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@  HazeWinkle : (14 December 2013 - 06:02 AM) beverly!!!!!
@  HazeWinkle : (14 December 2013 - 05:58 AM) no asik
@  2016Champions : (14 December 2013 - 05:57 AM) These close games can't be good for my heart. Where the hell is everyone?
@  2016Champions : (14 December 2013 - 05:51 AM) Marreese Speights has 8 offensive rebounds in 15 minutes tonight. He has scored 12 in the 4th and there's still 5:30 left.
@  2016Champions : (14 December 2013 - 05:19 AM) Harden's dunking form looks like Lebron's
@  2016Champions : (14 December 2013 - 05:14 AM) Just noticed that the shot Dwight pulled out of a sky (that should have been a goaltend) wasn't recorded as a block
@  feelingsuper... : (14 December 2013 - 05:12 AM) Jones green, he's still just a baby. Next year he will be a bonafide starter.
@  2016Champions : (14 December 2013 - 05:09 AM) Why is Jones scared to shoot? If he's that wide open he needs to take that
@  2016Champions : (14 December 2013 - 05:08 AM) Asik is a better passer out of pick and rolls than Dwight is.
@  2016Champions : (14 December 2013 - 04:34 AM) Beverley's defense has more energy than it does impact
@  Ostrow : (14 December 2013 - 04:28 AM) Who needs a stretch 4. We got Dwight
@  blakecouey : (14 December 2013 - 04:23 AM) 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@  2016Champions : (14 December 2013 - 04:18 AM) If you go over the screen he gets to the basket, if you go under the screen he nails a 3.
@  2016Champions : (14 December 2013 - 04:17 AM) Harden is unstoppable when he's hitting 3's like this
@  2016Champions : (14 December 2013 - 04:15 AM) I thought he got hit on the head too
@  feelingsuper... : (14 December 2013 - 04:13 AM) Harden throw down!!!
@  2016Champions : (14 December 2013 - 04:04 AM) goal*
@  2016Champions : (14 December 2013 - 04:04 AM) Dwight and his goldtends -_-'
@  HazeWinkle : (14 December 2013 - 03:47 AM) this offense has no life early on
@  timetodienow... : (14 December 2013 - 02:41 AM) I don't click on ads. I don't want to get viruses. It's just an unwanted part of the internet.

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Force LaMarcus Aldridge inside?


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#1 Red94

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    Posted 12 December 2013 - 12:57 PM

    New post: Force LaMarcus Aldridge inside?
    By: rahat huq

    Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge has both a lower field goal percentage and true shooting percentage this season (despite having averaged more points per game) than he did last year.  But a look at his shot chart tells a different story.

    LaMarcus Aldridge shot chart '14

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The above depicts Aldridge's accuracy thus far this season.  Let's look at how he fared last year.

    LaMarcus Aldridge '13

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    This year, Aldridge has improved his shooting at almost every space just a step inside the perimeter.  Most notably from uptop and that left pocket, he's shooting 51% and 58%, respectively.  Paradoxically, his accuracy has gone way down near the free throw line distance from what it was last season.

    What does all of this mean?  The Rockets might fare better this year if they just let Aldridge post up from either block rather than letting him spot up.  More than that, one wonders if this is sustainable.  The knock on Aldridge from the stats community in the past was that he took more of "the worst shot in basketball" than any player in the league and shot at a clip lower than league average.  (Note the low '40's marks from last season.)  This year, those same shots are falling, making it, obviously, no longer an inefficient shot.  And with as well as he's fared from so far out, one also wonders why he hasn't experimented with taking another step or two out and increasing that expected value.  So it goes, I guess.

    Before the season started, Aldridge was the top choice for most as return in an Asik trade.  That's a moot point now as the former isn't going anywhere.  But at the time, I was against acquiring Aldridge (or thought Morey would be) because of that inefficiency.  At this point, Aldridge's shot charts throw that argument out the window.  Of course, they've also thrown out his availability.


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    #2 2016Champions

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    Posted 12 December 2013 - 11:12 PM

    Teams typically leave players open on long twos because the league average from 16-23ft is 38%--equivalent to 25% on 3pt shots. Last season Aldridge made only 41% of his long twos, and it definitely seems like he has improved his efficiency in that area this season enough that it's a problem for opposing teams. Being efficient in that area causes teams to change their defensive strategy, and I will be interesting to see how Kelvin Sampson changes his tonight. Personally I think Terrence Jones is really good at contesting jump shots so I'm not too worried, Portland are getting a true test tonight and they are going down.

    Edited by 2016Champions, 12 December 2013 - 11:14 PM.

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    "We're not satisfied with where we're at, but we're optimistic on where things will go from here" - Daryl Morey


    #3 Sir Thursday

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    Posted 12 December 2013 - 11:22 PM

    From what I've seen of Portland's play (which admittedly is not a whole lot), when Aldridge is shooting long twos it tends to be in pick-and-pop situations where he tends to get a chance to set his feet, whereas when he is shooting slightly closer he'll be in the post. It's all very well to say that we should try to get him to post up, but it's difficult to force him to do so in preference to taking long twos.

     

    Now, what the Rockets could do is try changing up their coverages a bit. Usually they try to play ice on side pick-and-rolls, but the problem with that strategy is that if the screener is a confident popper (and Aldridge is the current king of that) then he gets a free open shot as both of the two defenders are focused on the guard. Instead, perhaps they should try hedging. This will keep the big man closer to Aldridge to prevent him getting free for a long two (though it leaves them vulnerable to a dive to the hoop - have to trust the rotation, I guess), and hopefully should prevent the ball handler from getting to the middle too easily. 

     

    ST


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    #4 2016Champions

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    Posted 13 December 2013 - 03:37 AM

    The only thing that worries me are the corner 3's, we seem to have improved at defending them but can we be consistent? This game will be a true test for both teams.
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    "We're not satisfied with where we're at, but we're optimistic on where things will go from here" - Daryl Morey





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