End of season thoughts on Goran

[carey]

My opinion on this kid has changed quite a bit since the beginning of the season. He's got a bit of confidence going now and I really like what he is showing lately. He's big and quick, and I do think if he continues to develop he'll be a future starter. He looks like he can already put up 10 & 5 just about every night if given the minutes which is pretty great for a 2nd round foreign player.

I'd like to read your thoughts on him now and maybe what you thought at the beginning of the season as well. Also what player do you think he currently plays like? I think he reminds me a little of Manu Ginobli minus the whole flopping business. Nice outside stroke with quick release & can get to the rim. Seems a little out of control at times though.

 

[Mainstreet]

He is exactly where he should be for a rookie second round draft pick that played in the European system. I think he will just get better. Maybe he will become a starter, maybe not, but he will definitely help the Suns at PG.

 

[Suns_fan69]

I've actually been impressed with his rebounding for his size. In the relatively few games I've seen him play in he does an admirable job of getting after those offensive boards.

I think he's definitely shown signs of life. He needs to pick his spots better on defense (else he'll foul out of many games) and work on his right hand when dribbling in traffic. I agree though, for a 2nd round foreign player he is doing quite well.

 

[Sunburn]

The first time he played for the suns, he didn't do anything right. I couldn't believe Kerr had gone after him like he did. It shook my confidence in the entire Suns organization watching Dragic play early on. Now, I am maybe seeing what Kerr saw in him before the draft last year. I find I look forward to seeing him play more than anyone else on the team right now. Watching him blossom has been truly amazing. It's still a bit early to tell, but if he keeps it up, he will be a very solid player.

 

[Errntknght]

He's great for a #45 pick... looks like he'll stick in the league at least. Handle is shaky in traffic - high dribble for one thing - and he gets himself in more traffic than he can deal with. Pretty good court vision - on offense. On defense his awareness needs lots of work - not only do screens surprise him oftentimes, he doesn't seem to know where help might be coming from.

Early on it was pretty clear he nervous as the devil. I figured if he'd get some confidence he'd, at least, shoot okay and that has proven to be the case. His passing has sharpened up, too.

 

[overseascardfan]

My opinion on this kid has changed quite a bit since the beginning of the season. He's got a bit of confidence going now and I really like what he is showing lately. He's big and quick, and I do think if he continues to develop he'll be a future starter. He looks like he can already put up 10 & 5 just about every night if given the minutes which is pretty great for a 2nd round foreign player.

I'd like to read your thoughts on him now and maybe what you thought at the beginning of the season as well. Also what player do you think he currently plays like? I think he reminds me a little of Manu Ginobli minus the whole flopping business. Nice outside stroke with quick release & can get to the rim. Seems a little out of control at times though.

Kind of reminds me of Beno Udrich, just an inch taller.

 

[arwillan]

Can't say i'm not happy with the progression he's made. for where he was picked, he's doing just fine. When i watch him play, i can't help but hope he does good things and cheer for him when he does. I hope he sticks around and gets more time to develop here.

 

[Hat]

I am very pleased with him, especially of how quick he is adjusting to the game. I can see him being a good starter in a couple years, a mix between Udrih and a Parker. His shooting, especially from the 3, has really improved which is good. I saw flashes of him while Porter played him for the few minutes he did, and was probably the only one saying he has some great talent that just needs a confidence boost.

Things he needs to work on in the offseason is his ball handling, dealing with double teams and congestion in the key, and pull up jumpers. I'm not too worried about his overall shooting or passing as he seems to do fine in that area.

 

[binkar]

I honestly don't know what I thought about him previous to the season, I just know I bought into the hype and had high hopes for him. I think Dragic has made some big strides in the last month and is slowly (though he still has a ways to go) turning into a starter at point guard. The problem is that as Suns fans we are spoiled with always having star point guards (KJ, Kidd, Marbury, Nash etc.) and I don't think it's really fair to expect that from Dragic. I think he does everything well but nothing amazing (though his dribbling is a bit below average for a point guard at this point). He rebounds well for a point guard, sees the floor well and makes good passes, shoots the ball fairly well, can penetrate and either finish or draw the foul, plays good man and zone defense, and is great in transition. I will even say that if Dragic turns out to be a starting point guard, he will have a few triple doubles in his career. He won't be the next all-star point guard in Phoenix, but I think he will be a very solid player in this league.

 

[PoolBoy]

he was TERRIBLE early on. he's been productive lately.

 

[HooverDam]

He's made nice progress, I wouldnt be totally opposed to him starting next year if the Suns got rid of Nash. He probably needs another year or two in a back up role though, but getting more minutes than he did this year.

 

[mojorizen7]

I think it's apparent that he needed a coach that would let him live & learn by doing.
Gentry's highly publicized comments of telling Dragic to "go out there and just play but the moment you look over to the sideline (when you make a mistake) I'm taking you out!" was a simple stroke of coaching genius. Dragic needs to start IMO. Give him the reigns and ask him to lead men. His timidness & mentality to just fit in is his only weakness right now. IMO this kid can shoot,distribute,and defend.....sitting him behind a future HOF'r for the next 2 years would be a mistake IMO.
Next year should be Dragic's year to grow by learning to succeed and fail AND be held accountable for that.

 

[SirStefan32]

I think it's apparent that he needed a coach that would let him live & learn by doing.
Gentry's highly publicized comments of telling Dragic to "go out there and just play but the moment you look over to the sideline (when you make a mistake) I'm taking you out!" was a simple stroke of coaching genius. Dragic needs to start IMO. Give him the reigns and ask him to lead men. His timidness & mentality to just fit in is his only weakness right now. IMO this kid can shoot,distribute,and defend.....sitting him behind a future HOF'r for the next 2 years would be a mistake IMO.
Next year should be Dragic's year to grow by learning to succeed and fail AND be held accountable for that.

I couldn't agree more. Throw him in the starting lineup and let him sink or swim.
My guess is that he'll swim. One thing I really like about Dragic is that he plays D. His shooting has really improved and he can drive to the hoop. The biggest issue with Dragic is lack of confidence, and dribbling, which probably comes from lack of confidence. Let the kid start and see what he can do.

 

[TJ]

I think it's apparent that he needed a coach that would let him live & learn by doing.
Gentry's highly publicized comments of telling Dragic to "go out there and just play but the moment you look over to the sideline (when you make a mistake) I'm taking you out!" was a simple stroke of coaching genius. Dragic needs to start IMO. Give him the reigns and ask him to lead men. His timidness & mentality to just fit in is his only weakness right now. IMO this kid can shoot,distribute,and defend.....sitting him behind a future HOF'r for the next 2 years would be a mistake IMO.
Next year should be Dragic's year to grow by learning to succeed and fail AND be held accountable for that.

He should not start yet. He wasn't even given the reigns of back up until Porter was fired. He needs one full season of confidence from the coaching staff to prepare him for the next step. The Suns have a rich history of great point guards and one prime example was Nash. He waited a couple of seasons before he turned into a perennial all star and a 2 time MVP.

 

[Shzm13]

Mvp09-10

 

[mojorizen7]

I'm not convinced that Nash has any interest in mentoring Dragic at this point. He never seemed that enthusiastic about it in the first place IMO. I have no facts, just a hunch.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

I couldn't agree more. Throw him in the starting lineup and let him sink or swim.
My guess is that he'll swim. One thing I really like about Dragic is that he plays D. His shooting has really improved and he can drive to the hoop. The biggest issue with Dragic is lack of confidence, and dribbling, which probably comes from lack of confidence. Let the kid start and see what he can do.

Even when he was playing bad, I have always said he was a good positional defender. His long arms bother other PGs.

 

[Skkorpion]

I like his defense, vision, court awareness and hustle. He's got upside. We'll see.

 

[TBaslim]

The kid has lots of potential. Definitely needs a year or two as backup to Nash with more minutes over time, and then should be a really good starting PG. I think he can be an All-Star someday if he plays to his potential.

 

[Mainstreet]

Dragic made one behind the back pass near the basket at full speed that left me amazed.



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[cly2tw]

I think it's apparent that he needed a coach that would let him live & learn by doing.
Gentry's highly publicized comments of telling Dragic to "go out there and just play but the moment you look over to the sideline (when you make a mistake) I'm taking you out!" was a simple stroke of coaching genius. Dragic needs to start IMO. Give him the reigns and ask him to lead men. His timidness & mentality to just fit in is his only weakness right now. IMO this kid can shoot,distribute,and defend.....sitting him behind a future HOF'r for the next 2 years would be a mistake IMO.
Next year should be Dragic's year to grow by learning to succeed and fail AND be held accountable for that.

Actually, he has something quite Ginobili-like in changing length and direction of his driving steps with hesitation moments to shake defenders into imperfect angles. His shooting form is a little like Ginobili too, LOL.