I felt this way last yr and it makes even more sense to me now. Jimmy Butler and Justice Winslow players many here are fond of, Early is kind of similar. Undersized stretch PFs in college. Butler developed the guard skills to be a stud SG and many Winslow fans hope he is able to do the same. I think Phil and Fisher should put it in Early ear that they want to groom him as a SG and put focus on working on his guard skills. We could try to mold our very own Butler or Winslow. His back to basket game for the SG position would then work well within the tri as well as him being a big physical guy for that position, who could also shoot. The motion and cutting for a guy like him at the SG position would also fit nicely if it worked out.
If not I may be on my own but I would target Affalo over Green. He may be older and maybe even on the decline, but his value is real low so if I could get him on a 2 yr deal I would do it. He knows the tri, and has proven he could produce. Wouldn't be signing him to be a 18pt guy either. Just a productive vet on a stop gap contract.
Not really a guard. Small forward fits him the best
He's too big. Def can't guard SG's that's the main problem along with his lack of ball handling skills which would be pretty crucial as a guard.
StarksEwing1 wrote:Not really a guard. Small forward fits him the best
He only isn't really viewed as a guard because he doesn't have strong handle. But he can defend on the perimeter and he can shoot. Just really needs to work on that handle.
newyorknewyork wrote:StarksEwing1 wrote:Not really a guard. Small forward fits him the best
He only isn't really viewed as a guard because he doesn't have strong handle. But he can defend on the perimeter and he can shoot. Just really needs to work on that handle.
cant play guard he is good at the 3 position
The exact positions don't really mean as much in the Triangle. Players are more interchangeable. Aside from Lead guard and the low post big there's not a lot of meaning to the positions. Everyone will make cuts and flash to the open spots. The so called SG is actually usually a combo guard who can shoot but also drive and kick and set up his teammates in the 2 man game on the weak side.
There's nothing wrong with Early staying at SF. He needs to work on his dribble drive, which he did seem to improve on late in the season. I think we haven't seen the best of this kid yet and he's got a lot more game than he was able to show to start the year. He was getting the hang of it more towards the end. Hopefully he's worked on his weaknesses over the summer and will come back improved.
Might be able to defend at SG, not sure he is the multi-talented type of player you want as a guard in this system.
I just want him to stay healthy and improve his decision making and jump shot.
he should be groomed so he can actually contribute. I don't care what he does, but he needs to find something he can do. When he played, I thought he looked lost and definitely not an NBA player.
franco12 wrote:he should be groomed so he can actually contribute. I don't care what he does, but he needs to find something he can do. When he played, I thought he looked lost and definitely not an NBA player.
The kid has talent but needs to learn more about how to think the game and figure out how to be effective without the ball. There are tons of little things a player can do in a game when he doesn't have the ball. Early has to get better at all of those things. I did like how he started to drive a bit more at the end of the year. He seemed to be much more confident in his talent and ability to score. He has NBA level talent. It's just about finding his niche and a comfort level.
Early has a live body and just on effort alone should've had more of an impact on the game. A big part of his problem is his limited skills with the ball and needing to develop go to moves. These are things he can improve on with hard work.
too bad he cant dribble let alone shoot
He is a small forward. He needs to study Ariza's game and mimic him.
newyorknewyork wrote:I felt this way last yr and it makes even more sense to me now. Jimmy Butler and Justice Winslow players many here are fond of, Early is kind of similar. Undersized stretch PFs in college. Butler developed the guard skills to be a stud SG and many Winslow fans hope he is able to do the same. I think Phil and Fisher should put it in Early ear that they want to groom him as a SG and put focus on working on his guard skills. We could try to mold our very own Butler or Winslow. His back to basket game for the SG position would then work well within the tri as well as him being a big physical guy for that position, who could also shoot. The motion and cutting for a guy like him at the SG position would also fit nicely if it worked out.
If not I may be on my own but I would target Affalo over Green. He may be older and maybe even on the decline, but his value is real low so if I could get him on a 2 yr deal I would do it. He knows the tri, and has proven he could produce. Wouldn't be signing him to be a 18pt guy either. Just a productive vet on a stop gap contract.
I like that idea, but I don't believe he has the athletic ability necessary to play that spot. He can't handle like a guard which would allow him to be able to create like a guard. We need to look to look to move him for a two-way SG like Mclemore
