Strawberry

[azirish]

Note: Through Friday, Strawberry is ranked 3rd in assists, 5.7, despite not playing point guard in the first game where he had only 1. In the second game he had 7 and last night he had 9. He ranked well above Conley, Crittendon, Jared, etc.

http://www.nba.com/suns/news/strawberry_ooo_070713.html

One-on-One with D.J. Strawberry



Posted: July 13, 2007


With some first-hand experience on the matter, D.J. Strawberry knows as well as anybody just how deep the 2007 NBA Draft was last month. The talented youngster was selected by the Suns in the second round of a draft class that was been labeled one of the best ever.

After following up a standout high school career with four solid years at the University of Maryland, where he averaged 10.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 111 career games, the guard enters his first foray in the NBA’s Summer League.

Suns.com caught up with Strawberry after a solid 19-point performance alongside fellow Summer Suns rookie Alando Tucker against the Philadelphia 76ers in Las Vegas.

Suns.com: You're having some solid performances here in Vegas. Marcus Banks had a record-setting night the other night, but with him out as of late, it was the two rookies who’ve paced this team.

D.J. Strawberry: Yeah, we knew he was going to be out, so we knew we would have to play even better. So, we just tried to come out and play our game and get a win for the team.

Suns.com: You had a nice opening game the other night, including a dunk that brought the house down, but did you have any first-game jitters?

Strawberry: Just a little bit. Now I’ve got the first one out of the way, and I felt more confident today. I just went out and played and had fun. The first summer league game I kind of got a little nervous, a little antsy. But, now it's just time to play basketball and do it how I've been doing my whole life.

Suns.com: Speaking of being nervous and antsy, you must have felt a little bit the same way waiting for your name to be called on draft night. How good did it feel to know it was the Suns that tabbed you?

Strawberry: Oh, man, it felt great! The Phoenix Suns, they're a great organization. When I came to work out for them, everybody was so nice, and I just felt comfortable here. I was so glad when the Suns called me and picked me. It was just an unbelievable experience for me right there in those minutes.

Suns.com: What will you bring to the table for the Suns?

Strawberry: My defensive efforts, and I can play most of the positions defensively and offensively. I feel I'm getting better offensively. My offensive game is starting to come along. It's going to take a lot of work and a lot of time in the gym, but I feel I can bring a lot to this team.

Suns.com: Joakim Noah said he had a hard time stepping out of his famous dad's shadow. How about you with your dad, former baseball player Darryl Strawberry?

Strawberry: It was pretty easy for me because I just chose another sport, just like Noah did. It wasn't that hard because everyone knew he was my dad, but it was all about me on the basketball court. I just tried to distance myself. That's why I let everybody call me D.J. now. I've tried to distance myself as far as I can from my dad so that I can be my own person.
I’m just going to continue to play my game and play hard every time I step on the court. I have to go out and show them what I can do and show them that I'm worthy of a spot.

nbadraft.net ranked him 45th
http://www.nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/djstrawberry.html

NBA Comparison: Kendall Gill (less scoring ability)

Strengths: Has worked hard this past season to become a more consistent three point shooter … Ball handling ability and foot speed allow him to effectively take defenders off the dribble … Perimeter defense is among the best in the college ranks … Physically he possesses the tools of an elite defender … Quick hands, anticipation skills and great lateral movement … Does a great job of disrupting passing lanes … What may be even more impressive is his ability to effectively deny his man the ball out on the perimeter … Court vision enables him to see the floor well … Unselfish player who will look consistently for open teammates … Quality rebounder for his position where his athleticism and long arms aid him greatly … Moves well without the ball constantly attempts to run off screens and makes good cuts to the basket … Great NBA ready body that will enable him the comfort of adding more weight without sacrificing any speed … Possesses great body control on his drives … Plays the game with emotion and will display his competitive spirit in the heat of battle … First step allows him to gain separation from his defender … Feel for the game is advanced … Versatile guard able to rotate over and play the point guard position for a short time, as he showed taking over the position for his entire junior season … Excellent finisher in transition …

Weaknesses: Remains an inconsistent shooter from the perimeter … Can loose his confidence offensively if his shot isn’t falling early on … When this happens it’s uncommon for Strawberry to defer to teammates … Has the ability to create off the dribble but struggles to convert off the dribble … Tends to struggle when he has to play in a half court set as teams will often play him for his perimeter shot … Tends to force the action a bit as he will shoot difficult attempts … Must continue to improve his shooting off the dribble from mid-range … Must continue to improve upon protecting the ball when dribbling in traffic … Defensively Strawberry will at times overplay his man trying to gain easy steals … The result is that he often is out of position to effectively defend his assignment … Doesn’t finish at times after contact in the lane … Lacks the explosiveness to get his shot off over bigger opponents … Could be smaller than his listed 6-foot-5 ...

Notes: Son of former New York Mets star Darryl Strawberry.
Matthew Maurer - 3/18/2007

 

[Diamondback Jay]

From what my one friend, who's a devout Maryland fan, says-- Strawberry's Raja Bell, minus the three point ability.

I'll take that defense at the point guard position, coming off the bench. Plus, I genuinely want to see this kid succeed.

 

[Gee!]

Suns.com: Joakim Noah said he had a hard time stepping out of his famous dad's shadow.

I still have no idea who joakim's dad is, I heard he's famous but not a clue what for though...

 

[Diamondback Jay]

I still have no idea who joakim's dad is, I heard he's famous but not a clue what for though...

He was a pretty big name tennis player back in the 80s.

 

[Gee!]

He was a pretty big name tennis player back in the 80s.

oh, lol.. no wonder..

 

[azirish]

He was a pretty big name tennis player back in the 80s.

I'm sure he was not as big a name in the USA as Strawberry was. In many ways DJ is well off that he was not drafted by the Nets or even worse the Knicks.

 

[Errntknght]

Yannick Noah is Joakim's father - he became a national hero in France for winning the French Open in the early '80s. If I recall correctly no Frenchman had won that title in many years. That was by far the pinnacle of his tennis career. I read someplace that he had a modestly successful career as a popular musician in France after tennis.

 

[Hugh D'Man]

Half of Darryl's fame was in the form of a rap sheet. The guy stepped in a big pile of sh#t...then kept walking back through it, again and again. No wonders why DJ desires separation.

Meanwhile, Yannick is now a pop star (no kidding) and keeps pretty good company

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[Gee!]

Yannick Noah is Joakim's father - he became a national hero in France for winning the French Open in the early '80s. If I recall correctly no Frenchman had won that title in many years. That was by far the pinnacle of his tennis career. I read someplace that he had a modestly successful career as a popular musician in France after tennis.

So Joakims father is French? lol.. I heard his mom was a miss sweden or something.. So this dude acting like some thug and claiming nyc as his home isnt even American? Word? lol

 

[Gee!]

I find it weird that DJ's father was wrapped up in drugs and prison yet DJ seems to have a good head on his shoulders where as Joakims parents are rich forgeiners and he acts like some kinda wanna be thug..

 

[sunsfn]

So Joakims father is French? lol.. I heard his mom was a miss sweden or something.. So this dude acting like some thug and claiming nyc as his home isnt even American? Word? lol

What did he do that makes you think he is acting like a thug?

Noah was born in New York City in February of 1985, two years after his father Yannick won the French Open. He moved to France at age 3, and lived there for the next ten years before coming back to New York City as a 5-11 point guard. From the ages of 9 through 15 he attended John Thompson's summer camps at Georgetown. In New York, he played at Poly Prep in Brooklyn for his first three years of high school, growing to 6-2 as a sophomore, 6-5 as a junior, and 6-10 as a senior. He went to the ABCD camp in the summer after his junior year, and it was here that he exploded onto the recruiting scene, going from being considered a likely mid-major prospect and project player before to being recruited by all the heavyweights of college basketball. Playing well with the Long Island Panthers AAU team over the summer also helped his cause. For his senior year he moved to Lawrenceville Prep in Princeton, N.J, where he helped his team beat JR Smith’s team twice to win the state championship. He committed to Billy Donovan early in his senior year at 6-10, 200 pounds.

 

[Bufalay]

What did he do that makes you think he is acting like a thug?

he talks like Jamie kennedy in malibu's most wanted

 

[hafey]

Speech pattern make someone a thug? That seems like a pretty misinformed conclusion.

 

[hcsilla]

Yannick Noah is Joakim's father - he became a national hero in France for winning the French Open in the early '80s. If I recall correctly no Frenchman had won that title in many years. That was by far the pinnacle of his tennis career. I read someplace that he had a modestly successful career as a popular musician in France after tennis.

Correct. It's interesting that for Noah as an excellent serve-volley player the French Open was the least likely Grand Slam Tournament to win - at least experts thought so until Noah proved them wrong...
Similar like Agassi in Wimbledon.

I have never heard about DJ's father but every single average european sportsfan over 35 does know who Yannick Noah is.

 

[azirish]

Back to DJ, he had great stats tonight against the Blazers: 27 poings, 10-18 from the floor, 1 of 1 for three, and 8 assists. He did have 6 turnovers, but I'd expect that for a guy who has not been with his teammates long. After tonight's game, he now ranked second in the Las Vegas league in assists at 6.2.

I know it's early days, but it is hard not get pretty excited about his progress so far.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

i hate to be a wet blanket, and it's nice to see him doing well, but let's keep this in perspective . . . he was the 59th pick in the draft, his outside - an ABSOLUTE MUST in coach d's system - is suspect at best, and he's a rookie who played on a maryland team that made very little noise during his tenure there. if we're relying on strawberry to spell nash this season we're betting on a losing proposition. love to stash him and continue his development, but depending on him for anything of substance this year? eh, color me "not-so-much."

and i think it's funny some americans don't know who yannick noah is. even as a cursory tennis fan (and certainly not one during his playing days) i recognize the name and remember him being one of the few black tennis stars with dreads back in the day. and it's funny to me to hear hscilla mention that he's unfamiliar with darryl considering how great darryl's career started off, his press notoriety, all the infamous acts between himself and doc gooden, etc. just reminds us how provincial the world STILL was prior to the internet. i'd be surprised if kids growing up today would say the same thing about a nadal or a barry bonds 15 years from now.

 

[slinslin]

Nobody in europe cares about baseball, internet or not, rightfully so I will say.

Strawberry looks like the biggest steal in the draft. Save the game Banks dominated he is averaging 20/8 so far.

 

[Bufalay]

Speech pattern make someone a thug? That seems like a pretty misinformed conclusion.

no, speech content can make one sound like a wannabe thug.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Nobody in europe cares about baseball, internet or not, rightfully so I will say.

Strawberry looks like the biggest steal in the draft. Save the game Banks dominated he is averaging 20/8 so far.

do you know who barry bonds is? will you remember who he is in 10 years? point proven.

and you're awfully excited about summer play. i'm happy to see he doesn't suck at that level, but it's awfully early to be calling him a "steal."

 

[azirish]

i hate to be a wet blanket, and it's nice to see him doing well, but let's keep this in perspective . . . he was the 59th pick in the draft, his outside - an ABSOLUTE MUST in coach d's system - is suspect at best, and he's a rookie who played on a maryland team that made very little noise during his tenure there. if we're relying on strawberry to spell nash this season we're betting on a losing proposition. love to stash him and continue his development, but depending on him for anything of substance this year? eh, color me "not-so-much."

Baring injuries, it sounds like they expect to use Hill as the backup point guard. So unless there is a huge change in how D'Atnoni coaches, this year is not really the issue. The issue is whether Strawberry is going to be groomed to become a Billips type point guard.

Coro's comments on Strawberry and Tucker are directly related to their shooting:

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PaulCoro/3447

...the Suns mainly want those guys to get used to the system Phoenix plays. Phil Weber's most common words this week have been "let's go" and "get wide." It's important those guys establish some confidence in being willing to shoot even if they're not going yet because we all know the offense can't afford for someone to hesitate. While Marcus Banks' shooting in his 42-point game could help, the Suns have him in Vegas so that could better learn how to run a team. We know he can dominate league wannabes but the Suns want to see his decision-making improve and for him to engage his teammates. For all of them, pressure defense is also a theme the coaches wanted to establish this week. In that regard, Alando Tucker and D.J. Strawberry are way ahead for rookies. That's the beauty of a four-year player. Of course, if their shots were more trusty, they wouldn't have been four-year players.

Clearly both Tucker and Strawberry are going to have to speend the summer working on their shooting.Raja is a guy who jumped from 27.3% for three in 2001-02 to 41.2% in 2002-03. Joe Johnson was not much of a shooter in his first three season:

2001-02 42.0% and 33.3% for three 9.6 ppg
2002-03 39.7% and 36.6% for three 9.8 ppg
2003-04 43.0% and 30.5% for three 16.7 ppg
2004-05 46.1% and 47.8% for three 17.1 ppg

It CAN be done, but they really have to stay at it.

 

[Mainstreet]

i hate to be a wet blanket, and it's nice to see him doing well, but let's keep this in perspective . . . he was the 59th pick in the draft, his outside - an ABSOLUTE MUST in coach d's system - is suspect at best, and he's a rookie who played on a maryland team that made very little noise during his tenure there. if we're relying on strawberry to spell nash this season we're betting on a losing proposition. love to stash him and continue his development, but depending on him for anything of substance this year? eh, color me "not-so-much."

I don't care if I get excited about Strawberry and fall flat on my face. The Suns drafting a SG at #59 in the draft that can play PG and defense is exciting. I don't care where a player is taken in the draft if he can play basketball. I remember a lot of picks taken earlier in the draft by the Suns that were more or less duds like William Bedford and Armon Gilliam. I think Hornacek was chosen near Strawberry's spot in the draft and look how he turned out... and Hornacek could not shoot a lick when he first arrived in Phoenix.

Keep the hope that the Suns at least may have seized the best steal in the draft in Strawberry not to mention Tucker. IMO, this is best time of year to watch young talent develop. It's almost like Christmas. Let's hope the Suns picked out the boxes with the best presents.

 

[panfolk]

If Strawberry turns into a capable player in the next couple years I won't be so pissed at the Suns for selling the rights to Rodriguez and passing up on Koponen. In my mind it was a blunder in both instances. I still wonder about Tucker's size as a forward...

 

[Mainstreet]

If Strawberry turns into a capable player in the next couple years I won't be so pissed at the Suns for selling the rights to Rodriguez and passing up on Koponen. In my mind it was a blunder in both instances. I still wonder about Tucker's size as a forward...

You may be right about Rodriguez and Koponen. Anyway, nothing can be done about it now. I'm trying to move forward and I'm glad the Suns have given me a couple of rookies to watch.

In regard to Tucker and Strawberry, as D'Antoni explained, there are three positions out there for them to play (1-3) so there's plenty of room for them to get minutes. If Raja can get minutes at forward maybe Tucker can too. Also playing small ball, this could be quite effective letting Raja get minutes at SF and Tucker at SG or vice versa. I don't worry about height as much as how a player plays his position... hopefully with some aggressive defense.

 

[Errntknght]

Mainstreet,

If Raja can get minutes at forward maybe Tucker can too.

I was just about to say that, at least, Tucker couldn't be a worse rebounder than Raja. But then I went and checked his Summer League stats - 10 rebounds in 131 minutes. Yikes, that 3.1 reb/40 min compared to Raja's 3.4. (For comparison the ave for SFs is 6.5 and no SF that got a significant number of minutes was less that 3.6.) Okay, it was only 4 games... I'm going to keep telling myself that, too.

 

[hcsilla]

do you know who barry bonds is? will you remember who he is in 10 years? point proven.

, I know Barry Bonds but I would have a very tough time if i had to name another 2 baseball players. As slinslin said, baseball is totally and absolutely unknown in Europe. The internet may have opened some eyes, though.

and you're awfully excited about summer play. i'm happy to see he doesn't suck at that level, but it's awfully early to be calling him a "steal."

I agree concerning Strawberry. He wasn't really an exciting prospect at college level either and played for an above average-nothing special NCAA team. He moved well and showed maturity in SL but I have some serious doubts about his pro career.