JohnnyMax
10-31-2015, 04:54 PM
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2583416-the-weakest-link-on-every-nba-contender/page/5
http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/slides/photos/004/066/062/hi-res-1971766a6e11f125f443c87041b96c90_crop_north.jpg?w= 630&h=420&q=75
Tony Parker? Tony Parker?!
Yeah, Tony Parker.
The six-time All-Star wasn't himself last season, posting his lowest scoring average since 2002-03 and his lowest player efficiency rating since 2003-04.
Beset by hamstring troubles for most of the year, the 33-year-old lacked the quickness that landed him among the league leaders in points in the paint for a decade.
Instead of blowing by everyone in transition and in the pick-and-roll, he settled for jumpers. And while it's encouraging that Parker shot a career-best 42.7 percent from three, the real number to know is this: He attempted just 25.5 percent of his shots from inside three feet, according to Basketball-Reference.com, a career low.
He stopped getting into the lane. He stopped getting to the line. And then his game completely fell off a cliff in the Spurs' first-round loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Parker is vital to San Antonio because he's the chaos engineer—the one who gets into the lane, draws defenders and begins the tic-tac-toe passing attack that has for years resulted in open jumpers against scrambling defenses. The Spurs don't have anyone to replace what he does.
San Antonio has backup plans: LaMarcus Aldridge can generate good looks by drawing the defense, and Kawhi Leonard could take another step as a playmaker. But Parker is the one who makes the Spurs go, and Tim Bontemps of the New York Post sees a bleak future without peak Parker: "If last season was the beginning of a new normal for the French legend, you can kiss the Spurs' championship chances goodbye."
It sounds like a potential weak link to me.
http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/slides/photos/004/066/062/hi-res-1971766a6e11f125f443c87041b96c90_crop_north.jpg?w= 630&h=420&q=75
Tony Parker? Tony Parker?!
Yeah, Tony Parker.
The six-time All-Star wasn't himself last season, posting his lowest scoring average since 2002-03 and his lowest player efficiency rating since 2003-04.
Beset by hamstring troubles for most of the year, the 33-year-old lacked the quickness that landed him among the league leaders in points in the paint for a decade.
Instead of blowing by everyone in transition and in the pick-and-roll, he settled for jumpers. And while it's encouraging that Parker shot a career-best 42.7 percent from three, the real number to know is this: He attempted just 25.5 percent of his shots from inside three feet, according to Basketball-Reference.com, a career low.
He stopped getting into the lane. He stopped getting to the line. And then his game completely fell off a cliff in the Spurs' first-round loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Parker is vital to San Antonio because he's the chaos engineer—the one who gets into the lane, draws defenders and begins the tic-tac-toe passing attack that has for years resulted in open jumpers against scrambling defenses. The Spurs don't have anyone to replace what he does.
San Antonio has backup plans: LaMarcus Aldridge can generate good looks by drawing the defense, and Kawhi Leonard could take another step as a playmaker. But Parker is the one who makes the Spurs go, and Tim Bontemps of the New York Post sees a bleak future without peak Parker: "If last season was the beginning of a new normal for the French legend, you can kiss the Spurs' championship chances goodbye."
It sounds like a potential weak link to me.