Dion Waiters Traded

[OptimusPrime]

Really interesting stuff in that link.

Not meant as a Dion vs. Kyrie thing, but I think it will surprise a lot of people to see that Dion has better percentages from 10-14, 15-19, and 20-24 feet out than Kyrie. Also, lends credence to the concept that once/if he can raise his FG% of shots 0-5 feet(almost exclusively drive, layups, fingerrolls, and reverses) that his shooting percentage will actually be quite good for the modern day SG position.

That will happen when he is confident using his left hand. That's all it takes.

 

[Jack Brickman]

that is A LOT of long 2s....

It is, but he hits them consistently enough that it's okay for him to keep taking them. He just needs to work on his three point shooting (which is good but not great right now) and finishing inside. He's money from mid-range.

 

[Triumph36]

It is, but he hits them consistently enough that it's okay for him to keep taking them. He just needs to work on his three point shooting (which is good but not great right now) and finishing inside. He's money from mid-range.

long 2s: 81-182 .890pps
3s: 53-147 1.082pps

and that is current, when "he's money from mid-range" and "needs to work on his 3pt shooting"

 

[OptimusPrime]

He is not at all money from mid range, but a lot of that is the position Brown puts him in when he gets the ball at the top of the key and everyone stares at him. If we had a real offense and if we let him play his natural position once in a while those numbers would improve.

 

[Frank Reynolds]

If you are that good at getting to the rim, yet so poor at finishing your opportunities then what's the point?

Dion is actually a better mid-range shooter than finisher, but he's not optimized in the 2 guard role here.

He's not a pure point, and he's not a pure two guard. That, along with his erratic attitude have me questioning if Dion will really ever reach his fullest in Cleveland.

 

[catfish]

If you are that good at getting to the rim, yet so poor at finishing your opportunities then what's the point?

Dion is actually a better mid-range shooter than finisher, but he's not optimized in the 2 guard role here.

He's not a pure point, and he's not a pure two guard. That, along with his erratic attitude have me questioning if Dion will really ever reach his fullest in Cleveland.

He is a guard as is Kyrie who is certainly not a point or a 2. Once upon a time the Knicks had Frazier and Monroe. That worked well.

Frazier did steal some money from the CAVS at the end of his career but that is another story.

 

[chrisrich91]

If you are that good at getting to the rim, yet so poor at finishing your opportunities then what's the point?

Dion is actually a better mid-range shooter than finisher, but he's not optimized in the 2 guard role here.

He's not a pure point, and he's not a pure two guard. That, along with his erratic attitude have me questioning if Dion will really ever reach his fullest in Cleveland.

The point is that he's good at the hard part, and he's only 22. Getting to the rim off the bounce requires excellent ballhandling, an excellent first step, or a combination of the two. Those are two of the hardest things to develop.

Finishing around the rim, on the other hand, is something that a 22 year old is expected to improve upon as they develop. Dion is starting to get more comfortable with his left hand, he pulled up for a beautiful floater yesterday, and he seems to be working on not exposing the ball too early. With his work ethic I don't think it's a stretch to think he'll figure out how to improve on his finishing. And once that happens, he's well on his way to being a top flight guard.

We can't forget that he's only 22 years old. Only 1.5 seasons into his NBA career. A large faction of posters remind us to have faith in Tristan due to his youth. Posters remind us to give Kyrie time to mature due to his youth. It should absolutely apply to Dion as well.

 

[Just Checkin]

The ability to get to the rim is pretty damn important in basketball.

Heck, even if you miss there are still opportunities for your team to rebound and score in a good position. Dion's first step seems to be elite or damn near it. I've already noticed him getting more creative with finishing with some Kyrie-esque moves.

I feel like Dion is ready to play with Kyrie now but I'm not sure if Kyrie is ready to play with Dion right now.

 

[mcfly]

The ability to get to the rim is pretty damn important in basketball.

Heck, even if you miss there are still opportunities for your team to rebound and score in a good position. Dion's first step seems to be elite or damn near it. I've already noticed him getting more creative with finishing with some Kyrie-esque moves.

I feel like Dion is ready to play with Kyrie now but I'm not sure if Kyrie is ready to play with Dion right now.

This is the main reason why I think Waiters is more talented than someone like Harrison Barnes, and likely always will be. Both will improve, but you rarely, if ever, see a player develop the ability to get to the rim in the NBA. Either you have it, or you don't.

 

[Cassity14]

Dion's also shown the vision to find guys who are open as a result of him getting to the rim. Whether it's shooters or rolling bigs, Dion finds guys when they're open as he attacks. I expect to see some Dion drives resulting in Bennett slams as the year continues on.

The Dion/Zeller pick and read is also very good when they have it going.

 

[OptimusPrime]

This is the main reason why I think Waiters is more talented than someone like Harrison Barnes, and likely always will be. Both will improve, but you rarely, if ever, see a player develop the ability to get to the rim in the NBA. Either you have it, or you don't.

This is why I don't want to give up on him. You can improve your jumper and decision making and left hand finishing. You can't improve an elite first step and court vision. You are born with those.

 

[johnny]

He definitely needs to work on it both skill-wise and in decision making, but I think he's probably a better finisher than the stats suggest considering how often this offense calls for him to dribble in from the 3 point arc as a packed paint waits for him. Not many guys in the league can get baskets that way consistently. Better spacing and better movement as a whole would help him a lot, though he has to hold up his end of the bargain there. He was even a better finisher, statistically last year than he is this year, I believe. He would be deadly with a good floater game. And he needs to take some notes from Harden on how to sell calls and get to the line.

 

[MirORich]

And I've begun to see him attempt at improving in that area with things like not exposing the ball so early (although he still is very inconsistent with this), finishing with his left hand, and just working on finishing in general. We need Jack out of here pronto if we are going to see Dion shine and become an all-star level player.

Btw, when I saw that Dion had gotten 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and played abusive defense much of the game, I totally got a hard on. Yes, homo.

I remember one of the first thing Mike Brown mentioned about Dion when he got the job was that with his body and physicality, Dion should be able to get 5-7 rebounds a game from the guard spot. Also that when Dion did grab a rebound, he would have the latitude to lead the break and attack fast towards the basket.

 

[aaronr]

But he doesn't crash the defensive boards from the weak side; he floats outside like he's waiting for someone else to rebound and hit him with a lead pass. He could and should be a much better rebounder than he is, like he was last night.

 

[MirORich]

But he doesn't crash the defensive boards from the weak side; he floats outside like he's waiting for someone else to rebound and hit him with a lead pass. He could and should be a much better rebounder than he is, like he was last night.

If Mike Brown wasn't coach, Dion would average 10 rebounds per game

One of the hardest parts of the game for young players to learn/accept is to stay active in all facets of the game and not just stand around when you're not part of the play or when your shot is not falling. A mature, ready to win player learns to effect the game in any way possible while they're on the court. That's the place we need all of our young guys to get to. They're capable of it, but they have to understand, value and accept it. Once that starts to happen on a consistent basis, the raw talent is on this team to be much better with the roster as is. Thankfully, we also still have salary cap space and lots of future draft picks to add to the talent base.