Unless Atlanta willing to spend over the LT this year

[AHF]

11 hours ago, NBASupes said:

Is it time to start annoiting Okongwu as a PnR monster. 

Okongwu got the best numbers on the squad. His per is 20. His TS is insane. His defensive metrics are the best on the team. His numbers against great players are the best in the NBA at the 4 and 5. Okongwu is the best PF on this roster. 

OO is by far the most limited in the PnR scenario (i.e., to use your frequent description Trae can spam CC or JC but can't spam OO) so I think you are seeing an amazing TS in large part because he is only taking the good opportunities.  Lots of big men with limited offensive games have great TS% numbers because they take the low hanging fruit opportunities and this is largely OO on that end of the floor today.  I do hope he continues to improve but based on his first two seasons alone I see him more as an opportunistic PnR partner than one who can be a core mainstay of the offense.  Having a healthy offseason could do wonders for OO on offense in multiple areas and allow him to take on a bigger role in the future.

On JC's role on offense, my $.02 is that if Capela did the exact same things on defense that he does not but instead of only being able to score near the basket (at unimpressive conversion rates), he instead floated to the 3pt line and shot 38% from there then JC would be very effective as the primary PnR partner for Trae.  I think the decrease in JC's usage in that role is driven by CC's inability to do anything else effectively on offense and that JC is actually better in that role.  But the team is better with CC as the PnR target - clearly we are much better off with JC stretching the floor and CC running the PnR than with CC out of the paint or with both JC and CC in the paint (where it would negatively affect their ability to operate as well as Trae's ability to drive into the lane/paint).  The frustrating part for getting the best bang for your buck with JC's stellar TS% numbers for his career is that when CC or OO is in the game there really isn't a lot of opportunity for JC to do much other than hang around the perimeter.  Because he can't dribble past his man, the fact that neither CC nor OO have shown the ability to score more than 5 feet from the basket leaves him doing little more than catching and shooting from range or collecting garbage rebounds and putting it in from there.  JC has more versatility than either of them since he can shoot a jumper but none of them really post up and take their man effectively or put the ball on the floor to break down their defender.  

Offensively, JC would be at his most productive (at least with his current skillset) on a team with a stretch big next to him so he can spend a lot of time attacking the rim and supplement that with opportunities from the perimeter rather than the reverse.  CC will always need a stretch big next to him (which forces JC into this role where he is effective but limited).  We all hope OO can develop the midrange jumper that scouts foresaw for him and continue to stretch that range in the future but that is a developmental goal for him and not part of his realized performance career to date.