Official Game Thread: Trail Blazers at Hawks

[RedDawg#8]

LP commented that they probably were asking too much of Hunter to be a playmaker early on in the season. I think they will continue to utilize him the way they have post-All Star Break.

Also, everyone and their mama knows the NBA is shifting more and more to positionless basketball, so arguing whether Dre is a 3 or 4 is really moot. 
What are his skillsets? How do you best take advantage of them? Thats what we have started doing with everyone it seems.

Hunter is a lethal spot up shooter. He can also make strong straight line drives to the basket. Asking him to run PnR's and make those reads takes away from what he can do really well now. 

Funny because we just saw them both, but he is a cross between Trevor Ariza and Taurean Prince. Thats his game Today. He is not Kawhi yet, maybe one day, but not yet. 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

52 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

None of this is true. I wish you would quit saying it. Hunter is a small ball 4 learning to be a 3. He progressing faster than expected while regressing before ASB outside of his shot. 

After ASB, he looks like a stud

All of his play is on video.  Go look at it and see who he's going up against.

In his best rebounding game ( Orlando ), he got most of his rebounds playing the 3.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

No sense in going back and forth, see for yourselfves.  Anything you want to know about De'Andre Hunter is in this link.  You can literally click on most of these stats in the box scores, and see how he shoots, rebounds, passes for assists, steals the ball, turns the ball over, and even the fouls he picks up.

Any number that is blue, will hyperlink to the videos showing the plays in that category.

He is not a 4 vs regular sized lineups.  We can get away with it if the other team plays small.

 

https://stats.nba.com/player/1629631/boxscores-traditional/

[NBASupes]

1 minute ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

All of his play is on video.  Go look at it and see who he's going up against.

In his best rebounding game ( Orlando ), he got most of his rebounds playing the 3.

You been saying a lot of misnomers for Hunter and Collins. I watched the games like you. He's not a 2 at any level. He's a 4 who knows how the play the game. He is learning to be a 3. It's going to take time which he has. He doing well but he needs time. All of them did. 

Collins is looking A LOT better as a small ball 5 which is what I been saying. Don't give me no shit from 82games, they don't even have the positions accurate for anyone not named Trae. Watch the games. Collins is a 4 in reality but that's not his best position. That said, he's been a nightmare for teams with his elite movement skills and newfound elite shooting skills.

[Lurker]

Hunter's only a 2 in super big lineups, unless you're in a fantasy world where you think his driving and post up skills are better than what they really are, which they really aren't. They're somewhere in the middle of really good and not great for a guy that's supposed to mainly get his shots off assists.

Besides, I think most of his post ups come against real smalls. I don't think it's a very serious thing right now (and when you're not THE guy, it doesn't matter too much, because you'll see a case like the Wizards trying to "hide" Thomas on him). His main offense now is straight line drives and spot ups. He has some ability to dribble drive that's better than I maybe would've thought, but it's still not great. I'm not finding it on the NBA stats website, but I think his unassisted FG percentage would be very meh for doing it.

[NBASupes]

12 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

No sense in going back and forth, see for yourselfves.  Anything you want to know about De'Andre Hunter is in this link.  You can literally click on most of these stats in the box scores, and see how he shoots, rebounds, passes for assists, steals the ball, turns the ball over, and even the fouls he picks up.

Any number that is blue, will hyperlink to the videos showing the plays in that category.

He is not a 4 vs regular sized lineups.  We can get away with it if the other team plays small.

 

https://stats.nba.com/player/1629631/boxscores-traditional/

He's a natural 4, I don't know what's hard to see about this. That said, he has to play 3 in the NBA and excel there, it's a learning experience as it is for anyone who was a college 4. Leonard needed time. Covington needed time. All of them needed time. 

[kg01]

1 hour ago, Spud2nique said:

this guy sounds awesome! Kinda sounds like Clark Kellogg’s college coach that he mentions on 2K who says.. THAT AINT GONE GIT IT DONE !!!  

I ain't buying it.  Saphron is totally the 'comin foh dat a**' guy but want us to believe it was his "teammate".

Ain't foolin me, @Sothron

[TheNorthCydeRises]

48 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

You been saying a lot of misnomers for Hunter and Collins. I watched the games like you. He's not a 2 at any level. He's a 4 who knows how the play the game. He is learning to be a 3. It's going to take time which he has. He doing well but he needs time. All of them did. 

Collins is looking A LOT better as a small ball 5 which is what I been saying. Don't give me no shit from 82games, they don't even have the positions accurate for anyone not named Trae. Watch the games. Collins is a 4 in reality but that's not his best position. That said, he's been a nightmare for teams with his elite movement skills and newfound elite shooting skills.

The data is there for you sir.

[Sothron]

1 hour ago, kg01 said:

I ain't buying it.  Saphron is totally the 'comin foh dat a**' guy but want us to believe it was his "teammate".

Ain't foolin me, @Sothron

I have been known to say that when down in 2k or Madden so...

[MaceCase]

1 hour ago, kg01 said:

I ain't buying it.  Saphron is totally the 'comin foh dat a**' guy but want us to believe it was his "teammate".

Ain't foolin me, @Sothron

Sounds like a 'dirty mack' extraordinaire.  Soth sends his buddy out into the minefield first then strolls in with his patented "sorry about my friend..." routine.  I see you playa.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

1 hour ago, NBASupes said:

He's a natural 4, I don't know what's hard to see about this. That said, he has to play 3 in the NBA and excel there, it's a learning experience as it is for anyone who was a college 4. Leonard needed time. Covington needed time. All of them needed time. 

 

He's a natural wing.   Always has been.  Even in high school, he exhibited the shooting stroke and ball handling of a legit wing.  

 

 

The only reason he played the 4 at Virginia, was because the team was small, and he was one of the most talented defenders on the team who could guard 4 positions.   The average "4" can't do that.  The guard like skills have always been there, as well as the shooting stroke.  He finally let the country know what he could do as a shooter in that National Championship game.

 

 

I guess you didn't see him much at Virginia. Here are his 2018 - 19 highlights. Funny that he's driving past Bruno on the thumbnail.

 

 

Playing with Trae gives him the opportunity to really show off that 3 point stroke.  But its his midrange game when he has the ball in his hands, that is already mature enough to make him a legit offensive threat.  The Hawks can play him a the 4 if they want.  His offensive talent will be maximized as a wing.

[NBASupes]

4 hours ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

He's a natural wing.   Always has been.  Even in high school, he exhibited the shooting stroke and ball handling of a legit wing.  

 

 

The only reason he played the 4 at Virginia, was because the team was small, and he was one of the most talented defenders on the team who could guard 4 positions.   The average "4" can't do that.  The guard like skills have always been there, as well as the shooting stroke.  He finally let the country know what he could do as a shooter in that National Championship game.

 

 

I guess you didn't see him much at Virginia. Here are his 2018 - 19 highlights. Funny that he's driving past Bruno on the thumbnail.

 

 

Playing with Trae gives him the opportunity to really show off that 3 point stroke.  But its his midrange game when he has the ball in his hands, that is already mature enough to make him a legit offensive threat.  The Hawks can play him a the 4 if they want.  His offensive talent will be maximized as a wing.

Kevon Looney was a PG in HS as was Cam Reddish and many other NBA players. Let's not use HS as the litmus test of all things.

UVA had size, what are you talking about? You had Diakate, Huff, and a number of others during his two seasons in Charlottesville. He played the 4 because it was his best position at the NCAA level. All draftniks know this, scouts, etc.

You aren't making sense saying the average 4 can't do this, we all know that which is why he was a lottery pick and seen as a long term potential wing pro. This is well agreed on already. 

I literally watched the games, so of course I seen the highlights. Look who created the RealGM thread in the first place. 

No one is saying otherwise in terms of long term, the issue is you keep this is notion that he is a 2 which he is not. Let's just be honest about it

 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

 

Keep giving 'em the 'Nutties' Trae.

 

 

 

[AHF]

Made the mistake of opening the thread and seeing exactly the sort of mix of stupid and uneducated posts all over this issue I should have expected.  Some people saying Ariza should have been ejected / flagrant; some making fun of Ariza for not being able to defend Trae; some saying Trae committed an offensive foul or initiated the contact, etc.  

It is obvious what it is.  Trae abused him on the play and Ariza lashed out with a clear, hard foul instead of trying to defend.  The foul was meant to deter Trae from doing it again.  I doubt Trae will be intimidated by it.

[kg01]

2 minutes ago, AHF said:

Made the mistake of opening the thread and seeing exactly the sort of mix of stupid and uneducated posts all over this issue I should have expected.  Some people saying Ariza should have been ejected / flagrant; some making fun of Ariza for not being able to defend Trae; some saying Trae committed an offensive foul or initiated the contact, etc.  

It is obvious what it is.  Trae abused him on the play and Ariza lashed out with a clear, hard foul instead of trying to defend.  The foul was meant to deter Trae from doing it again.  I doubt Trae will be intimidated by it.

Agree with all this.  My only pertinent takeaway on the issue is we need someone(s) on the team to step to has-beens never-was's like Ariza when they step to our guy.

[macdaddy]

It's  just silly that this is somehow a disrespectful move but all the other showboating in the NBA is fine.  If it friggin works then why not.  Trae got out the corner trap with it against the nets.  It can be really effective.  

[kg01]

29 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

It's  just silly that this is somehow a disrespectful move but all the other showboating in the NBA is fine.  If it friggin works then why not.  Trae got out the corner trap with it against the nets.  It can be really effective.  

And since when is it ok for the dudes absolutely nobody but their moms and baby-mom's came to see play to take out the marquee guys?

Nobody uses the strike-through as efficiently as me.  I'm not afraid to puff my chest out about it either.  I basically nutmeg all o' y'all with the strike-through's.

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, kg01 said:

someone(s)

How bout my #1 target Trez, bodyguard type. Or Ivan Johnson who is currently working at State Farm (insurance salesman), with a license to choke.  

I think they call it the “Spree” certification.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

 

 

[Spud2nique]

Trae should continue to meg the world. If you don’t like it, get quicker, don’t let him make a fool out of you Ariza