Because it's pretty obvious that his role is that. If he gets more minutes and a higher usage rate, he has the opportunity to be more dynamic, but right now, it's limited. Yes, Welage has that role, but Harden (and Kennedy) can take some of Welage's minutes because of the ability to cover much of the same role.
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Results 101 to 110 of 213
Thread: Early Assessemnt
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11-29-2018, 10:56 AM #101
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11-29-2018, 10:57 AM #102
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11-29-2018, 10:59 AM #103
Harden has a pretty nice handle. He's definitely physically capable of making some plays other than shooting standstill jumpers.
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11-29-2018, 11:04 AM #104
With time, he and Kennedy can add to their games. As of right now, though, they have usage rates of 15% and 10%, respectively, and neither is even playing 20 minutes per game. It's hard to assert more than the most basic role with that.
Rebounding can improve too, but this will be affected by responsibilities when a shot is taken. Neither guy has recorded an offensive rebound, but with Scruggs being a great rebounder from the guard spot, both are probably told to wait for a kickout for a three or get back on D. On the defensive end, they are likely told the flip side of that: Guard their man on the perimeter or start running out for transition three opportunities. What the responsibility is would likely be situational, based on who is likely to get the rebound.
Assists are going to be limited when you have Q and Scruggs on the floor together handling the ball much of the time. Harden has only 1, but Kennedy also has only recorded 1 since the Evansville game.
Sent from my SM-N950U using TapatalkLast edited by XUFan09; 11-29-2018 at 11:14 AM.
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11-29-2018, 11:11 AM #105
Yep, he was recruited as a scorer who can shoot the three while also having the length and athleticism to defend reasonably well. Kennedy was recruited for the same thing. The most basic role for guys like that is being a 3-and-D guy. From there, they can expand to the scorer's role if they earn the minutes and usage rate.
So far, neither has completely neglected the scorer's role (e.g. Both have attacked defenders off the bounce if they overplay them on the perimeter). However, their responsibility as bench role players is essentially to be that 3-and-D guy.
Sent from my SM-N950U using TapatalkLast edited by XUFan09; 11-29-2018 at 12:51 PM.
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11-29-2018, 12:22 PM #106
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11-29-2018, 12:45 PM #107"He's a little bit ball-dominant, he needs to have the ball in his hands, and he's not a good shooter." Ball-dominant … isn't that a nice way of calling someone a ball hog? Where is my Jay Bilas Thesaurus?
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11-29-2018, 12:48 PM #108
Thank you for the info, I missed post game last night!
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11-29-2018, 01:30 PM #109
I think the worry that Harden is just shooting the 3, is not much of a concern. Sure, if he continues to make them, he will continue to shoot them. IF he continues to shoot them well, the defense will be forced to come out and guard him differently....which will force him to change his game. No reason to change it if it is working. The 6 2pt shots isn't concerning to me at all.
BJ Raymond is often used here on this board to talk about a player who grew from small usage to major contributor in 4 years. His career USED to be the normal, expected arc of a player in college. His scoring went from 3.4, 4.1, 9.9, 14.1 in his four years. Reasonable growth.
Harden happened to be a freshman on a team LOADED with guards who were ALL Time players at X, so I think his freshman year was a little stunted.
Raymond averaged about 1 2pt shot a game for his first two years with more of a reliance on the three (75 2pt shots in 65 games). 2pt/3pt shots for his career: 36/49, 39/80, 82/199, and 160/205. Sophomore and Junior years he shot well over 2 3pt shot for every 1 2pt shot. Senior year, major player, more usage, more attention from defenses and the rate slipped to a little over 1 to 1.
Harden will be fine. He has some handle. He can shoot. If he is forced to adjust, he will adjust. He lost some out on some experience last year, but he is getting better and will emerge as a good contributing player at X.We've been working hard the whole year...we're staying focused and keeping it one game at a time. --Justin Cage
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11-29-2018, 06:59 PM #110
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How does one calculate the expected Kenpom score for matchups?
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