Quote:
Originally Posted by Assani Fisher
I was starting to look at Rider recently....not a bad pick...lots of upside for sure.
KC, I disagree with you. JR definitely had enough skill to be "the man" in Minnesota. This isn't a Tom Googliotta or Zach Randolph type of guy who scores a ton on very bad efficiency on bad teams. JR's TS% in his first three years was 53.3%, 54.8%, and 55.0%.
I'm actually very surprised that SD posted his career TS%(which is greatly brought down by his later years) instead of focusing on the potential upside of Rider actually continuing his early career numbers.
Rider's problems were mental, not physical imo.
TS% isn't enough of an overall talent evaluator. And JR's issues being mental don't really disprove my statement. Nothing about his rookie or sophomore year say to me "this kid is gonna be a star". It could happen, but I doubt it. He shot OK, passed OK I guess, but he didn't do much else well. Mediocre rebounding, high TO rate, bad defensively.
Despite his limitations his usage was sky high and he was lauded as an up and coming star before it was really deserved. Perhaps if he landed on an established team he'd have developed a bit better. That's why I feel a bit sorry for him.
Durant the next JR? Probably not but wouldn't be the most shocking thing ever.