Article: Can Metu Make it in the NBA?

[cd021]

https://www.spurstalk.com/chimezie-metu-san-antonio-spurs-young-big-man/

The Gist:- Intriguing skill and athleticism, seems to be starting to put it together but is it enough?

[jermaine]

Pop wont give him a shot. No way, no how. We had Dwayne Dedmon, Boban, an many others an they never seen the court.

[Sugus]

If he can improve his shooting efficiency - that's a big if - he could thrive as an athletic stretch-5. Poeltl anchoring the main unit and Metu as the center of a run-and-gun bench would be a sight to behold... Can we trade our dead weight vets already?

[Dr. John R. Brinkley]

IIRC, they signed him to a contract because he was successful at shooting from the outside, mid range of course, and proficient at switching on defense… He seems to have regressed drastically after he signed the contract.

I hope he gets a chance to show his improvement. I’ve read other reports on his improvement. Seems dumb not to after giving him a 3 year contract. But the odds are definitely against him.

[DPG21920]

Appreciate the write up :tu

[spurspl]

yyy NO??
hes not even ready for gleague

[ZeusWillJudge]

Thanks for the write-up, and for taking the time. I was pretty harsh about Metu at the beginning of this season. But then I realized that I was really pissed at the rest of the roster and the way it's constructed. The Spurs needed some pieces, and he wasn't one of them. But that's not his fault. If the team had a solid roster, I would have been happy to have him there as a project.

He's not going to muscle his way to the basket, and he doesn't have 3P range - so he's going to have to rely on quickness and athleticism. He's going to have to be able to finish through contact, or they're going to eat him alive.
He's coming up on 23 years old. He needs to develop some consistency pretty soon.

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

Thanks for the write-up, and for taking the time. I was pretty harsh about Metu at the beginning of this season. But then I realized that I was really pissed at the rest of the roster and the way it's constructed. The Spurs needed some pieces, and he wasn't one of them. But that's not his fault. If the team had a solid roster, I would have been happy to have him there as a project.

He's not going to muscle his way to the basket, and he doesn't have 3P range - so he's going to have to rely on quickness and athleticism. He's going to have to be able to finish through contact, or they're going to eat him alive.
He's coming up on 23 years old. He needs to develop some consistency pretty soon.
What about his defense?

[phxspurfan]

No

[ZeusWillJudge]

What about his defense?

You know, I started to mention that he gets a decent number of blocks and steals. My impression from just the limited amount I've gotten to see him is that he's inconsistent on that end, too. But when it comes to playing in SA, I honestly don't even know anymore. The team defense is so damn bad that I don't know how anybody would look good defensively.

I wasn't saying that I think he needs to be called up. Just that I was judging him too harshly. He was, and is a project - and there's nothing wrong with that or with him. I would love to see him play consistently and live up to the potential that he has.

[exstatic]

He doesn't look completely lost in NBA minutes any more. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but not the excoriation I had been giving him last year. I'm glad his gleague FG% bumped up from .500 to .580, and that he's gone from 5th last year to 2nd on the baby Spurs in rebounding.

[ChumpDumper]

He's always been a two-year project IMO. The progress is good news. Would still like better shooting.

[cd021]

I'm liking what I see offensively from him, he has skill in the post, is a lob threat and can do some stuff on the perimeter thought that is still a work in progress.

When he does play with the big Spurs, he has a tendency to play with hyper-activity like he's trying to hard to make something happen.

He was a lot better in the Boston game (very small sample size) but he was impactful without all of the mistakes.

He won't likely get many more minutes in the NBA this season, unless injuries or the Spurs fall out of it, but I think he has the potential to a contributor next season.

[Down Under]

I couldn't believe it when they signed him, he looked nothing close to an NBA player. Obviously they knew something about his work ethic, because he has improved a lot, albeit in the G League & does look like a rotation guy now.

[XDT76]

If he put in effort to improves his skills in season and then bulk up during off season he could be a serviceable 2nd string big man. The Spurs is desperately needing an athletic big man

[ceperez]

He's a project with the kind of athleticism, height and shooting that is very valuable in today's NBA.

I would not mind signing him up for 2 more years on the cheap. It's an investment here because these kind of players aren't easy to find cheap.

Guards like Forbes are a dime a dozen. The G-league has plenty of them.

[Fusternino]

He won't if Pop keeps playing Eubanks over him.

[John B]

He won't if Pop keeps playing Eubanks over him.
Eubanks has more game, but lacks the athleticism. If Metu could hit them perimeter and 3’s consistently, he could find himself a gig

[Truth4sale$]

I see Metu as a combo forward playing like Pascal Siakam. He has the same athleticism, he has 3pt range, he can block shots. Spurs should give him some time in the rotation against more athletic teams-sorry, Rudy is a statue out there and only playable against certain teams.
Metu can definitely play in this league

[Coach X]

After his time with the anarchic Nigerian national team and how Metu played during the preseason, I thought Metu's NBA career was finished. It's been a nice suprise to watch him play solid basketball when he hit the court with the Spurs in this regular season.

He showed physical tools since his first day as a Spur. Undetermined position initially, now he clearly looks like a PF. He has worked and developed his ball skills but what makes me think he still has a chance is his progression away from the ball in both ends of the court. Metu is making better decissions in offense and he's starting to learn how to play team defense. I don't think he's ready to play significant minutes yet but he's showing progression and that's promising for a kid with his physical talent that is also improving notably his game with the ball on his hands.

[cd021]

I see Metu as a combo forward playing like Pascal Siakam. He has the same athleticism, he has 3pt range, he can block shots. Spurs should give him some time in the rotation against more athletic teams-sorry, Rudy is a statue out there and only playable against certain teams.
Metu can definitely play in this league

Definitely not a 3-4 but more of a 4-5. Think he's more of a 4 and occasional a 5. He has some perimeter skills, i.e attacking closeouts and pulling-up for jumpers and possibly developing into a NBA 3pt shooter.

[cd021]

Eubanks has more game, but lacks the athleticism. If Metu could hit them perimeter and 3’s consistently, he could find himself a gig
Eubanks is actually fairly athletic for his size, more of vertical athlete than a lateral one though. Think Metu has more skill but Eubanks, at least when he's appeared in the NBA, has outplayed Metu.

[ZeusWillJudge]

Eubanks has more game, but lacks the athleticism. If Metu could hit them perimeter and 3’s consistently, he could find himself a gig


If Forbes can do it, anyone can.