Post#103 » by Tim Lehrbach » Fri Apr 5, 2024 7:00 pm
AaronB wrote:Tim Lehrbach wrote:AaronB wrote:It's interesting that Blazer fans are so down on Scoot.
Whenever I saw Scoot play this year (not as often as I like), I liked what he was doing.
He played pretty well against the Magic this last week.
More importantly, it did not look like he was scared of the moment.
I would be bullish on Scoot long-term. I think he will be OK.
I think Scoot will be OK, too. As in, an OK player. Not an above-average one, let alone a star.
I agree with you about his attitude: he plays with confidence and tenacity, and the only reports we've gotten of his demeanor make him out to be a good teammate and a humble, hard worker. I like the guy a lot.
But the results so far have been atrocious. He can't shoot or finish inside, he has to monopolize the ball to initiate offense, and he's a turnover machine. The Blazers are dead-last in shooting, 28th in turnovers, and 29th in ORTG. His individual stats suck. His defense exhibits effort but little impact.
He's not good. He can work on the turnover economy and defense to become a respectable two-way game manager type point guard, but his scoring and playmaking show no signs of him developing into an elite point. He projects as a bench player or low-impact starter until he demonstrates otherwise.
Neither is Sharpe good. But at least you can squint and see the tools for a big jump in his game, if he works at it and gets some disciplined coaching.
I was accused of not being very sympathetic (probably true) earlier in this thread, but I would submit an example of a player that had the right attitude, but not the skills and that is Suggs. Suggs has become an outstanding player. Well above average and I don't care what people say about the stats. That guy can play.
If the attitude and the the make-up and the athletic ability are there, I think that Scoot has the opportunity to improve the way Suggs has improved. I liked what I saw attitude-wise when they played the Magic.
And, as a fan of both Scoot and the Blazers, I can appreciate the optimistic comparison to Suggs, a guy who doesn't post gaudy stats but helps a good team win games.
It's been a rough season. It's hard to feel positively about anybody playing for this horrific squad. But again, I like Scoot and will hope for the best, even though I'm skeptical.