Strawberry Is Ripe With Anticipation

[fordronken]

http://www.nba.com/suns/news/strawberry_ripe_070828.html

 

[Rab]

LOL....that's a horrible title for the article.

I'm glad to have him on the team.

 

[azirish]

LOL....that's a horrible title for the article.

I'm glad to have him on the team.

Obviously he knows on this team, he has to hit open shots to be able to play. It is interesting hear his comments because they sound like he is quoting the coaches:

Even though I'm not going to see much time at point guard this season, I felt good about the time I spent at that position," he said. "I just need to continue to work on my ballhandling and decision-making."

In another thread I noted that the Suns wanted to add toughness

Hoping to add some defensive toughness and versatility to both positions in the backcourt,

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

I think everyone and their dog knows the suns want to add toughness.

 

[LavaLamp2]

I like what DJ brings to the Suns: athleticism, speed, strength, defense, point guard abilities. I hope there is someone on the staff who can help him work on his jumpers.

 

[azirish]

I like what DJ brings to the Suns: athleticism, speed, strength, defense, point guard abilities. I hope there is someone on the staff who can help him work on his jumpers.

Phil Weber is supposed to be pretty good. We'll get a chance to see during camp with Banks who had a poor reputation as a shooter in Boston. If his summer shooting carries over, it would suggest that Phil can teach anybody.

 

[Mainstreet]

I like what DJ brings to the Suns: athleticism, speed, strength, defense, point guard abilities. I hope there is someone on the staff who can help him work on his jumpers.

I could live with a modest shooting average if he can do the other things you mention. Just having a backup PG that can play some defense, distribute and not turn the ball over would be a huge plus.

IMO, most players can improve their shooting percentage especially given the open looks the Suns get.

 

[azirish]

I could live with a modest shooting average if he can do the other things you mention. Just having a backup PG that can play some defense, distribute and not turn the ball over would be a huge plus.

IMO, most players can improve their shooting percentage especially given the open looks the Suns get.

My read on shooting is that some guys have good strokes and can improve with practice and focus on things like setting their feet, not rushing the delivery, proper follow thorugh, etc. Guys like Marion with terrible strokes are extremely hard to help.

Of the two, I think Tucker will become a good shooter before Strawberry although I'd rather it be the other way around. Tucker shot 43% for three his freeman year before being moved inside as a PF his sophomore and Junior years. His senior year he was the team's only real offense threat and rarely if ever got an open look. The sad part about guys being forced to shoot is that it leads to bad habits which have to be "undone".

Strawberry has never been a good shooter, but offense was not what his coach wanted from him. "His stroke isn’t consistent enough for him to be a good shooter, but his shots fall when it looks smooth. This is indicative of a need for extra practice and game reps." http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=1076

It is always hard to tell if someone can be trained to be a good shooter. Eddie Johnson seems to think almost anyone can, but history shows that an awful lot of guys never learn to shoot in game conditions. It is reasonable to assume that the Suns believe they can train Tucker and Strawberry to become shooters since it is hard to imagine drafting them if they felt these guys are lost causes. Let's hope they are right.

 

[Errntknght]

The big question I have about Strawberry is whether he can keep the tempo up. Until there is evidence to the contrary I'm assuming D'Antoni meant it when he said his plan was to play at even higher speed this year and that he had learned he needs to play his bench more. DJ figures to be paired with Leandro a fair amount so its more a question of whether the two together can push the pace. If they can keep Mike happy in that regard, he might overlook the inevitable rookie mistakes.

I'm not entirely writing Banks off but he dug himself a big hole last year, particularly in Mike's eyes, so I don't see him being on anything but a short leash - and there's no evidence that Marcus can cope with that. Much as I hate to admit it, in a practical vein, Mike is right because a bench player who takes a quarter to get into the flow isn't very useful. I have faint hope that Humphries will take the view that Banks has to become a demon defender because there is a decent chance that he could perform at the defensive end the minute he stepped onto the floor. IIRC, Jay was a mediocre defender himself so isn't all that likely to see it as Banks' pathway to playing time.

I have much better hopes for Strawberry defending well right out of the box because he's never been a good shooter and knows he has to perform on defense. (Poor Marcus knows he can shoot well once he gets warmed up and few guys with that ability dedicate themselves to defense.)

 

[azirish]

One of the things about focusing on defense is that the player should be able to produce right out off the bench. Many shooters seem to need to get a "feel of the game", which is why a microwave like Leandro is so impressive.

My read on Humphries is that he will be working with Banks, Strawberrry, and Tucker on their offense. All of these guys have reputations for being better on defense than offense, which is very unusual for a BC/D'Antoni collection of players. The hardest part for these guys will be to learn to be "catch and shoot" oriented.

 

[Errntknght]

George,

One of the things about focusing on defense is that the player should be able to produce right out off the bench.

Believe it or not, that was my point.

 

[Lefty]

DJ is a nice player but he is not Nash's replacement in a few years.

 

[panfolk]

DJ is a nice player but he is not Nash's replacement in a few years.

Yeah, but the what if of having a long term quality backup is pretty nice.

 

[fordronken]

I'm hoping, in my wildest imagination, that DJ Strawberry can become what I thought Darren Collison would have been if he came out and was drafted by the Suns.

Collison was, to me, one of the few poing guards out there in college who, when he had the ball, you felt comfortable. He's also a great defender and fairly athletic. Collison is a better shooter and more experienced playmaker, and I think he's going to go in the lottery next year, where as if he had come out last year, he would have been in the late 20s.

Now, if DJ Strawberry can get a consistent jump shot and keep his head on straight, I think he could be a very solid, perfect back up point guard for this team in a year or two.