Fishsticks
Banned
Blah blah blah. We get it. You think Jefferson is suxxxors.
Why? We didn't have a pick.
the pro-jefferson camp loves to point to his low turnover rate. here's the thing: he doesn't get passing turnovers because he doesn't pass that much, and he doesn't get offensive fouls because he is passive and never challenges the lane. one stat, taken out of context, does not explain away a dozen other weaknesses.
i know you weren't talking to me when you said this... but my argument to that has always been, why should a fairly inefficient player be using the highest number of possessions, even if his lead over the #2 guy is fairly slim?
i've said it before, but a possession that ends in an al attempt generates, on average, 1.04 points, which is the same as the jazz offense on average. paul's PPA is much higher, and favors' is even higher. so yeah, paul's usage rate is close to jefferson -- but if we were smart, it would be higher.
Since we are getting hung up on stats, do you all realize that the folks who are really interested in NBA stats that demonstrate how winning happens are trying to deconstruct the category of "assist" into several subcategories so that they can emphasize those assists that highlight offensive efficiency and BBIQ? We all know that all passes aren't created equal, right?
Lauding Jefferson (or any post player) for his willingness to throw it back out to the perimeter when double teamed is like lauding a five year old for not pooping his pants.
Some 5 year olds need that...
And so does Jefferson.
Jefferson has the capability be one of the best PF/Cs in the league. He has an ability to draw a double or even triple team that Sap does not possess. Which makes the fact that he doesn't have more assists look even worse in my mind. There is no reason he can't find the open cutter/shooter, but most of the time he doesn't even try.
I don't understand how he doesn't get the concept that if he passes out of the double teams and punishes the other team for doubling him (by hitting the open player for easy points) the other teams will be forced to guard him one on one, where he can generally score at will. It seems like such an easy concept that many great players have understood. Malone's passing ability was one of the reasons he was so good. Hell, even Shaq, the most dominant center ever knew to pass out of double/triple coverage.
teams double/triple paul, too, just not as much. and part of the reason they pressure al more is because every scouting report in the NBA says he does not respond well to that kind of pressure. "commands a double team" isn't always a compliment; sometimes it's just code for "invites a double team by continually making bad decisions when trapped."