Knicks1969 wrote:My reasoning behind that statement is as follows: too often when young dudes enter the league with a decent jump shot, they often neglect to develop other areas of their game. They become volume shooters and often very poor defenders/rebounders; THJ can be used as an example. I see a lot in Grant that tell me that he has the chance to become a stud in the near future. His struggles offensively will soon prove to be beneficial to his all around game.
If I were this kid, I would heavily study three players (Kidd,GP, and our own Clyde Frazer). They were all taller PGs who did not come in the league with a polish shooting touch, but their court vision; as well as, ability to rebound and defend made them superstars.
Are you old enough to remember Frazier? He shot 45% his first year in the league. Scored over 17 pts a game his second year and was averaging over 20 by his third year. Tommy Heinsohn once said something along the lines of Frazier was 10 times worse on defense than his rep and 10 times better on offense then his Rep. I think there is a lot of truth to that - Frazier was a much better offensive player than defensive player. His defense rep was based on getting clutch steals - but Barnett and then Monroe usually played defense against the teams best scoring guard.
Kidd game into the league a great passer and defender and worked hard and became better at all aspects of his game - but I don't think it was because he was a lousy shooter.
Grant may develop into a really good player - but I don't think not being able to shoot gives him any developmental advantage - it's just one more think he has to work on.
