(Getty Images: Jeff Gross)
Remember when we took that skinny backup combo
guard with the 13th pick in the 2014 draft? Completely raw? Overwhelmingly athletic? Unproven?
As of today: he has the possibility of being one of
the greatest Timberwolves of all time. Yeah, I said it. You read correctly.
I'm not even close to joking. LaVine has the
talent to be great. Not only because of his dunks, which still are pretty
amazing. Look here:
Mmm. Feels so good.
Anyways, let me explain my man crush.
LaVine over the last year and a half has shown me something just as
great as his dunks: his jump shot. His jump shot is marvelous. I mean,
his form is astounding, the rotation on his ball is crisp, and his elevation
(obviously) is perfect. Of course, his
shooting percentage isn’t there yet, but with all young shooters that
happens. Just watching where he releases
the ball in his jump and the arc of the shot is incredible. I honestly think in a few years he will be
one of the top "average percentage" shooters in the league for guards.
(Getty Images: Gary Dineen)
Best part is, no one even thought he was going to be that good of an
outside shooter. You know that feeling
you get when you watch someone shoot a 3 pointer like 4 feet behind the line
and you scream, “What are you doing? Get a better shot!” Well with LaVine, I always have a feeling the
ball will drop which is a nice feeling to have.
So, other than his freakish dunks and silky-smooth jump shot (that will
continue to increase in percentage), what else is there? Oh, I have the answers. Calm down, grasshopper.
LaVine, with time, will be built enough to match up with shooting guards. He’s a twig of a man right now, but he’s also
20 years old. He will fill out into his
own and be able to body up the shooting guard position. I know this because I am not a grasshopper, you are. So let's continue.
(USA TODAY Sports: Brad Rempel)
Why does that matter, you ask? Because
he’s been seen as a point guard for most of his career but I don’t think that’s
the right spot for him and the Timberwolves are now finding that out by moving
him to shooting guard. This
matters, because now you have a point guard mindset in a shooting guard body. He will, in a few years, be able to get you
20-25 points a night as well as get you
5-7 assists and 4-6 rebounds. He
looks to pass as well as score. Many
players…(Wiggins, I’m looking at you, bro) don’t do the small things to win
games. I remember watching a behind the
scenes clip of Michael Jordan talking to Carmelo Anthony about stats. Jordan told Melo, “points will always come,
but it’s all the rest of the stats that matter.” Boom. The greatest dropping knowledge. Rebounds, assists, steals, blocks: All
matter. You need to play a complete game
to be a complete player.
I think LaVine has shown he can do those other things with the opportunities
he is given. He will score. He will make mind-blowing dunks. But he knows the other things matter just as much.
If LaVine does what I know he can, from the ages of 22-34 a consistent
average of 20-25 points, 5-7 assists and 4-6 rebounds being reached= Greatest
Timberwolves Shooting Guard. Jigga Whaa? Isn't that a great thought combining him with possibly the greatest small forward and center the T'Wolves will probably ever have? Ahhh. The feels right now.
Don’t think so or you don’t agree with me.
Well let’s just watch and find out.
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