Taurean Prince's Purpose...

[AHF]

56 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

That’s what I was going to ask you about. I felt like his defense was there. Was it statistically that it wasn’t? Because he always D’s up tight on his man. I mean I watched about all the games. I have to admit thought the last month of the season my attention went so much into tanking that I wasn’t focusing in on individual effort from the players.

Definitely felt like I saw it but for numbers his rookie season vs sophmore season it was definitely worse last year:

SF Opponent PER (lower numbers = better because worse opponent production)

Rookie 16.0 vs. Sophmore 18.7 = 2.7 PER worse as a sophmore

Rookie 53.7% EFG% vs. Sophmore 58.7% EFG% = 5.0% worse as sophmore

PF Opponent PER

Rookie 21.6 vs. Sophmore 25.2 = 3.6 PER worse

Rookie 52.5% EFG% vs. Sophmore 64.1% EFG% = 11.6% worse

 

Prince DWS/48 (higher numbers = better because reflects more contribution from Prince D)

Rookie 0.0734 DWS/48

Sophmore .0389 DWS/48

 

So the difference was really big statistically at least by these metrics.  Part is from him facing better competition but I think a lot was him not focusing on D like he did as a rookie.

[JayBirdHawk]

2 hours ago, Spud2nique said:

That’s what I was going to ask you about. I felt like his defense was there. Was it statistically that it wasn’t? Because he always D’s up tight on his man. I mean I watched about all the games. I have to admit thought the last month of the season my attention went so much into tanking that I wasn’t focusing in on individual effort from the players.

 

1 hour ago, capstone21 said:

I saw something different ... as his focus turned to offense last year he seemed to take off the effort on D.  Maybe I am wrong but I thought he was a better on man defender the season before and kind of taken a step back last year.

He could be a stopper and a two way player ... he just has to put in the work/effort to make that happen

The effort wasn't there last year at times. He'd get lost on team defense a lot as well. Year 1 he had Millsap to help him on defensive sets/schemes and not much responsibility elsewhere. He could also play more agressive on the perimter with Dwight in the middle.

Bud did say he had to change the defensive scheme last year based on his personnel.  Dennis also said he himself let his defense fall off last season with more offensive responsibilities. 

[warcore]

By next year Prince will be a much greater commodity than this Jimmy guy everyone's arguing about. 

[Spud2nique]

5 hours ago, AHF said:

Definitely felt like I saw it but for numbers his rookie season vs sophmore season it was definitely worse last year:

SF Opponent PER (lower numbers = better because worse opponent production)

Rookie 16.0 vs. Sophmore 18.7 = 2.7 PER worse as a sophmore

Rookie 53.7% EFG% vs. Sophmore 58.7% EFG% = 5.0% worse as sophmore

PF Opponent PER

Rookie 21.6 vs. Sophmore 25.2 = 3.6 PER worse

Rookie 52.5% EFG% vs. Sophmore 64.1% EFG% = 11.6% worse

 

Prince DWS/48 (higher numbers = better because reflects more contribution from Prince D)

Rookie 0.0734 DWS/48

Sophmore .0389 DWS/48

 

So the difference was really big statistically at least by these metrics.  Part is from him facing better competition but I think a lot was him not focusing on D like he did as a rookie.

Wow ?...alrighty then. This one totally slipped by me. I guess he did have a sophomore slump on defense. Hope he picks it up because he’s capable for sure. Under Lloyd I’m guessing he will bounce back.

[Spud2nique]

3 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

The effort wasn't there last year at times. He'd get lost on team defense a lot as well. Year 1 he had Millsap to help him on defensive sets/schemes and not much responsibility elsewhere. He could also play more agressive on the perimter with Dwight in the middle.

Bud did say he had to change the defensive scheme last year based on his personnel.  Dennis also said he himself let his defense fall off last season with more offensive responsibilities. 

Good points about the anchorman being back there for him as well as Dwight. I know I give Dwight, we all give Dwight a lot of crap but the THREAT of him alone being back there can help a wing take some gambles on D. Good stuff ?, keen ? you got there. Mid season form!

[Spud2nique]

3 hours ago, warcore said:

By next year Prince will be a much greater commodity than this Jimmy guy everyone's arguing about. 

I honestly believe this. ? He’s not that far behind now imo. Obviously Jimmy has more experience but based on their respective years of duty, Prince is right there.

[warcore]

16 hours ago, Spud2nique said:

I honestly believe this. ? He’s not that far behind now imo. Obviously Jimmy has more experience but based on their respective years of duty, Prince is right there.

YUP. Prince on the rise Jimmy on the decline. 

[Spud2nique]

8 minutes ago, warcore said:

YUP. Prince on the rise Jimmy on the decline. 

He’s hungry for sure. Jimmy might be full ? 

[JayBirdHawk]

Ranking NBA's Top 15 Small Forwards Entering 2018-19 Season

 

Quote

13.  Taurean Prince, Atlanta Hawks

Age: 24

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.5 blocks

Advanced Metrics: 12.8 PER, minus-35.32 TPA, minus-1.72 RPM

Taurean Prince is getting tons of love here, and deservedly so. He shined in 2017-18 after the Hawks turned over a larger share of the offense to him.

In his final 31 appearances last season, Prince averaged17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals while drilling 37.9 percent of his triples. His secondary playmaking remains a nice surprise. He coughed up possessions on 27.3 percent of his pick-and-rolls, but he was brand new to half-court creation. His mistakes will dwindle amid better spacing—shout-out, Trae Young—and with more reps.

Replicating last season's closing surge will be tough, as Prince will cede touches to Young, Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Lin. But the Hawks' power structure is hardly set in stone. He will have plenty of opportunities to broaden his offensive scope, especially if the Hawks trade Bazemore. Prince's defense buoys the rest of this projection. He has the chops to switch between shooting guards and small forwards, and he should stand up against 4s once Atlanta receives more consistent play from its centers.

No Hawks entries at PG or SG in top 15.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2793127-ranking-nbas-top-15-small-forwards-entering-2018-19-season#slide0

 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

[JayBirdHawk]

TOP TEN BREAKOUT PLAYERS FOR 2018-19

Quote

Taurean Waller-Prince

Age at Start of 2018-19: 24

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.5 blocks, 42.6 percent shooting

Advanced Metrics: 12.8 PER, minus-35.32 TPA, minus-1.72 RPM

Late-season experimentation did wonders for Taurean Prince's career arc last year. With the Atlanta Hawks tanking and Dennis Schröder watching from the sidelines, Prince was awarded more control over the offense.

He responded with a months-long detonation.

Between Feb. 1 and the end of the season, Prince averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 37.9 percent on 7.3 attempts from behind the rainbow. Atlanta's offense remained bottom-five material during that stretch, but his efficiency amid increased volume was a revelation. 

The same goes for his secondary ball-handling, only more so. Prince committed turnovers on 27.3 percent of his pick-and-rolls, but his mistakes will wane with repetition, and he made ball protection a priority over the summer.

"I stayed locked in on my mechanics. Also, I worked on my ball-handling," he told HoopsHype's Alex Kennedy. "I just want to be tighter with the ball because then I can get to my spots."

Opportunity shouldn't be too much harder for Prince to come by this season. The Hawks have Trae Young, but they need on-ball threats to maximize his movement and range away from the action. Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Lin won't cut it on their own, and even if they do, neither is a part of Atlanta's big picture.

Prince's defense will balance out whatever voids wind up sticking in his offensive repertoire. He can hang with both 2s and 3s, and lineups that deploy him as a small-ball 4 should survive on defense if the Hawks extract any sort of consistency from the center rotation.

 

 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2799913-projecting-top-10-breakout-players-during-2018-19-nba-season#slide1