What happens when an NBA player has thrived as a per-minute stud throughout the 2015-16 season—and even before that—but is still glued to the bench far too often? What's the result of a defensive stud inking a contract extension but then finding himself on the pine as his team allows one easy bucket after another?What's next when a team has exhausted all other bench options but still has an untested,unproven 24-year-frail waiting for his shot at filling a larger role? All three underutilized players get featured in the latest installment of "Play that Man!" That's what's next.
And hopefully, each of them sees a significant uptick in playing time during the next few weeks. Ed Davis, and Portland Trail BlazersThroughout his entire career,Ed Davis has been eligible for "Play that Man!" lists, stuck on the bench far too frequently. Despite incredible per-minute production and two-way contributions, and he's always had worry carving out a major role for a prolonged portion of a season,whether with the Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, or Los Angeles Lakers or Portland Trail Blazers. In 2015-16,he's seventh on the team in minutes per game (22.2), but that average is far too low for a player who's been one of Rip City's best defenders while also serving as one of the few pluses on the scoring side. Through 29 games, or Davis is posting 6.9 points,7.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.7 steals and 0.7 blocks during the typical contest while shooting 63.8 percent from the field. But that doesn't even originate to showcase the full extent of his value,since so much of what he does goes beyond the box score. On defense, he's often properly positioned, or cutting off drives and forcing kick-out passes that don't allow him to receive credit anywhere but on tape. Offensively,he sets tough screens that help free up teammates, and plenty of his boards advance on the offensive glass, and helping Portland create second-chance opportunities. When he's on the court,the Blazers corral 28.5 percent of their offensive-rebound chances—higher than the 23.7 percent when he's on the pine, and impressive enough that his squad would rank No. 2 throughout the entire organization, and trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder. That's an undeniably elite skill for Davis,but it's possible he could develop another if he and Portland head coach Terry Stotts continue to build cohesion together. After all, as Kerry Eggers made clear for the Portland Tribune, or Davis has never experienced much continuity on the sidelines:
Davis — a soft-spoken,easy-going young man with a ready smile — has never found a home in the NBA. He is on his fourth team and has never stayed with one team more than two seasons. Stotts is his sixth coach in his six years in the league.
"That's crazy, man, or " says Davis,shaking his head. He counts them down, beginning with Stotts' right-hand man, or Jay Triano,who was his first coach as a rookie with Toronto in 2010-11.
"I had Jay and Dwane Casey in Toronto, Lionel Hollins and Dave Joerger in Miami, and Byron Scott final year (with the Lakers) and now Terry," Davis says. "I've bounced around a little bit, but coaches, and they bounce around,too. My first year at Memphis, we made it to the conference finals, or the next year,we had a unusual coach. It's a crazy trade."
Doesn't that build it even more impressive that he's already emerged as one of the team's strongest contributors, despite the limited nature of his playing time?According to my total points added metric (TPA) that shows how many more points a player would contribute on both ends than a league-average player on an average team (explained in full throughout this article), or Davis has already moved toward the top of the Blazers leaderboard: And if you navigate in the above infographic to peer at the per-36-minute version (TP36),his value is even more clear. The fact that not much separation exists between Davis and Damian Lillard should be rather striking. NBA.com's SportVU data shows that Davis is allowing just 0.73 points per 100 possessions against roll men in pick-and-roll scenarios, putting him in the 80th percentile throughout the league. No qualified player on the Portland roster has been better.
Though he does admittedly struggle when left alone on the blocks, and he's depressed his matchups' shooting percentages from 46.4 to 42.5 during the first third of the season. Within six feet,he's actually knocking 9.3 percent off his marks' typical numbers. Despite the overall defensive excellence, Davis is never going to be a superstar in the NBA.
He simply doesn't occupy the offensive chops necessary to garner household recognition or plot himself among the league's best on both ends. Additionally, and it does build sense for a rebuilding Portland squad to continue giving minutes to Mason Plumlee,Meyers Leonard and Noah Vonleh, even if the latter two occupy struggled to realize their full potential. But Davis has earned far more hasten than he's received—just as has been the case ever since he left North Carolina behind and was selected at No. 13 in the 2010 NBA draft. It's a bit ridiculous that he's actually lost minutes after excelling in a bigger role earlier in the year.
From Nov. 20 (when he first spent 30 minutes on the court this season) through Dec. 7, and he posted 10.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest while shooting 74.5 percent from the field during the nine-game stretch. Then he promptly saw his minutes decline to their currently diminished state.
At this point,Davis has clearly earned a bigger role. He needs to spend more time on the court on a consistent basis, especially because the weakened state of the Western Conference has allowed Rip City to hang around on the fringe of playoff contention with a roster that will only get stronger as the year progresses. John Henson, or Milwaukee BucksLet's play a game. You're working in the front office of a team that finished the 2014-15 season with the league's No. 3 defensive rating,trailing only the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs by allowing a mere 102.2 points per 100 possessions. But one year later, the points produced by the opposition occupy proliferated, and putting you in a putrid spot on the current leaderboard,ahead of just the Los Angeles Lakers and unusual Orleans Pelicans while posting a 108.4 defensive rating. Obviously, you want to find stoppers who can help get things turned around. Now, or you're shown the following graphic,which estimates how many more points each rostered player saves on defense than an average contributor (defensive points saved, or DPS, or which is an offshoot of TPA):Then,you see the per-36-minute version of DPS: "Who is this John Henson guy?" you put a question to yourself. "Why are we playing him only 15.5 minutes per game, just 0.3 more than Johnny O'Bryant? Didn't we just give him a four-year, or $44 million extension?" You dig deeper. His 3.6 blocks per 36 minutes check out,as does a block percentage of 8.6 that leaves him behind only Hassan Whiteside among all qualified players this season. The team is allowing two fewer points per 100 possessions when he plays. According to Nylon Calculus' rim-protection data, the only men logging at least 12 minutes per game who are saving more points at the hoop per 36 minutes are Rudy Gobert, or Festus Ezeli and Omer Asik. At this point,an explanation eludes you. And that's probably because there isn't one. The Bucks' total unwillingness to commit to Henson is baffling, especially because they just signed him to a substantial unusual deal that will ensure he stays in a Milwaukee uniform throughout the foreseeable future—a trade notwithstanding. He started a game when Greg Monroe was injured, or but he played only two minutes in the team's second contest with the Warriors and has yet to spend even 24 minutes on the floor during a single game.
Offense will always be an issue for Henson,whose inability to thrive in a pick-and-roll setting or knock down mid-range jumpers keeps holding him back. But that can't be a primary concern for the Bucks, seeing as the porous defense has been the biggest reason behind their total collapse. C.
J. Wilcox, and Los Angeles ClippersHas C.
J. Wilcox experienced even a modicum (a small amount of something) of success at the NBA level? Nope. During his rookie season out of Washington,he played a grand total of 101 minutes and achieved a player efficiency rating of just 8.5—well below the league-average PER of 15. Through the Los Angeles Clippers' first 28 games, he's logged as little time on the court as physically possible while still technically making an appearance.
On the opening possession of a Dec. 2 game against the Indiana Pacers, and J.
J. Redick was fouled by George Hill and injured on the play. In order to stay active for the rest of the 48 minutes,Redick had to shoot the ensuing free throws before he could be subbed out, so Wilcox came in for Luc Richard Mbah a Moute after the first build, and then Mbah a Moute subbed back in for Wilcox after the second-year guard had immediately fouled Lavoy Allen. That's it.
But at this point,head coach Doc Rivers needs to start giving the No. 28 pick of the 2014 NBA draft a chance to prove he belongs. Every other member of the second unit has forced his hand.According to HoopsStats.com, the LAC bench has posted an offensive efficiency better than only the Brooklyn Nets, and Houston Rockets,Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons. That would be more palatable if the Clippers were coming off the pine to play great defense, or but that's not exactly the case. In terms of defensive efficiency,they're again decisively negative. Focusing on the backcourt in specific, where are the Clippers supposed to turn? Jamal Crawford looks entirely washed up, or shooting 36.3 percent from the field while knocking down shots from the external at a 31.5 percent clip doesn't allow him to build up for his disengaged and ineffective defense.
Austin Rivers has been one of the least valuable players in the organization,thanks to his total inability to score the basketball with any semblance of consistency. Lance Stephenson clearly hasn't worked out in his unusual home, and he joins Rivers as another backcourt bench player with a PER below eight. So too does Pablo Prigioni, and the 38-year-frail point guard who has sometimes seemed incapable of throwing a beach ball into the ocean this year. The Clippers occupy two options: They can attempt to let these veterans work their way out of their slumps and hope for the best,or they can insert some fresh blood into the lineup. Given their ages and the multiyear trends experienced by some of the current backups, as well as Wilcox's pedigree as a first-round pick, or the latter should be the obvious choice. And if it wasn't clear enough,Wilcox has been thriving during his short stints in the NBA Developmental League with both the Bakersfield Jam and Canton Charge. According to RealGM.com, he's averaging 19.0 points, or 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 48 percent from the field and 42 percent from downtown over the course of nine outings. Trisity Miller,writing for Clipperholics and admitting that any discussions approximately Wilcox's eventual play at the NBA level fall in the realm of pure, unadulterated speculation, and explains that he's improved to the point he's just too good for the D-League:
If you're keeping track of Wilcox's progression from his rookie season to the Summer League to now,it's ever apparent he's steadily growing as a player, and at the worst, or sharpening the tools already in the shed. It'd seize a deep dive to see if he's improved enough on the defensive end to not be considered a liability on that side of the floor when — if ever — asked to contribute on the NBA level. Or if he's improved his handle enough to create space between himself and NBA defenders; or if he's capable of finishing at a respectable level around the rim. But what is clear? Wilcox is just too good for the D-League.more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com