DJ & his (Lack Of) Assists

[Ampsportsduo]

I thought I was alone in this line of thinking, but there is support!

I will say that when he PGs with the bench, the scoring drop off is significant. Radman has only hit more than 1 three in the last eight games, and Diop is Diop so it's not entirely surprising that his numbers are low, but this issue points to why I believe its important to re-sign Raymond.

[TOOT DADDY]

The second unit is just that for a reason. They are not better than the first. They don't get spacing or dive to the basket well. Look at his numbers as a starter. If Felton ran with the second group his numbers (all but shot attempts) would drop in half. If D.J. is shoot first we don't have a pass first point considering the amount of time Felton has led the team in shot attempts. The assist are lacking though but it is what it is therre is a significant drop in athletic ability and general knowledge of the game with the second unit. Next year will tell the story. 19pts 6.4 assist is more than solid coming out of college. Tells me thats someone who can pass and score. It is possible to have a pg that can do both. Six games to go

[Slam]

As the others have said, he runs with the 2nd unit, a unit that hasn't been productive at all of late. Run him with the starters as the only point on the floor and his assist numbers would change.

Because we have so many poor shooters on the team, we need him to play to one of his strengths - which is shooting (especially if he is on the floor with Felts because DJ can and Felts can't shoot the ball/score as well)

That's the awesome thing about DJ. He's not just a one dimensional point. He can pass the rock with the best of them and can shoot the snot out of it too.

Also, if you compare the per 36 numbers, he's only at 2 less assists a game than Felts.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...01&y2=2009&=&=

[110oldeast]

I actually think the 2nd unit is more built to rack up assists than the 1st unit as it has better jumpshooting options who will pull the trigger right away, especially when Juwan is in there. That's where most assists in halfcourt sets will come from. If Raja is on, then it can change things.

That said, I have seen Felton get plenty of assists with the 2nd unit including when he is at the 2 beside DJ. He's a more aggressive and better playmaker than DJ while DJ is the safer of the 2. DJ will have less TOs and less assists.

[davcbow]

Between missed shots, turn overs, missed free throws, and bad calls, the assists arent that big a problem to me.....

[teej]

DJ will have less TOs and less assists.

So which one makes Larry (and his anti-turnover, pro-assist coaching style) happier? Obviously right now it looks like Ray, but over the long haul, which one does he choose?

Also guys, DJ is still limited in his skill set because of his nagging injury. So he can't do too much on the floor. I know thats a bit of a cop out, but thats also why he isn't seeing as much PT with the first team.

And his +/- is what worries me more than assists of late, when he comes in, we go wayyyyyyyyy down. He was like -21 vs. the Heat I think, and the celtics game he was a minus, and maybe even the Lakers game, despite his contributions.

[spectre]

He plays with the starters quite a bit; in the last game he was with the 1st group thru most of the 2nd half yet he only got 1 assist right at the end. Felton in his first year played a lot with the 2nd unit and as a 2 guard with BK and he still racked up the assists. Vlad is a PGs dream in regards to getting assists.

Besides, LB usually keeps a couple of starters with the 2nd unit on the floor doesn't he?

I also highly doubt LB is telling DJ "don't worry about getting your mates an easy basket...I want you to shoot!"

Also guys, DJ is still limited in his skill set because of his nagging injury. So he can't do too much on the floor. I know thats a bit of a cop out, but thats also why he isn't seeing as much PT with the first team.

Sorry Teej, but I do think that's a copout. Everyone on this team has been playing injured...and it doesn't take that much (at least no more than he's been doing) to penetrate a little to pull the defense out and get to the bigger guys underneath. Of course vs. Boston he did that a couple of times and turned the ball over (and it seems got his ass chewed somewhat by LB in the timeout).

Whether LB has him scared or if it's just his mentality...I think he's just too conservative. Afraid to mess up maybe.

[ExplosionsInTheSky]

Even though it's not something you would expect from Larry and his point guards, I can totally see him asking DJ to look for his shot a little more often. I mean the guy's one of the team's best scorers and when we get into that mode where we pass the ball around for 23 seconds a play I think it's a pretty understandable move from Larry. Or at least that's my philosophy on it. Even though I would probably do the same thing I would, however, like to see DJ setup some of the other guys a little more often for easy buckets like he was doing earlier in the season.

But I still love the guy, love his talent, and I'm still very optimistic about his future. He's still a rookie and worst comes to worst he'll be a shoot first PG, big deal, there's nothing wrong with a shoot first PG. If he become a Jameer Nelson type of player, great, we can definitely use it my opinion. The guy, I think, still has some good point guard skills, at least more so than a Ben Gordon or a Jason Terry. And to go along with what someone mentioned earlier, assists are definitely not everything, Chauncey Billups is a great example of a great player with great point guard skills who never really was known for putting up a ton of assists.

[Slam]

DJ as a starter in 9 games = .7 less assists per game than Raymond.

Like I said, DJ is multi dimensional. It's such an added bonus that he can initiate the offense and not be a liability when he needs to shoot.

The 2nd unit has sucked of late. If Radman had his some of the open shots he had against the Heat when DJ passed him the ball, DJ finishes the game with 4+ assists.

His assist numbers don't bother me at all right now. He doesn't dominate the ball. He doesn't need to and he is still very effective.

He needs to work on splitting the double and avoiding traps 1st and foremost.

BTW - People need to confirm what they think a pass first point guard and what a shoot first point guard is. For example, is DJ a shoot 1st PG because he can take and make shots and Felts is a pass first point guard because he can't make shots?

[TOOT DADDY]

Big Slam I totally agree with everything you said.offthe One poster made mention of the second group better shooting. Radmonovich hasn't been able to hit the side of a barn here recently and as far the reference to howard he logs DNP's or next to no minutes. Look at scoring and assists are over seven per when D.J. starts. As far as raymond racking up assists with the second group. He has D.J. and Radmon to pass the ball to, two legitimate shooters. Felts doesn't run with the second group with out D.J. .452 from behind the arc (among th leagues best) .434 inside hell let him run with the starters he averages 12 minutes less than felts 28 pts 7 ast 1 t.o. 29 7 ast 1 t.o. is stat lines I can see being duplicated in the future especially when he becomes the starter. If he didn't get hurt Raymond was out of here.