Richard Jefferson, Season 2

[Dex]

Putting work in on drills does nothing to change things like RJ being lazy in every other facet of the game when his shot is not going in. That is something he will have to prove he worked to correct on his own...and if he does not show improvement in that area then the improvement in shooting won't matter one bit.

Well technically...if he makes more shots, he won't be inclined to be lazy as often?

[duncan228]

R.J.’s foul-line parade a good omen for Spurs’ offense
by Tim Griffin

...Jefferson said he made a conscious effort to try and boost his chances of getting fouled.

“A little bit,” Jefferson said. “Part of it was having a better understanding and a better feel of the schemes, the driving lanes and my teammates. It’s my second year and there will be improvements hopefully across the board. It won’t be conscious efforts or work put in this summer, but just having experienced another year under my belt.”

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...spurs-offense/

[Bender]

^--- yeah good to see him get to the line all those times, too bad he sucks at FTs though

[benefactor]

The bold is such an over-exaggeration, I don't even know where to begin. I'm not saying he was Mr. All- NBA Defender or Mr. Intangibles, but the guy was better than the typical bold statement.

He had terrible two months in January and February of last season (in all phases; which lead to a very intense meeting with Pop around the trade deadline), but every anti-RJ yes man tries to make those two months out for the whole season. From March on forward, he was a much more aggressive player in every other facet that included rebounding, taking the ball strong to the hoop, and more aware and aggressive with his rotations on the defensive end.

Before January, RJ actually shot 40% from 3 the first 3 months of the year and helped keep the team stay in contention by many great performances when Tony was out early on.

It was less about Pop having some talk with him and more about Parker going out and Manu moving to the starting lineup and flat erupting. A Manu/RJ starting lineup created better chemistry because Manu is a better setup player than Parker is...so much so that there was tons of speculation on whether or not Parker should come off the bench in the playoffs. RJ didn't get that much better...Manu did.

Once the playoff rolled around the same old inconsistent RJ showed up. Couple of good games to help win the Mavs series, followed by a couple of stink jobs in the next round...one of which was the pivotal game three that basically sealed the deal.

We'll see what happens. The season is here and the games are being played. We'll have a little better picture a few weeks from now.

[benefactor]

i don't expect him to be a great a defender or a great rebounder for this team (if that's what you're talking about when you say "every other facet"). he's never really been either of those. his whole career he's mainly had a scorers mentality. all i expect him to do is be better in that area. you're expectations are too high and that's you're problem.

The Spurs don't need him to score more. He can go for 16/8 and the Spurs can still get bounced in the second round again. He has to hustle and make rotations on the defensive end and be smart and take what is given to him on the offensive end...and he has to do it consistently. I still see it as questionable that he can, but if he does it becomes one of several key elements that boost the Spurs towards the contender conversation.

[mingus]

The Spurs don't need him to score more. He can go for 16/8 and the Spurs can still get bounced in the second round again. He has to hustle and make rotations on the defensive end and be smart and take what is given to him on the offensive end...and he has to do it consistently. I still see it as questionable that he can, but if he does it becomes one of several key elements that boost the Spurs towards the contender conversation.

well at least you see it as questionable now because before you weren't giving the guy a chance pretty much.

RJ is too good of a player to write off over a one year period and I was one of the few posters who realized it. I have no doubt his play will continue.

Enjoy that crowe, and while your at it bump that thread of yours again.

[jesterbobman]

As a New Zealand fan it's difficult to get a chance to watch him play(Lack of TV and ty slow internet for trying to watch league pass). Statistically he's been fine in the 1st 2 games, just wanted to ask:
How comfortable has he looked in his offensive role?
What's his defense(both individual and help/switching) been like?

[HarlemHeat37]

Jefferson looked great tonight..really aggressive, played hard..

He should have made that clutch 3, he was wide open..he also shouldn't have passed up the open shot, which led to Neal taking a tough, contested 3, those are the types of plays that Jefferson has to completely avoid, he has to have some balls..

With that being said, he was the best Spur tonight, and he looks a lot better so far this season..

[AussieFanKurt]

HarlemHeat sums it up well. More good than bad in first 2 games thats for sure. Different player compared to last year

[Ice009]

Jefferson looked great tonight..really aggressive, played hard..

He should have made that clutch 3, he was wide open..he also shouldn't have passed up the open shot, which led to Neal taking a tough, contested 3, those are the types of plays that Jefferson has to completely avoid, he has to have some balls..

With that being said, he was the best Spur tonight, and he looks a lot better so far this season..

His new jumper looks great so far. I still hated that he passed up that second three after the miss. The miss was a tough one, but that shot I am OK with. Probably minute for minute RJ has been the most consistent Spur this season.

[peskypesky]

if only they could do something about that voice of his.

[benefactor]

Well done tonight RJ...well done.

[jag]

Props

[phyzik]

Richard Jefferson, Game 2, Season 2011

33.25 minutes
18 points
4 rebounds
3 assists
1 Turn over



Not bad, hope he keeps it up. I will take that score line EVERY NIGHT!... He was agressive tonight as much as, if not more than, the first game. The loss was definately not on him. In fact, without him and Hill, it would have been a blowout.

[angelbelow]

Well done tonight RJ...well done.

hey bro, i know how you feel about the guy, but lets be optimistic about the season. Tonights loss was tough considering our comeback but its time like these were we just have to continue to cheer as b-ball fans.

Whether RJ improves, or stays the same, or gets worse... isnt something we can control now. IMO the best thing to do is to hope for the best and hope he continues to play hard like he tonight and the season opener.

[TJastal]

hey bro, i know how you feel about the guy, but lets be optimistic about the season. Tonights loss was tough considering our comeback but its time like these were we just have to continue to cheer as b-ball fans.

Whether RJ improves, or stays the same, or gets worse... isnt something we can control now. IMO the best thing to do is to hope for the best and hope he continues to play hard like he tonight and the season opener.

[ezau]

I jumped off my seat when he drove to the lane, made one pump fake, and slammed the ball with one hand against Trevor Ariza.

I know it's too early, but RJ looks really comfortable out there. He was aggressive all game long. He started off slow, but if I remember correctly, he scored like 16 points in the second half.

If TD, TP, Manu,RJ, and to a lesser extent, Hill and Blair show up every game, the Spurs are very tough to beat.

[Ice009]

I jumped off my seat when he drove to the lane, made one pump fake, and slammed the ball with one hand against Trevor Ariza.

I know it's too early, but RJ looks really comfortable out there. He was aggressive all game long. He started off slow, but if I remember correctly, he scored like 16 points in the second half.

If TD, TP, Manu,RJ, and to a lesser extent, Hill and Blair show up every game, the Spurs are very tough to beat.

The reason RJ started off slow is because he never got the ball from Tony or Manu.

[benefactor]

hey bro, i know how you feel about the guy, but lets be optimistic about the season. Tonights loss was tough considering our comeback but its time like these were we just have to continue to cheer as b-ball fans.

Whether RJ improves, or stays the same, or gets worse... isnt something we can control now. IMO the best thing to do is to hope for the best and hope he continues to play hard like he tonight and the season opener.

What the are you talking about?

[ohmwrecker]

It's still early, but RJ is one of the few bright spots so far. He has started out comfortable and aggressive and I don't see that dropping off. His shot looks great and he's starting to hit them at a good clip.

RJ is not the problem.

The problem is defense. Perimeter and paint. Splitter should help in the paint, but the perimeter d is a big issue. DeJuan Blair is a major disappointment so far. I know he is anxious to show off all the work he put in this summer on his outside game, but it ain't working. Stay down low and let Timmy shoot the jumpers. Pop needs to pull his ass out of the starting lineup pronto. I would prefer McDyess at this point, but Splitter, if he learns quick, would be preferable.

They let Jason Smith get going, for chrissakes!

[ezau]

The reason RJ started off slow is because he never got the ball from Tony or Manu.

Yeah, I agree with you. I see launching off from his fast start and continue contribute solidly for the Spurs.

[ElNono]

I thought RJ had a good night but I liked him more on the first game than on this one. In the first game he was involved from the get go. In this one, he went basically under the radar for the entire first half.
That said, when he did show up, he hustled his ass off, and for a moment when our offense was in shambles, his jumper carried us.
The only knock I had with him on that stretch was that he passed up wide open 3's to drive to the basket looking for the foul. He did get the calls last night, so props to him, but I can see how that can backfire against other teams.
All in all, looking at the team overall, you really can't rag on RJ's production unless you're being super picky. We have much bigger problems right now than his production.
I hope he keeps it up.

[Cane]

RJ looked great last night, one of the few good things from last night's game. Hopefully he brings this energy and aggressiveness all the time, he's shown a lot of improvements in these past two games from last season. He was a lot better than both Parker and Duncan against the Hornets as well.

Loved that pumpfake and dunk on Ariza as well.

[Spurs Brazil]

Props to RJ, 2 solid games

[mountainballer]

at least he looks as if he was worth 8M per.