How good do you think Tiago can be?

If Tiago continues his current contributions throughout the playoffs and the Spurs go deep and/or win the title-Tiago will be very good in his career.

If Tiago gets re-injured during this playoff run and is a major cause of the Spurs not going deep and/or being eliminated prematurely- then Tiago will probably end up being an often- injured player and a disappointment.

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Originally Posted by timvp

Splitter's potential is difficult to assess right now. I think we'll know a lot more by the end of the playoffs. If he can continue to rise his game as the competition improves, his ceiling could be pretty damn high. Right now, I think it's fair to say he has borderline All-Star potential.

As it stands, his per-minute production is already pretty damn elite. The bench unit that has four shooters surrounding him is so great largely due to his ability shred virtually all pick-and-roll coverages.

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Originally Posted by _JaG

I don't think he's capable of playing enough minutes to be an All Star. I do, however, think he has the ability to be an All Star, especially considering how weak the center position is right now.

Marc Gasol type production is a decent comparison. Splitter is surprisingly better offensively than Gasol. Tiago doesn't have as good of a touch as Marc, but his quickness allows him to get higher percentage shots off around the basket. Tiago has been working on his jump shot and if it ever comes around he would probably end up being in the top 5 in the league in post-up situations. During the last game against the Suns he had an impressive post-up, turnaround jumpshot from about 8-9 ft on Marcin Gortat. He was on fire that game and it's a pretty good example of how potent his post-up game would be with a consistent jump shot.

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This is kind of what I'm thinking since we're looking at potential as opposed to what he is at the moment. I'd say though that Splitter should keep working with TD on his post game as his top priority. He's shown flashes of being able to work from there and if he can build on that some that'll significantly raise his ceiling imo.

I don't really agree with the injury prone/can't play too many minutes train of thought but that's something time will tell. I suspect that the big difference as of late is that Pop trusts him more. We'll have a much better idea of Splitter's abilities by about half-way through next season but my hunch is that he's capable of playing better.

The GOAT from Brazil...yes, even better than Nene.

lol @ guys hoping Tiago to turn into someone he isn't/ will never be..
Tiago, like many spurs role players, strive in and only in the spurs system and won't even worth a mention playing anywhere else.. If it wasn't the magnificent PnR plays with Manu, he is a 6 PPG max guy.

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Originally Posted by SpursRulez4eVeR

lol @ guys hoping Tiago to turn into someone he isn't/ will never be..
Tiago, like many spurs role players, strive in and only in the spurs system and won't even worth a mention playing anywhere else.. If it wasn't the magnificent PnR plays with Manu, he is a 6 PPG max guy.

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So if it weren't for the fact that he excels at one of the most fundamental plays in basketball, he would have a weak offensive game? That's your argument?

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Originally Posted by tesseractive

So if it weren't for the fact that he excels at one of the most fundamental plays in basketball, he would have a weak offensive game? That's your argument?

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:lol Sometimes it's not worth a rebuttal.

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Originally Posted by SpursRulez4eVeR

Tiago, like many spurs role players, strive in and only in the spurs system and won't even worth a mention playing anywhere else..

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On the other hand, it wasn't the Spurs system that made him Spanish League MVP.

Tiago is a solid player. If he develops a jumper, dude would be devastating. Since he doesn't, I only think of him as a role player.

Tiago is a solid player. If he develops a jumper, dude would be devastating. Since he doesn't, I only think of him as a role player.

Considering the fact that Marc Gasol's an all star, it wouldn't be going out on a limb to say Tiago's a future all star.

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Originally Posted by xellos88330

Tiago is a solid player. If he develops a jumper, dude would be devastating. Since he doesn't, I only think of him as a role player.

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I'm thinking either a really good jumper or a really good post game would do it. But actually that's something I really don't understand. I thought Splitter could shoot (not well but better than he has in the NBA) in Europe.

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Originally Posted by TheSkeptic

I'm thinking either a really good jumper or a really good post game would do it. But actually that's something I really don't understand. I thought Splitter could shoot (not well but better than he has in the NBA) in Europe.

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He's 6'11", he's an above average defender, he's a decent rebounder, and he's got one really good offensive tool. That alone makes him above average compared with all the bigs in the league who don't even have the one.

But yeah, if he can develop a second legit NBA offensive tool, that catapults him up to another level.

His confidence can improve, he can add moves on the offensive end, he can get better defensively.

Not a huge ceiling but a decent one to where he can still improve.

Tiago still needs to get stronger before anything else, too many times smaller players have wrestled the ball away from him & all he does is up & under's he needs to dunk the damn ball!

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Originally Posted by Spurs da champs

Tiago still needs to get stronger before anything else, too many times smaller players have wrestled the ball away from him & all he does is up & under's he needs to dunk the damn ball!

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Splitter just lacks athleticism (vertical and explosiveness in his legs) but he's very stout and not easily moved.

A guy like this needs to develop a nice soft touch around the basket because it will always be a challenge to finish strong with a dunk.

I hate to use Blair as an example but Tiago should watch and try to learn Blair's techniques for getting shots off in the paint amongst bigger players.

He will be an all-star player.

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Originally Posted by TJastal

Splitter just lacks athleticism (vertical and explosiveness in his legs) but he's very stout and not easily moved.

A guy like this needs to develop a nice soft touch around the basket because it will always be a challenge to finish strong with a dunk.

I hate to use Blair as an example but Tiago should watch and try to learn Blair's techniques for getting shots off in the paint amongst bigger players.

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I agree with this and that's actually the interesting thing. Splitter's vert measurements at the combine were actually very impressive for a 7 footer but he needed momentum to get that 30+ max. Obviously he'd have slowed down some since those were taken (:D) but it suggests that like you said he's not an explosive athlete.

This was actually a large part of the reason why I wanted Splitter to get more minutes in the regular season. He seems like a guy who needs time to adjust and with practice he usually gets better at things. Longer defenders are usually a problem for players who aren't used to them and I thought Splitter needed to be on the floor more to figure that out.

Though he did alright against solid defenders like Dalmbert and he was looking more patient before the back spasms so it could just be a mental problem. Someone needs to tell him to slow down, reposition, or at least throw a few pump fakes instead of rushing shots...

Splitter would be a starter on most NBA teams right now. I hope the Spurs can lock him into an extension and he would eventually replace Duncan as the starter in a few years. Its a shame he didn't come over sooner (27 years old right now).

If he started doing roids:

Alonzo Mourning.

He's a team player. There's so many freaks of nature in the league that this kind of player will stay in the background doing it's job night after night...

A jumper could take him to another level, but these Spurs have no room for it right now.

With his ability in the P&R he could be as great as the point guard he plays with. Splitter playing with Russell Westbrook would be a bench afterthought. Splitter playing with John Stockton would be a multi year all star. His game is very dependent.

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Originally Posted by tesseractive

he's 6'11", he's an above average defender, he's a decent rebounder, and he's got one really good offensive tool. That alone makes him above average compared with all the bigs in the league who don't even have the one.

But yeah, if he can develop a second legit nba offensive tool, that catapults him up to another level.

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+1

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Originally Posted by tesseractive

He's 6'11", he's an above average defender, he's a decent rebounder, and he's got one really good offensive tool. That alone makes him above average compared with all the bigs in the league who don't even have the one.

But yeah, if he can develop a second legit NBA offensive tool, that catapults him up to another level.

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+1 I am sure as hell glad we kept him and did not listen to all the fools who said he had no game.

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Originally Posted by TJastal

Splitter just lacks athleticism (vertical and explosiveness in his legs) but he's very stout and not easily moved.

A guy like this needs to develop a nice soft touch around the basket because it will always be a challenge to finish strong with a dunk.

I hate to use Blair as an example but Tiago should watch and try to learn Blair's techniques for getting shots off in the paint amongst bigger players.

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When you're nearly 7'0 you don't need athleticism I'm just saying he plays with too much finesse, that might have worked in Europe but not here, he at least needs some type of power game.

And yes he is stout but he still needs to get much stronger in the upper body.

Not good enough to be the focus of the offense, but highly productive in the current guard-dominated PnR set the Spurs run. I don't like his propensity to get soft/timid around the rim or his lack of a respectable jumpshot.

But, I think he can be a 15/8 guy in 30MPG.