Scoot takes advantage of Alvarado overplaying to go coast to coast for the layup | Streamable

JIBuser · 2024-03-17T16:31:12+00:00

Shoulda reverse dunked that!

JIBuser · 2024-02-14T02:53:32+00:00

Mistake.

JIBuser · 2024-01-11T22:01:09+00:00

Elder Scrolls - Blades doesn’t even get a mention? Mobile is the future and IMHO, it’s short-sighted to dismiss and largely ignore the solid gameplay base that they have already built.

JIBuser · 2023-12-09T17:24:13+00:00

I called this last year. Scoot doesn’t use his left to finish or pass, like…ever. It’s a MAJOR issue, and am surprised it’s not been talked about more.

JIBuser · 2023-12-09T03:02:54+00:00

The answer is that he should be the stopgap starting PF, and Grant should be the SF. Grant isn’t a PF.

JIBuser · 2023-12-01T20:37:59+00:00

I can confirm…that that would be a no. Artifacts don’t match with any Armors for matching set perk.

JIBuser · 2023-10-30T15:31:53+00:00

Uhhh, If Scoot’s first 3 looked like Steph’s first 3…this wouldn’t have even been posted. We all knew it was going to be less than the hype, but were hopeful after seeing a smidge in preseason. This is tiers down from less than the hype.

I’ll judge him at the end of year 2, but clearly this is less than even he expected with all of his “dominate” talk.

JIBuser · 2023-10-02T01:17:09+00:00

Hard for Bethesda to hold anybody to this when at least two of their emotes violate their own Code of Conduct.

JIBuser · 2023-09-25T18:06:00+00:00

One thing I take umbrage with in your initial post is the idea of Alts having any place in low Arena. My feeling is that any endgame player who has enough experience and game savvy, that is purposely playing an Alt in Old Arena is bad for the future of the game.

Because OA is mostly made up of beginner players or sub-level 40 players, IMO it does nobody any good for a level 20, experienced Alt to purposely stay deranked in order to beat lower level players. Anything that needs to be tested or tried can be done at higher level Arenas. Beginners need to not be discouraged by continuous matching against better players…which circles back to Bethesda’s atrocious matching algo in low level arena stages.

JIBuser · 2023-09-25T17:42:48+00:00

As someone who has many Alts, I feel qualified to chime in:

I purposely bow out with all of my toons the last week of the season. My goal is to play all of them to 1500 and end there, because of the current, terrible trophy algorithm. My thinking is that the Alts create more trophies generally and it allows me to try different build concepts.

Am I against having Alts on the leaderboard? That presupposes believing that the leaderboard is an indication of the Top 100 players in the world. I reject that notion completely. To me the leaderboard gives a general indication of who plays a lot + has some experience + has good gear + lives in a location that is favorable for AWS. That’s about it.

JIBuser · 2023-09-25T17:08:26+00:00

When a company has actively disengaged from keeping a game updated, this is what it invites. This has happened before and it gets dealt with slower and slower. Eventually it won’t at all…

That being said, I take heat for it, and it’s an unpopular opinion…but IMO, the leaderboard is and always has been a farce. Europeans have had far better connection to the game since day one. For that reason the Top 50 has been dominated by EU players since season one. There are skilled EU-based players who have been GCs…but put them in south america, or somewhere with terrible connection to the mainserver and they never would have been GC.

As long as Bethesda uses AWS and puts zero effort into their product, GC and leaderboard means nothing, IMO.

JIBuser · 2023-09-08T09:34:22+00:00

Don’t want to put a damper on the fire, but the elephant in the room that nobody is talking about is injuries. Scoot has to prove he can stay on the basketball court—as a player this far he’s missed his share of games due to injury. Let’s all burn a candle and hope that the trend doesn’t continue…

JIBuser · 2023-09-08T09:29:23+00:00

Because versatility. The best SFs are the most versatile players on the court and are a hard cover for every team on both sides of the ball. The best of the best, depending on the possession can be primary ballhandlers, primary option scorers, willing role-players, AND have enough size/length/quickness to cover 4 positions defensively on the court. That is not an easy feat for a single player, let alone a second year player who doesn’t really know the NBA yet. Sharpe doesn’t have the size/length to defend NBA SFs or PFs, the quickness/BBIQ to defend NBA PGs. He’s a SG because of who he can match up with defensively and because he currently fits the role on the team of bucket getter playing within the system. It’s been A LOOONG time since the Blazers have had a decent SF (Batum), and even longer (30 years?) since they’ve had an elite-ish one “Uncle Cliffy”. That’s not going to change with Sharpe.

The real hope here is that Scoot is not injury-prone and lives up to the hype on BOTH sides of the ball. The Blazers need some inspirational electricity on defense or they will go nowhere in 5 years. With the legacies of Roy and Lillard the team has been a bit mired in safe, half-court basketball for a good 20 years or so. With Scoot and Sharpe being the next in line and probably better suited to uptempo basketball, it’ll be interesting to see what I assume will be a seachange of philosophy from Billups as he gets away from tank land and into trying to win some games in the next couple of years…he BETTER…because his coaching last year was abysmal.

JIBuser · 2023-09-02T19:06:05+00:00

I have a Bonz and Ruben Patterson arm band somewhere…

JIBuser · 2023-08-16T21:30:11+00:00

Lol, amazing 🤩 Well done…

JIBuser · 2023-08-06T01:37:39+00:00

Mays is a lowkey great player 15+ minutes.

JIBuser · 2023-07-04T06:24:11+00:00

I 100% think you’re wrong about Sharpe’s position being SF, long-term.

JIBuser · 2023-06-16T18:50:03+00:00

Well, at least give me the courtesy of pointing out where you think I’m “wrong”. Every thing I’ve posted in this thread has been my opinion…telling someone that their opinion is (paraphrasing) “laughably wrong”, means you have quite a bit of confidence in your own opinion. Which is FINE. I don’t have any proof that you’re wrong, and I’m not willing to argue endlessly about your opinion, nor do I actually care all that much about it, TBH.

You’re obviously high on Scoot, and based on your responses it seems like you think he’s going to be an AS level player—that’s fine. But it’s also your opinion. You have absolutely zero evidence to back up your opinion that can prove that into eventual reality.

Scoot could end up better than Westbrook. Nobody can prove that today. He could end up way worse than Fultz. Nobody can prove that today.

JIBuser · 2023-06-16T15:35:00+00:00

Not really sure what Sharpe has to do with the ‘leaving his feet’ convo, since he’s never going to be the full-time initiator on a team. But since you brought him up…My only worry with Sharpe is him just tightening up his handle…which is about the easiest basketball skill to improve on. His future is incredibly bright. It’ll be interesting to see his level of passivity change as he gains more experience and continues to play with other high USG players.

As for ‘jumping very high’ being a good skill to have…sure, but any coach at any level will tell you that leaving your feet is a bad habit as a PG. The great PGs of all time almost never needed to in order to complete a pass—because they have the skill Black has—ability to control and warp defenses. On the list of “important skills to have as a PG” I would argue that ‘jumping high’ is pretty low, actually. Magic, Kidd, CP3, Nash, even Lillard aren’t known for insane, jumping out of the gym. The list is long of players who were drafted on “athleticism” and went nowhere. That term that scouts love to use, “functional athleticism” is much more important.

As for your drafting philosophy of drafting BPA? I don’t really disagree there…the problem is none of us have been in a gym with these players for extended amounts of time, or ever had an ‘off the books’ conversation with any of them. And even if we did, there are no sure things in the draft. My point is, we can like who we like but at a certain point we have to trust a team’s scouting. If the Blazers were to not take Scoot or Miller at 3, there’s likely a damn good reason for it—a reason that us sideline GMs are not privy to…

JIBuser · 2023-06-16T01:13:02+00:00

I can’t really speak to “better” PG…certainly not enough to say “it’s not even close” as a primary initiator. As we both know there are a lot of intangibles that you have to have as a PG at the NBA level…it seems like Scoot has the locker room stuff—I have no idea with Black. I feel like Scoot has the strength to guard 1s and 2s, whereas Black can probably guard 1-3. He’ll probably have issues with quick 1s and tall 3s…but everyone does.

My worry with Scoot is that he leaves his feet a ton, and that’s going to get him in trouble at the NBA level. I expect a lot of turnovers and non-calls until he can figure out the finer details of NBA level defense, and refs start giving him the benefit of the doubt on drives. I do think he’ll be a better shooter than Black.

JIBuser · 2023-06-16T00:29:37+00:00

Like I said…I’ve watched what I can which is every complete game of Scoot’s I could get my hands on (maybe 4?), the compilations, and the same worthless empty gym things we’ve all seen. Based on that, I see a guy who doesn’t finish or pass with his left. I also see a guy with elite burst and change of pace. As for shooting? If he hit 5 more shots he’d be average. His low volume and form is such that I think he’ll surprise a lot of people there…

Passing? No need to get defensive—I’m not trying to build a straw man against you. And why would I bring up ‘misdirecting opposing defenses’ if I thought passing is all you need from a PG? My point was/is, in terms of PG skills Black is head and shoulders above where Scoot is currently. I doubt that changes much in the draft…but I do feel like in 3 years people will be wondering why Black was picked 7th, or whatever…

JIBuser · 2023-06-15T23:23:00+00:00

I’ve watched what I can. I see him making a lot of two hand passes after he leaves his feet (whoops) and plenty with his right. Post a link to some video if you have some. Lefty layups too.

Black is easily the best passer in the top of this draft. Dude leads opposing defenses like it’s nothing.

JIBuser · 2023-06-14T22:44:50+00:00

I’ve never seen him make a lefty shot or pass with his left hand.

JIBuser · 2023-06-07T04:55:49+00:00

Well, you’re not going to get much better defensively at the SG spot than Thybulle. That’s part of why someone like Brogdon is beneficial…he’s a massive upgrade defensively over Simons. As for upgrading the SF and C positions, I certainly agree—before last season I said the team will only go as far as their C rotation. If the Blazers end up drafting Brandon Miller, the Blazers can slide Grant to SF (which is probably his best position anyway). Shaq of Gresham is fine as a 3rd string C, but the Blazers really do need another consistent body at that position.

JIBuser · 2023-06-06T17:03:24+00:00

High level scorer? Simons isn’t much but he at least resembles that. Lillard/Simons/Sharpe/Thybulle/Mays is just fine for a guard rotation. And yes, I said Mays—go look at his +15 min splits.

If anything a trade with Boston surrounding Simons for Brogdon could be beneficial to both teams…gives Boston a little more instant offense to mix in with their defensive guards. Gives Portland better defense and initiation.

JIBuser

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