talking about efficiency---among the bigs, it can really only get better. Small sample size warning...
So far, in 517 minutes (86 of the 96 per game allotted to the 4/5 position) Plumlee, Davis, Vonleh and Leonard have combined to go 60-122, or 49%. Not stellar, in fact the same percentage that Tex/Lopez/Kaman did last year (in 83 of the 96 4/5 minutes) in many more attempts (17.1-34.8/g last year vs. 10-20.2/g this year). But let's break those numbers down:
First, even though they're shooting way fewer shots per game, they're actually averaging more FTs/g than last year's crew (9.2 this year compared to 8.7 last year). So they're doing something that's getting them relatively efficient shots while drawing many more shooting fouls. Now, granted, they're only shooting 44% from FT
, they're doing something right by getting to the line much more frequently on a per-shot basis, and slightly more on a per-minute basis.
Second, check out this shot breakdown:
0-3': 26-39 (67%)
3-10': 21-37 (57%)
10-23': 10-19 (53%)
3pt: 3-27 (11%)
Obviously 3-27 from 3 is not good, and I don't think anyone's thinking that's how it's going to be for the rest of the year. But we're taking 50% more threes than mid-range J's, and
4x as many shots in the paint as from mid-range. And even the mid-range we
do take seem to be good shots, as they're shooting 53% on them (10-12% higher than every year Tex played for us...and higher than Dirk shot from mid-range in his MVP season). These guys (echoing a sentiment from the summer)
just don't take bad shots!
Everything good that they've done so far seems in line with their career progression and seems sustainable. The bad parts (<50% FT and 11% 3pt) seem only to be able to go up. Big-by-committee looks like an upgrade in efficiency, and by giving a bunch of Tex's midrange shots to be shots by CJ and Dame (drives and 3's), amazingly enough, team offensive efficiency is only slightly down from last year while TS% and eFG% are higher. Once a few 3's start to fall....watch out.
