NBA execs diss Trae yet again

[HawkItus]

Trae has got to get this team to a top 3 seed and do the playoffs CF again. If you torcher me I would have to say health being a none issue I would probably take all those guys except Ja over Ice. No disrespect, but size is a big plus. We've all seen the issues size has cost us, be it against or for us.

[AHF]

On 9/20/2022 at 12:39 AM, Diesel said:

Ja is the great pretender.

 

Yup.

2019-20  Trae 5.9 Win Shares / Ja 3.8 Win Shares

2020-21 Trae 7.2 Win Shares / Ja 3.3 Win Shares

2021-22 Trae 10.0 Win Shares / Ja 6.7 Win Shares

Total:  Trae 23.1 Win Shares / Ja 13.8 Win Shares

(And if anyone wants to make the case that Ja has just missed more time Trae is also higher than Ja every season on a per minute basis)

[Gray Mule]

Does it really matter where a player is taken in any draft?

Behold, our birds have three draft picks that we will all want to see this season.

A.J. Griffin was our 1st round pick.  Known as a real knock down shooter.

Tyrese Martin was so impressive before the draft and after summer league, our 2nd round pick has signed a regular contract, meaning he's probably one of our 15 on the active roster.

A sneaky surprise!  A first-round pick, #6 to be exact, has not yet played up to expectations.  Travis was able to sign Jarrett Culver to a 2-way contract.  He's still in his mid 20's and we may see great things from him.  Maybe not.  This is a very cheap gamble.  Wow!  We all hope.

Same old birds?  Nope.  When we check out our final roster to begin this new season there will be many new, exciting Hawks.

[RandomFan]

HAHAHAHA!!!

 

From ESPN...

No. 9: Ja Morant

Memphis Grizzlies | PG

2021 NBArank: No. 31

Morant might be the NBA's most entertaining player, a high-flying acrobat with a poise and a confidence creeping toward arrogance. He's made the Grizzlies must-see TV.

Why he rose 22 spots

Morant made the massive leap last season from promising franchise cornerstone to bonafide superstar. His scoring soared more than eight points per game to 27.1, elevating Morant into the top echelon of offensive weapons and earning him his first All-Star berth and the Most Improved Player award.

He's a pure point guard who is a dominant interior scorer despite his 6-foot-3 frame, as Morant has a breathtaking blend of explosiveness, finesse and fearlessness. He averaged 16.6 paint points last season, becoming the only guard to lead the league in that category over the last 25 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

One huge question for 2022-23

How much better can Morant get? The 23-year-old has room for drastic improvement on the defensive end, where his slender frame makes him a target, and he has a tendency to lose focus.

Offensively, he's already a nightmare for opponents, but just imagine how difficult Morant would be to defend if his 3-point shot (34.4% last season) continues to improve. If Morant can consistently make guards pay for going under a screen, he might be impossible to contain.

-- Tim MacMahon

[kg01]

27 minutes ago, RandomFan said:

HAHAHAHA!!!

 

From ESPN...

No. 9: Ja Morant

Memphis Grizzlies | PG

2021 NBArank: No. 31

Morant might be the NBA's most entertaining player, a high-flying acrobat with a poise and a confidence creeping toward arrogance. He's made the Grizzlies must-see TV.

Why he rose 22 spots

Morant made the massive leap last season from promising franchise cornerstone to bonafide superstar. His scoring soared more than eight points per game to 27.1, elevating Morant into the top echelon of offensive weapons and earning him his first All-Star berth and the Most Improved Player award.

He's a pure point guard who is a dominant interior scorer despite his 6-foot-3 frame, as Morant has a breathtaking blend of explosiveness, finesse and fearlessness. He averaged 16.6 paint points last season, becoming the only guard to lead the league in that category over the last 25 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

One huge question for 2022-23

How much better can Morant get? The 23-year-old has room for drastic improvement on the defensive end, where his slender frame makes him a target, and he has a tendency to lose focus.

Offensively, he's already a nightmare for opponents, but just imagine how difficult Morant would be to defend if his 3-point shot (34.4% last season) continues to improve. If Morant can consistently make guards pay for going under a screen, he might be impossible to contain.

-- Tim MacMahon

That Morant or Lebron Jordan he's describing?

[AHF]

1 hour ago, RandomFan said:

HAHAHAHA!!!

 

From ESPN...

No. 9: Ja Morant

Memphis Grizzlies | PG

2021 NBArank: No. 31

Morant might be the NBA's most entertaining player, a high-flying acrobat with a poise and a confidence creeping toward arrogance. He's made the Grizzlies must-see TV.

Why he rose 22 spots

Morant made the massive leap last season from promising franchise cornerstone to bonafide superstar. His scoring soared more than eight points per game to 27.1, elevating Morant into the top echelon of offensive weapons and earning him his first All-Star berth and the Most Improved Player award.

He's a pure point guard who is a dominant interior scorer despite his 6-foot-3 frame, as Morant has a breathtaking blend of explosiveness, finesse and fearlessness. He averaged 16.6 paint points last season, becoming the only guard to lead the league in that category over the last 25 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

One huge question for 2022-23

How much better can Morant get? The 23-year-old has room for drastic improvement on the defensive end, where his slender frame makes him a target, and he has a tendency to lose focus.

Offensively, he's already a nightmare for opponents, but just imagine how difficult Morant would be to defend if his 3-point shot (34.4% last season) continues to improve. If Morant can consistently make guards pay for going under a screen, he might be impossible to contain.

-- Tim MacMahon

And, again, he is an outstanding young talent.  The issue isn't people being high on him.  It is elevating him over players who are objectively significantly better.

Look at the scoring that is cited here as the big reason for his rise.

27.1 points on .574% TS%

That is really good.  But how does that compare to:

28.4 points on .603% TS%

Well, it is clearly outclassed in every way.  More total production and more efficient.  Trae scored 1.3 more points per game despite taking fewer shots per game.  And that is before you get to comparing their playmaking ability (9.7 apg vs 6.7 apg).  But let's rank him over Trae anyway cause....

ummm......

[Gray Mule]

Sure, he's better than Trae.  Why?  Because he's not an Atlanta Hawk.  That's all the reason that he needs to be better.  Any argument?