How can JJ improve his game this season?

[Wurider05]

If he is to take the next step and become a all-star caliber player what things does he need to improve on versus last season?

I think that he needs to improve his 3pt shot to around the 37-40%+ so he could spread the floor because with Al gone and SPeedy such a poor shooter we are going to need his shooting to spread the floor (if not him then maybe Marvin).

[gsuteke]

on playing with the USA team

"I used to have to fly all over the US each summer looking for the best pickup games. Now I've got that right here every day in practice."

somebody can find the exact quote but that's damn close to what he said. i used to think that he'd have dead legs as a result of this trip. if you think about it they play all summer anyway.

I think JJ will improve by being able to practice with Lebron, D Wade, etc. he will be able to pick up on some small nuances in their games that you wouldn't necessarily pick up on during a game to help his overall game.

i think JJ being able to practice day after day with the class of the NBA will only help him and the other Hawks players.

It's like back in college we'd have a bi-annual nationwide meeting. of course we aren't going to send the entire chapter, you send one or two representatives. well fortunately for us not all NBA teams have a place at the table with this USA basketball experience.

40 wins or bust in 2006

[macdaddy]

That's a good point. He should be ready to go when training camp starts. I still think burn out will be a problem especially if we are thinking about the playoffs. They need to reduce his minutes. Having Speedy will help do that but it will mean that Salim and Chill will have to step up and give him a breather.

I also think he's going to be facing a lot of double teams being our only proven offensive weapon. So that should open the floor for our guys to pick up a lot of points and JJ to get a lot of assists.

[jerrywest]

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on playing with the USA team

"I used to have to fly all over the US each summer looking for the best pickup games. Now I've got that right here every day in practice."

somebody can find the exact quote but that's damn close to what he said. i used to think that he'd have dead legs as a result of this trip. if you think about it they play all summer anyway.

I think JJ will improve by being able to practice with Lebron, D Wade, etc. he will be able to pick up on some small nuances in their games that you wouldn't necessarily pick up on during a game to help his overall game.

i think JJ being able to practice day after day with the class of the NBA will only help him and the other Hawks players.

It's like back in college we'd have a bi-annual nationwide meeting. of course we aren't going to send the entire chapter, you send one or two representatives. well fortunately for us not all NBA teams have a place at the table with this USA basketball experience.

40 wins or bust in 2006

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I am hoping he'll pick up a lot from these kids. My question is - has other players in the past learnt a lot from their peers in olympic/pre-olympic practices? I can't remember anyone siginificantly improving although it seems they should have? May be my memory is failing me.

[DJlaysitup]

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I am hoping he'll pick up a lot from these kids. My question is - has other players in the past learnt a lot from their peers in olympic/pre-olympic practices? I can't remember anyone siginificantly improving although it seems they should have? May be my memory is failing me.

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I think he'll get a lot more out of the situation as it stands now - top quality coaching and a realization on the players' part that they can't just go out and do a highlight show and expect to win. They either play together or they might just struggle for the Bronze again.

That understanding should make for a much better experience.

[BornandDieHawks]

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on playing with the USA team

"I used to have to fly all over the US each summer looking for the best pickup games. Now I've got that right here every day in practice."

somebody can find the exact quote but that's damn close to what he said. i used to think that he'd have dead legs as a result of this trip. if you think about it they play all summer anyway.

I think JJ will improve by being able to practice with Lebron, D Wade, etc. he will be able to pick up on some small nuances in their games that you wouldn't necessarily pick up on during a game to help his overall game.

i think JJ being able to practice day after day with the class of the NBA will only help him and the other Hawks players.

It's like back in college we'd have a bi-annual nationwide meeting. of course we aren't going to send the entire chapter, you send one or two representatives. well fortunately for us not all NBA teams have a place at the table with this USA basketball experience.

40 wins or bust in 2006

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I am hoping he'll pick up a lot from these kids. My question is - has other players in the past learnt a lot from their peers in olympic/pre-olympic practices? I can't remember anyone siginificantly improving although it seems they should have? May be my memory is failing me.

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JJ will not be playing with the caliber of players he is playing with now when the season opens. Since he will no doubt be the #1 option on this team and since AL is gone someone else would have to step and prove they can take the scoring load off his shoulders..... To be a better player this year, he will have to get the other players involved. I truly believes he is capable of finding the open man and distributing the ball. The unique thing about JJ is he does not have to shoot 40 times a game and he will do whatever for a win.

[pimp]

Drive to the basket aNd get to the ft line more.

JJ Is the best player on our team, but he was 3rd in fta

behind Al, and Zaza.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I agree with Pimp.

GETTING TO THE LINE will improve JJ to another level. All of your great scorers in this league get to the FT line a ton.

If JJ's FTA doesn't improve by more than 200, he'll have to shoot what he shot last year, or higher, for this team to win more consistently.

[vdunkndunk]

Pimp hit the nail on the head...JJ needs to get to the foul line more. His Olympic experience and success last season should get him more respect from the refs this year, but he needs to take it all the way to the basket more often. He's got a lot of floaters and mid-range jumpers that are very effective, but sometimes I feel like he needs to get all the way to the rim more often.

Hopefully he will also improve just because he want have to waste as much energy and attention on playing PG, and he should be the clear focus of the offesne. So hopefully he can average something more like 23 or 24 ppg instead of 20. If he can do that and keep his assists and rebounds at the same level they were at last season, he should be an all-star...especially if the Hawks can play near .500 ball this season.

[exodus]

Getting to the line just isn't JJs game. He doesn't have the explosive athleticism of Wade or Lebron and so he can't finish in the lane like they can. Knowing this he developed that mid-range game which is so effective.

I look for Marvin, Speedy and to a lesser extent Shelden to get to the line. However I don't think JJ will ever get to the line much. KG doesn't get to the line either.

I would like to see JJ shoot a little better from the perimeter and cut down on his turnovers. I think Speedy will help him in both areas since defenses won't be able to pressure him as much.

[gsuteke]

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Pimp hit the nail on the head...JJ needs to get to the foul line more. His Olympic experience and success last season should get him more respect from the refs this year, but he needs to take it all the way to the basket more often. He's got a lot of floaters and mid-range jumpers that are very effective, but sometimes I feel like he needs to get all the way to the rim more often.

Hopefully he will also improve just because he want have to waste as much energy and attention on playing PG, and he should be the clear focus of the offesne. So hopefully he can average something more like 23 or 24 ppg instead of 20. If he can do that and keep his assists and rebounds at the same level they were at last season, he should be an all-star...especially if the Hawks can play near .500 ball this season.

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D Wade .... Lebron.... take the game over JJ.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

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Getting to the line just isn't JJs game. He doesn't have the explosive athleticism of Wade or Lebron and so he can't finish in the lane like they can. Knowing this he developed that mid-range game which is so effective.

I look for Marvin, Speedy and to a lesser extent Shelden to get to the line. However I don't think JJ will ever get to the line much. KG doesn't get to the line either.

I would like to see JJ shoot a little better from the perimeter and cut down on his turnovers. I think Speedy will help him in both areas since defenses won't be able to pressure him as much.

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While what you say is true, especially about guys like Marvin and Shelden. But it doesn't mean that JJ can't improve his FT attempts.

Guys like Larry Bird or Reggie Miller didn't have the athleticism that JJ had, but they routinely got to the FT line at least 450 - 500 times a year, especially early in their careers. That's the number where JJ needs to be next year, in order for us to be successful. 330 FTA's isn't going to cut it, unless he's shooting close to a 50% FG clip next year.

Too many times last year, this team went through scoring droughts simply because the shots weren't falling. This team settled for too many jumpers during stretches like that. And they didn't get to the FT line.

JJ will never get around the 700 - 800 mark, but 500 is attainable. And if he gets there, it'll make his game that much better.

[pimp]

Michael Redd got 501 fta's last year.

He's no better at finishing in the lane than JJ is.

[exodus]

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Guys like Larry Bird or Reggie Miller didn't have the athleticism that JJ had, but they routinely got to the FT line at least 450 - 500 times a year, especially early in their careers.

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Those are two of the all-time greats. I am not willing to put JJ in that class.

However it does bring up a good point. JJ could certainly do a better job of using pump fakes to draw contact, ala Sam Cassell. Bird had one of the best shot fakes ever.

[exodus]

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Michael Redd got 501 fta's last year.

He's no better at finishing in the lane than JJ is.

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Redd also doesn't pass. When JJ is in the lane and heavily guarded he frequently gives the ball up rather than forcing up a bad shot.

[KB21]

His jump shot will be there. It may not be in the 37% to 40% range, but it will be there. The thing I want to see him do is draw more fouls and get to the line more often. That will be the difference in him averaging the 21 PPG he averaged this past season and him averaging 25 or more PPG this season in more of a scoring role.

I believe that Joe and Marvin will become a terrific scoring duo at some point. It may not be this year, but both of those guys have the ability to be 25 PPG scorers.

[vdunkndunk]

Now Marvin is someone that can really get to the line. I think that could be his bread and butter during his career--I think he's going to take a ton of free throws and he's going to shot at least 80% from the line.

[AHF]

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Michael Redd got 501 fta's last year.

He's no better at finishing in the lane than JJ is.

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Redd also doesn't pass. When JJ is in the lane and heavily guarded he frequently gives the ball up rather than forcing up a bad shot.

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JJ should be getting a similar # of FT attempts to guys like Redd or Rashard Lewis who had 428 attempts last season, IMO. I think we'll see more out of him in the future in this regard.

JJ played more minutes than 49 of the top 50 players in FTA but did not finish in the top 50. He can improve that rate with some effective pump fakes and other moves that should not put him at a more significant risk for injury as well.