation but his positioning to help defend needs work.
Despite his strength, Gordon hasn’t shown the desire to be an above-average rebounder. He is averaging 3.7 per game, as he has been mostly content to rebound when it comes to him instead of hustling after balls. Furthermore, he is still looking for his first offensive rebound despite playing over 200 minutes.
His height and weight are two issues that will plague him and slightly limit his ceiling. He is too short to be a true shooting guard, and Gordon fully realizes he will have to develop into a point guard at the NBA level. Scoring guards of his height like Dwyane Wade, Gilbert Arenas and Ben Gordon are all athletically superior to Gordon, though like a Carmelo Anthony, he is exceptionally ‘basketball athletic,’ especially with the ball.
Ultimately, the imperative for Gordon’s career (and draft value) will be if he can consistently score against long NBA defenders.
He is a better perimeter shooter than any of the players mentioned above when they were 19, and his amazing ability to create off the dribble will open enough shots; however, to become a 20+ ppg scorer, he really must learn to let others produce for him as well.
Gordon has an excellent on court demeanor and is tremendously coachable. |
