Johnathan Williams III in Summer League for the Lakers

[MDABE80]

Our guy is getting a lot of minutes so the Lakers are getting a long look. He may eek out a spot. Shooting is the only thing
holding him back. He needs to practice that till his hands fall off . If he does, he'll get a job in the NBA. Otherwise it's likely he'll be touring Europe.

[bballbeachbum]

He really ascended my list of all time favorite Zags with his effort and passion. It's a pretty short list of players who played with the intensity and commitment that he did.

Zagdawg
I am just glad he got the opportunity to play in the NBA summer league.

There are 40 forwards in the league that shoot under 30% -- JW3 will not be a starter or an all star if he makes the league -- but a bench/energy guy who fills in at a minimum salary on a team loaded with big salaries-- so there is a chance (if not there are always overseas opportunities).

+1

and thanks for the link Kong-Kool-Aid, yowza

[ZagaholicPodcast]

I would take "threat" to mean a guy that would take/make 3pt. fgs, i.e. someone you have to guard out to the three point line.

Hence the reason I started with individual shooting percentage. There are plenty of power forwards in the NBA within your definition shooting better than 30%, but average less than one attempt per game. To me, taking less than one attempt per game isn't someone that's a "threat." I'm no basketball genius, but I'd let Aldridge shoot threes at 29% and opposed to letting him work from the elbow or baseline.

Anyhow, Markburn1 is right, the absoluteness of your request sought one guy. I gave you five and didn't try very hard.

Attempts per game is an important statistic. If you are a threat, then I would assume some plays are going to get run for you, or you're going to not be passing up on shots when you get them at that distance. I would even say taking 3 a game might put you on the low end, depending on the team you are with. A true, definitive conversation needs far more variables than this....but at the very least we can get a good idea of things via- 3pt% and attempts per game. Also, I do not think a 30%-ish shooter is a "threat" level percentage. Would we consider this GU team a 3pt shooting threat if every single player shot 30% identically? I don't think we would.

I am sure we could even go back into posts about Clarke and see where it was felt that he needed to be at the mid-high 30's, at least to be a viable shooting prospect at the next level.

[thespywhozaggedme]

David West disagrees. He's a career 26.5% 3pt. shooter with $90MM is career earnings and two titles in thirteen years. There is absolutely a place for a guy who doesn't shoot it from beyond the arc. He's gotta be tough as nails and do other things for his team.

I acknowledge the majority of PFs shoot in today's NBA have the ability to shoot the three ball. But, can we stop talking in absolutes? Taking five minutes to look refutes what you're saying.

David West is at the end of his career and barely even plays anymore. In his prime, yes, the type of player that he was could and did flourish. This is past his prime. Again, we have listed 3 pf's that are either starters or get major minutes out of over 60 that are not any threat whatsoever of stretching defenses with the 3 ball. You're correct, 3 outta 60+ isn't an "absolute" but it's pretty darn close. Anyway, you're arguing just to argue at this point, and I'm just repeating myself.

[thespywhozaggedme]

Our guy is getting a lot of minutes so the Lakers are getting a long look. He may eek out a spot. Shooting is the only thing
holding him back. He needs to practice that till his hands fall off . If he does, he'll get a job in the NBA. Otherwise it's likely he'll be touring Europe.

They may offer him a spot on their G League team, but he can't shoot and that's gonna hurt him to ever make the big league team. Look who they drafted, Svi and Mo Wagner, a 6'8 wing and a 6'11 euro who played at Michigan that can shoot the three. Same with their pf pick last season, Kuzma. I don't know why some posters (not you Abe) are arguing with me about this NBA trend, it's a fact.

[mgadfly]

Faried has been nailed to Denvers bench for the past 2 years and was just traded to Brooklyn in a salary dump. Brooklyn also has zero interest in resigning Jahlil Okafor, the # 3 pick in the 2015 draft, who may very well be playing in China this upcoming season because he too is a big that can not stretch defenses, plus he sucks at defense too.

To this and your name me even 1 PF that doesn't at least have the threat of a three ball...


First, I'm agreeing with you that the game has trended, to a severe degree, toward stretch PFs. If Heytvelt was coming out of college now his style would fit the league a lot better than it did even ten years ago. But that isn't the point I'm making. The idea that NO ONE can play in the league if they can't stretch the defense is just not true.

Taj Gibson took 35 three pointers, but no one can credibly call him a stretch 4. I'm certainly going to give him that shot as much as he wants it. He played in every game last season and averaged over 33 minutes.

Julius Randle made 10 three pointers. He played every game, nearly 29 minutes per game.

In today's NBA they have guys shoot three pointers when they can't hit better than about 20% of them. Rodman was never asked to take those bad shots, but the idea that he couldn't have gone 10-55 or something on a season if he played in the modern NBA is just speculation. For his career, he shot 23%. They'd probably have him heaving two or three a game and then chasing down his long rebounds.

I think Rodman would start in today's NBA. There are guys that shoot way worse than him starting as PFs (only a couple though) and his career percentage from threes probably means someone in the NBA would try to do what OKC did to Sabonis, turn him into a stretch 4.

[Vanzagger]

Anyone have vid of Sabonis and JW3 battling. It’s a mans game

[ZagaholicPodcast]

They may offer him a spot on their G League team, but he can't shoot and that's gonna hurt him to ever make the big league team. Look who they drafted, Svi and Mo Wagner, a 6'8 wing and a 6'11 euro who played at Michigan that can shoot the three. Same with their pf pick last season, Kuzma. I don't know why some posters (not you Abe) are arguing with me about this NBA trend, it's a fact.

Because it's not a fact, it's a flawed narrative.

[raise the zag]

Anyone watch J3 posterize Zach Collins in transition?

Really great and quick dunk by him seen here:

https://youtu.be/ohtHcwwXhLQ

[Bogozags]

As much as I think JWIII has a skill set for the next level (minus his ability to shoot) I believe his odds of making an NBA roster at this point in his career are pretty darn long. We all know his drive to succeed but I think there are several players in the G-League and overseas that have similar skills to JWIII. He needs to be able to stand out above those players so that NBA GM's/Coaches take notice of him. Salary is one thing in his favor, because he would be willing to accept the league minimum. If he could get invited to camp that would give him an opportunity to be "coached" into shooting correctly (not sure why the GU Staff didn't correct this flaw) and see his willingness to work hard to improve upon his present skills as well as strengthening those skill requiring immediate attention. Let's hope his time with the Lakers is extending to training camp!

[willandi]

Lakers just signed Michael Beasley which has to reduce any long shot chance.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24152153/michael-beasley-los-angeles-lakers-agree-1-year-35m-contract