Evaluating Marvin

[exodus]

It seems like Marvin is a constant source of arguments here but hardly anyone talks about his actual game. So here goes my 2 cents after watching him for a full season:

My big problem with him is the way he leans into people so often when he drives or posts up. Late in the year he did a better job of driving and going straight up with it but he still leaned in far too often.

Leaning into a defender can work if you have the strength to take the contact and finish but he doesn't have it. With his quickness and length he needs to just learn to go straight up with the shot and force the D to react rather than making it easy for them by jumping into them. Sometimes I felt like reaching into the screen and smacking him when he did this.

My other gripe with him is that he was frequently passive on offense, but this doesnt bother me that much. It could be a matter of just being a 19 yr old rookie that is unsure of himself and deferring to veterans.

There were times when he did play aggressively on offense either due to guys being out or coaches instructions, and when it happened he could score in a hurry. he can get by his man quickly going either way and finish with either hand.

He has great form on his shot but overall i was disappointed with his accuracy. However guys with good form generally become good shooters so I am not really worried about it.

I like the way he is decisive with the ball. When he gets the ball he will either shoot, pass or drive quickly. He doesn't hold the ball, which makes the offense run much better.

Defenesively i think he showed a lot of promise, especially during the second half of the year. he doesn't give freebies inside. He will either challenge the shot or give a hard foul.

On the perimeter I saw him get switched of on quick pgs at times and he was quick enough to cut off their drives and force them to shoot over them. He also does a good job closing out on shooters.

He also did a pretty good job inside considering he isn't that strong. he has a long reach and with his quickness he seemed to bother a lot of shots inside.

Going forward the big key will obviously be how hard he works on his game. Several things he needs to improve;

-his conditioning/strength

-accuracy on his outside shot

-in between game off the dribble

-post game

The tools are definitely there for him to be an effective player but right now it is tough to project how good he will be.

[buckeye242424]

I think you the way you summed up your post was exactly the point. He does have the tools to be an effective player, but it is too soon to predict how good he will be.

He's 19. One year in the "L". Give him some time to mature and develop. He's going to be a good player for this team, and in the situation we are in now, we can't complain about good players.

[er9dverk]

i appreciate the post exodus. despite my desires, i dont get to see that many games. i live in the northern territories (tennessee) where they dont show many games for free, and i tend to fall asleep during any games that start late. its really pretty hard to evaluate players on the tube, anyway, especially off the ball, since the camera angles are so limited. so i appreciate your evaluation.

at this point i simply trust bk's judgment on marv. billy earned my respect by the unmerciful fleecing he did to babs. reinforced by coming up with harrington when s jackson made it abundantly clear he was walking.

the one little shadow of a doubt is the jj deal. my gut reaction was to agree with belk - would any other team have really agreed to pay joe 22 million this year?

of course, there is always isaiah - he seems to have an unlimited treasure chest, and somehow the cap doesnt apply to ny and dallas.

but i was all for calling colangelo's bluff, and seeing what happened.

[chillzatl]

I would pretty much agree across the board. He needs to get stronger and more accurate. But I think this will happen naturally as a result of increased maturity and BBIQ. You don't get many 19yo players in the NBA who come out better in their first years.

[CrawDaddy]

Good post exo. My biggest problem with Marvin this year was finishing in the lane when there was contact. He needs to put on 25 lbs of muscle in the weightroom this year. I hope he's drinking like 12 protein shakes a day in the offseason.

Secondly, like you pointed out, I wanted MW to take control of the game more. He's so much faster than guys guarding him that I wanted him to drive until someone stopped him (ala Lebron). I believe that with Al gone MW will start taking control more on offense and will blossom next year (if he's gained the weight he needs).

[Yeti]

Very good analysis. I'd like him to do one more thing this summer - - take one step back when he works on his jumpers. He is consistently just inside the 3-point line.

Sometimes he seems to be just standing around on the weak side and other times he makes a fantastic move that drops my jaw.

You are right, he has the tools and now needs the self-discpline to force himself to be the dominant player he can be all the time - not just in flashes.

[AHF]

Quote:

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Very good analysis. I'd like him to do one more thing this summer - - take one step back when he works on his jumpers. He is consistently just inside the 3-point line.

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That was near the top of my list for summer-time improvements given the relative ease of the improvement.

[jerrywest]

1. He has the work ethic.

2. He didn't hit the rookie wall - just kept improving.

3. He has played in 3 different teams in the last 3 years. He'll come back to a familiar team this year. That will help him a lot.

[exodus]

his constant stepping on the line was definitely annoying. Lascar said he was even stepping on the line in warmups.

[Popeye]

Good post Ex and all we need to do now is close this thread before Walter and Diesel come.

hurrryy!!

[DJlaysitup]

Quote:

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his constant stepping on the line was definitely annoying. Lascar said he was even stepping on the line in warmups.

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That's just a lack of discipline and being lackadaisical (IMHO), Woody should ride his butt if he does that, it cost the team points.

That said - it's not that hard to fix, so it doesn't mean we should trade him for a bag of doughnuts.

[Diesel]

Donta is better than Marvin.

Donta has all the tools.

Donta only lacks the opportunity.

if you gave Donta as much time as you have given Marvin, Donta would have been a top Sf.

He's only 22.

He only played one year in a 4 yr college.

[exodus]

The moron doesn't even read my post yet he feels qualified to comment on it. M O R O N.

[drzachary]

Quote:

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Donta is better than Marvin.

Donta has all the tools.

Donta only lacks the opportunity.

if you gave Donta as much time as you have given Marvin, Donta would have been a top Sf.

He's only 22.

He only played one year in a 4 yr college.

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Why are you trolling your own team's forum?

[Teeareess]

Quote:

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Why are you trolling your own team's forum?

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Attention?

[jerrywest]

Quote:

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Donta is better than Marvin.

Donta has all the tools.

Donta only lacks the opportunity.

if you gave Donta as much time as you have given Marvin, Donta would have been a top Sf.

He's only 22.

He only played one year in a 4 yr college.

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Geez, can you find a GM who would trade their top 33 protected 2nd round pick for Donta? Many teams would trade their #1 pick this year for MW (if they win it).

[jezmund]

Good point. I'd trade Donta in a second for a Alexander Johnson, Guillermo Diaz type talent.

[Diesel]

d eagerly accepted.

You know like people who advertise to customers who have already bought the car... That's what this post is... and some silly hawks fans accept it as truth... It's crazy.

if I wanted a realistic evaluation of Marvin, I could go and ask people from other boards and find out much easier than asking the Hawksquawk Homers....

Do you really need a feel good thread to make you feel good about picking Marvin??

It's simply amazing.

Next time you're at the steak restuarant and you've spent $35.00 dollars on a good cut of steak and it taste like something you could have bought at Denny's... Make sure you look for the manager to come around and remind you of how good the steak taste...

I can see it now...

HSH: " Honey this steak isn't what I expected".

Wifey" " But you've paid for the best cut right."

HSH: " yes, I did and I was expecting this to be much better".

Manager comes over

Manager: " How's the steak".

HSH: " It's not quite what I was expecting"

Manager: " Sure it is. This is one of the best dining experiences that you've ever had. And the steak is full of aroma and you can just taste that aged beef. Truly, it's on e of the best steaks in the world."

HSH: " I guess you're right."

Manager: " Sure, I'm right... in fact, when you come back again, order the same steak and you will see that I'm right".

HSH: " O.K.".

That's what i see. A bunch of HS Homers sitting around trying to comfort one another.. knowing that the WHOLE LEAGUE is laughing at us for not picking Paul.

[CHORO44]

Exo, I'll admit I did not get to see many of the Hawks games on my coast. I did see a few early games and a few late games and agree with your points.

I'm excited to see what Marvin and Josh Smith can do on the floor together. I think they are developing nicely.

[jerrywest]

By bringing in Donta in two different threads, Diesel has successfully swiftboated any constructive discussion about Marvin.