Is S2 underrating CJ?

[StumptownHoliday]

i'm confident about 3j because he has two useful skills: smarts and desire. he's a lot like dame when it comes to basketball. he has the same chip on his shoulder. i think he'll be a revelation.

 

[Draco]

Although I don't think C.J. has the size to be a starting SG or the skills to be a starting PG, I think he'll be fine as a back-up combo guard.

You make a lot of great points. I agree with these sentiments for the immediate future. But I think in the long term its ultimately a question of how effective of an NBA player CJ will be. Will he be an elite scorer? Will he be a competent defender? Does his offense create easier opportunities for teammates? Can he setup a respectable offense without another PG on the floor? All of these questions come back to a bottom line, is he a better player than our alternative options on the team.

I don’t think having a player come off the bench magically solves these shortcomings. If a player cannot be a starting PG because he has poor court vision and low awareness of teammates positioning he will have those problems on the bench. If a player gets torched on defense when he guards starting shooting guards he will be a defensive weak link for the team off the bench. How competent of an all around player will CJ be? That will ultimately determine his role and the number of minutes he plays. If he is far more effective than other teams players he will help the team.

Just because we have concerns about how CJ will fit doesn’t mean his ceiling is a 6th man. We could compare him to a different Piston of that era, Joe Dumars. Joe was a 6’3” undersized shooting guard in a league with much larger shooting guards than today but formed a lethal starting backcourt. Now days players, especially guards, don’t need to be as strong or physical, it’s a totally different game. Now I agree that for the immediate future it appears CJ role would best be as a player off the bench. But farther down the line if CJ is overall a great basketball player he has a chance of working his way into a role as a starter. If CJ has major flaws in his game having him come off the bench won't make those flaws disappear.

 

[jlprk]

McCollum played no better than the average Summer League scrub. He played PG and his playmaking skills sucked. He was advertised as a shooter but shot something like 35% on volume shooting.

A guard-dominated league, SL is sometimes a good predictor (especially for guards) and sometimes not (especially for forwards). One year earlier, Lillard had shone brightly in SL. I think that McCollum is no Lillard, and not a good enough shooter to be a starting 6-3 SG anytime in his career. But I hope I'm wrong.

 

[OneLifeToLive]

And here I am liking what I saw from him in summer league.

I did too.

 

[Reep]

He did show some good scoring skills in summer league, but his PG play was pretty discouraging. Lillard was way better out of the box his first summer. As long as you don't see him as a PG he could be a valuable player. He does seem to be a good fit coming off the bench.

I do share some of the fears that he is the dreaded tweener. Not big enough to rely on for long minutes at the 2, but without the distribution skills to play the 1. If you played him with Nic as the primary distributor that could work.

 

[Further]

When is he expected back?

 

[Wizard Mentor]

I don't agree with the concept that "preseason means nothing" and yet somehow it also means C.J. can't play PG.

 

[magnifier661]

I don't agree with the concept that "preseason means nothing" and yet somehow it also means C.J. can't play PG.

Well technically he didn't play in preseason, so you got a pass!

 

[riverman]

CJ is a talented rookie. He has not faced NBA defenders yet and defense is his weakness so far. If he contributes anything this season given his injury, it'll be a miracle. Once Stotts keeps winning, he's not going to experiment much from here on out. Hope the kid surprises me. He can create his own shot and he does have a high hoops IQ. We'll see Barton on the court before CJ gets much burn I think. Earl Watson is the better pt guard and CJ is a natural yet undersized 2 guard.

 

[OneLifeToLive]

I think he is going to be an offensive juggernaut in the mold of Montae Ellis and probably better. He is going to be able to play the two guard position and he will give Matthews a run for this starting position. If you look closely, there are several insiders who are a part of the organization and who are not a part of the organization who love this guy. And there is a reason for it.

Looking forward to the extra depth he is going to bring to the bench and team.