Al Horford for THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[Wretch]

Pretty straightforward...

I saw this come up on the Hawks official FB feed. Basically they're asking if Al should incorporate the 3 into his game should Josh Smith leave. A lot of the folks on the Hawks FB feed seem to be...eh...well, I won't judge. lol Let's just say that I know the folks who know the Hawks and know basketball, so I'm interested in the Squawk's opinion.

I wish I could find the article where Al said he could shoot the 3, but he just chooses not to. Anywho, what's your take? Should Al try to shoot it?

And here's the article they reference: http://hawkshoop.com/why-al-horford-should-start-shooting-3s/

Edited May 18, 2013 by Wretch

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

I would really hate to see Al turn into Josh... One of Dwight's (I'm assuming Dwight will sign w/ us) chief complaints while in Orlando was that he felt he never had a real PF to help him battle for rebounds. He said that if he didn't come down with the board than no one did for the Magic. One of the things I love about Horford is that he knows what his team needs and he doesn't defer away from that. Keep hitting that midrange and crashing the boards, Al.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited May 18, 2013 by PSSSHHHRRR87

[benhillboy]

Hell naw. He needs to exhaust all resources to develop a better post game and try to get traditional three point plays like he should. Furthermore, if Korver is retained, I don't want anyone taking attempts away from he and Jenkins. And the last thing I want to see is his paltry ORR of 8.2 (41st among centers) to drop further because he's camping out. His 18-20 footer does enough damage in terms of extending his man. Al is very intelligent and knows all of this.

[AHawks89]

I think he CAN, but should he? I don't think he SHOULD but I wouldn't mind him taking more 3's if we can land Dwight.

[MaceCase]

Al understands time and situation so I would trust his judgement. If he's the only Hawk or one of two Hawks capable of rebounding the ball in a lineup he wouldn't or shouldn't take that shot unless it was a dire need. If he has guys like the Pacers with Stephenson, George and Hibbert who all crash the boards with abandon (some thing I always wished Joe and Marvin would do with their 6'8" frames) then it's not such a bad idea.

[Diesel]

Al is already a good high post face to the basket guy. All he needs to do is develop a drive.

[Guest]

Al's got a nice little set shot but please keep that ish within 20 feet...thanks

[Plainview1981]

Pretty straightforward...

I saw this come up on the Hawks official FB feed. Basically they're asking if Al should incorporate the 3 into his game should Josh Smith leave. A lot of the folks on the Hawks FB feed seem to be...eh...well, I won't judge. lol Let's just say that I know the folks who know the Hawks and know basketball, so I'm interested in the Squawk's opinion.

I wish I could find the article where Al said he could shoot the 3, but he just chooses not to. Anywho, what's your take? Should Al try to shoot it?

And here's the article they reference: http://hawkshoop.com/why-al-horford-should-start-shooting-3s/

Whomever suggested this should never speak again. EVER.

[T21]

Al must add a couple of post-up moves... a jump-hook and a little fade-away, or step-back jumper, that would make him more complete and difficult to guard (both for opposing 4 & 5).

P.S. In today's game, there are a lot of 4's who are able to shoot the 3-ball and stretch the floor (especially in Europe...), I wouldn't mind if Al develops that kind of range and add another offensive weapon.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Pretty straightforward...

I saw this come up on the Hawks official FB feed. Basically they're asking if Al should incorporate the 3 into his game should Josh Smith leave. A lot of the folks on the Hawks FB feed seem to be...eh...well, I won't judge. lol Let's just say that I know the folks who know the Hawks and know basketball, so I'm interested in the Squawk's opinion.

I wish I could find the article where Al said he could shoot the 3, but he just chooses not to. Anywho, what's your take? Should Al try to shoot it?

And here's the article they reference: http://hawkshoop.com/why-al-horford-should-start-shooting-3s/

IF we land Jefferson, this would be the natural evolution for Horford as an offensive player, although I'd rather for him to come up with a few post moves. You DON'T want him jacking up 200 threes, like Smith did, unless he can make 38% or higher on that shot though.

However, I'm not against him trying to make the corner 3. Let him shoot that shot in the preseason, and in November, and see how it goes.

What I DON'T want to happen, is for his mid range game to suffer, because he's out there trying to make 3s. That's essentially what happened to Marvin. Marvin was a 45% mid range shooter in 2007 - 08. Then people encouraged him to extend his game out to the 3 point line. He tried to do just that, and his mid range shot suffered big time for it.

So I dont want Horford to start jacking up 3s just for the hell of it. He needs to take timely 3s. But if he's shooting 31% on that shot, I'd rather him take the 17 foot jumper.

[yungsta]

Absolutely no stick to the mid range and paint game. I hopefully he goes to big man camp this summer because if we dont get D12 and Cp3. Next year is going to be a big year for him to show us what he got when he is asked to take 20+ shots a game without jbrick being there.

[KB21]

Yes. He should add the three ball to his game. The 16 to 23 footers he takes are not good shots. The three point shot is a better shot.

[Plainview1981]

Yes. He should add the three ball to his game. The 16 to 23 footers he takes are not good shots. The three point shot is a better shot.

That's just want the team needs... A guy upfront that will play even softer than he does now.

[MaceCase]

Yes. He should add the three ball to his game. The 16 to 23 footers he takes are not good shots. The three point shot is a better shot.

They aren't good shots IF he can't hit them at a higher eFG% than 3's.

[KB21]

They aren't good shots IF he can't hit them at a higher eFG% than 3's.

He has about a 45% eFG on long twos. If he hits just 33% of his three point shots, his eFG on those shots is 49.3%. 99 points on 100 shots vs 90 points on 100 shots. 30% on threes would be equal to 45% on long twos.

[AHawks89]

d

Edited May 18, 2013 by AHawks89

[TheNorthCydeRises]

He has about a 45% eFG on long twos. If he hits just 33% of his three point shots, his eFG on those shots is 49.3%. 99 points on 100 shots vs 90 points on 100 shots.30% on threes would be equal to 45% on long twos.

( sigh ) . . . don't get me started on this eFG% stuff.

It's like I've always said. There is no way in the world that people would want a 30% 3 point shooter ( Josh Smith ) to shoot more shots from that range, than a 45% long 2 point shooter ( Kyrie Irving ).

That 30% 3 point shooter is going to be streaky as hell, and may miss a lot of shots in a row, before making a couple.

The 45% long 2 shooter is going to make that shot on a more consistent basis, even in critical times.

KB, you watch basketball man. The game is not played on a per 100 possession basis. The game is played on a possession by possession basis.

So at any point in a game, you're trying to tell me that you'd rather a 30% three point shooting Josh Smith to be taking a 3 . . . than Kevin Durant ( a 43% long 2 shooter ) . . . simply because on a per 100 possession basis, Josh is going to score more on those 3s, than Kevin is on those long 2s?

Is that what you're saying?

[TheFuzz]

He has about a 45% eFG on long twos. If he hits just 33% of his three point shots, his eFG on those shots is 49.3%. 99 points on 100 shots vs 90 points on 100 shots.30% on threes would be equal to 45% on long twos.

I think the midrange shot is a little underrated in that it helps space the floor for the bigs inside AND for the three. Of course, you have to be able to hit it well, which Al usually does though he was a little streaky with it this season.

On the subject of whether he should shoot the 3, that depends. I think Al can, but unless he's got some wings who slash and crash the boards I'd rather he not. I'd much rather see him work on his driving ability and post-up game.

[KB21]

( sigh ) . . . don't get me started on this eFG% stuff. It's like I've always said. There is no way in the world that people would want a 30% 3 point shooter ( Josh Smith ) to shoot more shots from that range, than a 45% long 2 point shooter ( Kyrie Irving ). That 30% 3 point shooter is going to be streaky as hell, and may miss a lot of shots in a row, before making a couple. The 45% long 2 shooter is going to make that shot on a more consistent basis, even in critical times. KB, you watch basketball man. The game is not played on a per 100 possession basis. The game is played on a possession by possession basis. So at any point in a game, you're trying to tell me that you'd rather a 30% three point shooting Josh Smith to be taking a 3 . . . than Kevin Durant ( a 43% long 2 shooter ) . . . simply because on a per 100 possession basis, Josh is going to score more on those 3s, than Kevin is on those long 2s? Is that what you're saying?

I am saying the 3 point shot is a much better shot, period. There would have to be an awfully big discrepancy between one's ability to shoot the three point shot vs one's ability to shoot a long two to make the long two a better shot. Not only is the three point shot a better shot, there is also a better chance of getting an offensive rebound on a three point shot than there is on a long two. Josh's problem was never his three point shooting. It is his propensity to take long twos. If josh had limited his game to three point shots, drives to the basket, cuts without the ball to the basket, and post up shots, he would have been a much more efficient scorer and would have contributed more to winning than he currently has. Even with Durant, his eFG on long twos is 43%. His eFG on threes is 62.1%. So, yes. You want him taking more threes than long twos.

[Wretch]

Horford already makes a living in the midrange. If we get a C (Dwight/JEfferson) that can dominate the post, I expect that to become our identity. Especially with a big like Jefferson that can also step back. The priority is for him to work on his post moves, but adding the 3 pointer to his arsenal isn't a bad idea to me.

I don't think the comparisons to Josh are valid either. Josh is an inefficient midrange shooter. Horford has a very reliable midrange shot. Josh Smith shows absolutely no discretion in his shot selection. Horford never plays outside of his game. You question Josh's maturity and decision making...and he doesn't seem to know when to quit. In just about every way, Horford is exactly the opposite. I would trust him with a few shots per game.

Certainly, I wouldn't try to turn him into a jumpshooting PF, but spreading the floor with a 3 pointer here or there (and perhaps pulling a big defender out of the paint with it) would not be a bad thing.