OK5O a scoring threat

[dav7z]

The Bobcats are looking to make OK50 a scoring threat down low . Saying 4 or 5 shot attemts is not near enough. Being the only low post threat. In my openion we should have went to the post more long ago.


http://www.charlotte.com/bobcats/story/341796.html

[spectre]

I applaud the fact that we're focusing on developing Mek's offensive game...but let's not fall into the trap of thinking we have this great post presence that we've not been utilizing. Mek doesn't pass well out of a double team nor is he near agressive enough to bully his way to the rim. His moves are kind of mechanical and you can tell he doesn't have a lot of confidence in his shot.

Don't blame that on him; having John Blair as our big guy coach set Mek back a couple years IMO. This was why I was so thrilled with our bringin in Mokeski.

[Muttley]

Great to hear he's working on offense,
no info on a contract, though...

[qchoops]

In theory, this is a good development - more shots for a guy who made 53% of them last year. But I have some reservations: Namely, in his rookie year, Emeka was looked to more on offense, to the tune of almost 14 attempts per game - but made only 45% of them. I seem to remember more forced shots, as he felt pressure to live up to the expectations on him.

This past season, he seemed more comfortable in the offense, with the reduced role, and I just wonder if he is too limited as an offensive player to expect him to be an 18 to 20 ppg scorer. I know that he has developed his game over the last couple of years, but those memories of his rookie year make me wonder if he will always be better suited as a secondary scorer. Additionally, putting the ball in his hands more times might not be great for the offense in other ways, as he is an average/slightly below average passer for a big man, with a 7.5 assist rate. For comparison's sake: Dwight Howard: 9.6...Shaq: 10.1...Amare: 5.2 (doing that in Phoenix is impressive, but not in a good way)

[dav7z]

Its got to help if he can just get up 10 to 12 shots it would open a lot of things up. Agreed John Blair was no big man coach. It would be better if he embraced contact. That would add 10 pts per game.

[dav7z]

Its got to help if he can just get up 10 to 12 shots it would open a lot of things up. Asreed John Blair was no big man coach. It would be better if he embraced contact. That would add 10 pts per game.

[Wallace15]

If Oak averaged 14 points last year then I don't see why he can't average around 17-18 ppg with a few more shots per game. This is a good thing. He's already a beast of defense. Why not improve his offense and make him a bigger threat overall as a player.

[chabber]

He didn't have a problem last November when he seemed to be a focus in our offense and was averaging right at 17ppg with a 54 FG%. He was taking 13 FGAPG and only shot 48% from the FT line and still got 17ppg. Then all of the sudden it was like we just went away from him in the offense and stopped giving him the ball as much in the post.

I'm not saying he can score 18-20ppg over a whole season but finding out if he can will only start if Felton and Touche do their job. I'd really like to know if Mek has it in him.

[spectre]

He didn't have a problem last November when he seemed to be a focus in our offense and was averaging right at 17ppg with a 54 FG%. He was taking 13 FGAPG and only shot 48% from the FT line and still got 17ppg. Then all of the sudden it was like we just went away from him in the offense and stopped giving him the ball as much in the post.

I'm not saying he can score 18-20ppg over a whole season but finding out if he can will only start if Felton and Touche do their job. I'd really like to know if Mek has it in him.


Interesting post...enough so that I've been pouring over the game logs for the last hour! He did look best in that stretch right til the end of November, but his season is peppered with great games intertwined with mediocre ones.

I don't know that it's the PG's fault (any of them) so much as Mek's inconsistency...along with a coach that sucked at game strategy. As we all know Felton and Mek had a give and go play that worked almost every time, but I don't think I saw it 3 times after Mek came back from injury.

How many shots should he realistically get? Is that a set amount (no less than 12 a game) or should it depend on the game situation?

That tear he had...didn't he say that it'd been bothering him for a while? Any idea when it first occured.

Brett, care to analyze this and find the culprit?

[chabber]

Besides the stats above I'm mainly going on memory of the games. That November we were really trying to set Mek up. If he didn't have position he'd send it back out and we'd get it back to him. He was hitting those bank shots over Dwight/Duncan and anyone else who guarded him. He was also making quick moves and being assertive instead of holding the ball in the post when he first received it to gauge the defense. Then he'd react to the defensive player instead of finishing the robotic moves in his head like he used to do. I remember a lot of this specifically because that pre-season he was playing so bad me, fats and slam got in a discussion about how he'll never develop a post game because he doesn't have the instincts, is too soft and looks robotic. Then no less than a month later he was blowing my mind showing a post game I never thought he'd have.

Then we mysteriously stopped making an effort to get him the ball. Now you can also check the win column but we started off very badly last season and maybe the coaches went away from him because of it? Maybe it was just Raymond and Knight who imo both struggled to get Mek the ball all year in good scoring positions. Either way to me the type of shots he was taking in November were not the same types of looks he was getting consistently the rest of the season. For instance like you said we were running that Pick and Roll with he and Felton in late Dec/Jan pretty frequently and then it vanished from our play book and we never went back to it. I think the same thing was going on in November as they were making a concerted effort to feed him in the post throughout the game compared to the rest of the year.

As far as the amount of shots he should get, I'd say it depends on how he preforms but I'd just like to see us try to use him in the post more effectively. If he hits a high % then there is no way it can hurt us and is always better than some perimeter player chucking up shots. Can he do it game in and game out??? That's the question I'd like to see answered.

[ohara831]

He didn't have a problem last November when he seemed to be a focus in our offense and was averaging right at 17ppg with a 54 FG%. He was taking 13 FGAPG and only shot 48% from the FT line and still got 17ppg. Then all of the sudden it was like we just went away from him in the offense and stopped giving him the ball as much in the post.

I'm not saying he can score 18-20ppg over a whole season but finding out if he can will only start if Felton and Touche do their job. I'd really like to know if Mek has it in him.

__________________________________________________ _________
I agree with you completely. I was sitting here thinking the same thing. I guess brilliant minds think alike.

[dav7z]

Like you giys i wondered the same thing . The pick and roll with Felton was nice then it stoped . I often wandered why. I think OK50 could average 20 and 10 with out forcing things to much . I dont't think he shoot enough last year or the points didn't get him the ball in a good position.I don't want him to force but four or five more shots per game would open up things out side for the shooters.

[davcbow]

I think we need to get to the post more and in the paint alot more and stop attempting so many perimeter shots. Ive noticed alot of games they will still be 18 seconds left on the play clock and there goes a 3 point attempt when they should have tried to get at least into the post. So we have to try to get Oka4 the ball alot more than we do now. He always looks his best when he is able to drive it to the paint and do the simple lay ups..... :g:

[dvdbumpus]

I bet Hakeem Olajuwan (however you spell it) helped his offensive game a bit. I think Okafor has the scoring ability in him to get 18, and I'd be thrilled with that, as he's not our offense's first focus.

[TheBeagle]

I applaud the fact that we're focusing on developing Mek's offensive game...but let's not fall into the trap of thinking we have this great post presence that we've not been utilizing. Mek doesn't pass well out of a double team nor is he near agressive enough to bully his way to the rim. His moves are kind of mechanical and you can tell he doesn't have a lot of confidence in his shot.

Don't blame that on him; having John Blair as our big guy coach set Mek back a couple years IMO. This was why I was so thrilled with our bringin in Mokeski.
Excellent assessment! Nothing further needs be said.

[qchoops]

Spectre, it took me some time to get around to it, but I knocked out some numbers that might answer your question - http://www.bobcatsplanet.com/joomla/content/view/231/1/ - I blogged it here on BCP since it would be a bit much to throw that table in the middle of the discussion.

[spectre]

Thanks Brett...I remain one of your biggest fans!

I'll throw out what I think that means (heh, scary!) in the comments section. If you get the chance I'd appreciate it if you give your thoughts on what you think they mean.

[qchoops]

Brevin looked for Emeka a lot more (nearly a 1/3 more often), so that offset the slightly lower field goal %, versus when Ray was working with him. The really shocking number is the very high points per possession Emeka put up with McInnis, which is due entirely to the large jump in field goal %.
What I can't answer (yet) is if this was just a result of Emeka making more jumpers, or if McInnis was getting him more chances for dunks and layups. So, I have a new task for myself - I will be reworking the stats to include categories for dunks and layups (and assists that led to dunks and layups as well). That will give us a better idea of how Emeka was getting these points - his own hard work, or good looks from his teammates.

[dvdbumpus]

Very impressive Brett. Keep up the good work. +1 rep.

[davcbow]

I applaud the fact that we're focusing on developing Mek's offensive game...but let's not fall into the trap of thinking we have this great post presence that we've not been utilizing. Mek doesn't pass well out of a double team nor is he near agressive enough to bully his way to the rim. His moves are kind of mechanical and you can tell he doesn't have a lot of confidence in his shot.

Don't blame that on him; having John Blair as our big guy coach set Mek back a couple years IMO. This was why I was so thrilled with our bringin in Mokeski.
Excellent assessment! Nothing further needs be said.


Now get him some big men besides Mek to coach.... ::)

[qchoops]

I reworked my code and reran everything - and Jeff did get Emeka more dunks and layups than did the other points. Here's the breakdown

Who's the Point?% of Shots Made that were dunks/layupsField Goals Made
Jeff62.5%32
Brevin53.3%45
Raymond50%194


I also was curious to see what % of each point guards assists led to layups/dunks - this includes all teammates, not just Emeka.

The PointAssistsSuperAssists% of SuperAssists
McInnis1273829.9%
Felton55115728.5%%
BK2907525.9%

[spectre]

So are we forced to conclude that Touche' is better than we thought?

In Miami and the Laker games (the two I was able to watch) he looked pathetic on man D, usually getting beat by the opposing PG. I was taking it as lack of effort, but after his competent defense of Redd last night I'm starting to think that it was more lack of ability to stay with the quicker PGs.

[chabber]

That's what I would think. He was matched up on Mo on friday only a few times and he got taken to the whole twice pretty easily by him. Redd was just to slow for McInnis.

Great stats btw brett. It's nice that someone around here is willing to do some heavy grunt work. ;)