What We Can Expect From Lonnie Walker IV Using G League Numbers

[timvp]

https://www.spurstalk.com/lonnie-wal...a-stats-spurs/

The raw numbers are pretty underwhelming but there is more to consider.

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[rjv]

thanks for the heads up on the piece. i'll check it out.

[MaNu4Tres]

I think where people are missing the boat with Lonnie is that his role with the Spurs will be entirely different than it was with the Austin Spurs.

His efficiency should improve playing in the secondary offensive role off the primary options in catch & shoot situations and creating off closeouts and secondary PnR/DHO action against bent defenses. Compared to the primary role he played in Austin -- where his responsibilities covered such a wide range of aspects ( his efficiency took a dip because of it, imo).

He should flourish this upcoming season in a secondary role offensively, where he can put more energy into the defensive end. His responsibilities as a primary option should be scaled as the season(s) go on like Kawhi was early on in his career.

[BackHome]

I hope Pop will use Walker like he used Manu as the 6th man he is perfect to come off the bench and be 2nd option with the second group.

[tbdog]

Not enough play making in that second unit and Walker isn't a natural play maker. But I agree, he needs to start getting some bigger minutes.

[PHComassetto]

Nice article

[ZeusWillJudge]

The most disturbing thing to me is that LW's rebounding is the poorest out of that whole list of guards. He's the same height as Murray, outweighs him by 30 lbs., and is super-athletic, but he isn't even in the same area code with DeJounte's rebounding numbers. That's not the end of the world - Murray is an exceptional rebounder. But his numbers are even worse than Bryn, who sits out beyond the 3P line a lot, and worse than Mills who's an Oompa Loompa. I know those are projections in the article, but it pretty much meets the eye test.

I didn't feel like he pushed especially hard off the ball in SL. He doesn't dish many AST's. And he doesn't snag a lot of rebounds. To me, that makes his mediocre shooting percentages a much bigger negative.

[SpurSpike]

Literally the only thing this guy does is score. Not a bad skill to have but not a complete player yet either...

[acoelho1]

I'm very bullish on Walker this year and his athleticism and jump shot will thrust him into the rotation. If he can limit his mistakes and he can beat out any of the guards not named DDR, Murray and Walker. In my opinion, he should be the first guard off the bench.

[BackHome]

One thing I noticed that really surprised me is the last couple of games he played at end of season Pop had him being primary ball handler he was pretty much PG and did a pretty good job. He showed glimpses of being a point threat in the Manu (God) role. But will he be as good as Manu nope but as long as he can reach his potential which is pretty high I will be very happy.

To really make make a bigger impact and to carve out more playing time he is going to run it up a notch or two on defense. I am not excepting him to be Murray or Whites level but he has to be better then DEROZZ who was actually decent last year in defense. He needs to focus on the basics boxing out, keeping your man in front of you, and ability to fight over screens.

[Seventyniner]

The most disturbing thing to me is that LW's rebounding is the poorest out of that whole list of guards. He's the same height as Murray, outweighs him by 30 lbs., and is super-athletic, but he isn't even in the same area code with DeJounte's rebounding numbers. That's not the end of the world - Murray is an exceptional rebounder. But his numbers are even worse than Bryn, who sits out beyond the 3P line a lot, and worse than Mills who's an Oompa Loompa. I know those are projections in the article, but it pretty much meets the eye test.

I didn't feel like he pushed especially hard off the ball in SL. He doesn't dish many AST's. And he doesn't snag a lot of rebounds. To me, that makes his mediocre shooting percentages a much bigger negative.

this needs to be photoshopped ASAP

[KobesAchilles]

Everybody wants Lonnie to do all this stuff (assist, rebound, play all world D). All I want from him this year is to score the damn basketball. We have DJ and White to play defense. We have LMA, DJ, and Poetl to rebound. And DDR and White will be our main assist guys.

All I want from Lonnie is to play the Jaren Jackson role. Come off the bench, hit big shots and look for his number. Get the ball out the hands of Mills and Marco as much as possible. That alone will help the team.

[superbigtime]

Everybody wants Lonnie to do all this stuff (assist, rebound, play all world D). All I want from him this year is to score the damn basketball. We have DJ and White to play defense. We have LMA, DJ, and Poetl to rebound. And DDR and White will be our main assist guys.

All I want from Lonnie is to play the Jaren Jackson role. Come off the bench, hit big shots and look for his number. Get the ball out the hands of Mills and Marco as much as possible. That alone will help the team.

stop making sense

[monty4329]

LW athleticism is off the charts. Besides that, what does he really bring to the court? Average to decent 2pointers shooting, maybe.

But in the few minutes he played last year, he never seemed to really know what he was doing or where he was. He was always kind of undecided, jumping all over with little purpose. I hope I am wrong, but I am not impressed at all.

Let's see if he gets meaningful minutes in the preseason games and his production there. Right now he is 'a project', nothing more.

[Yogatti]

The fact that he injured his knee just by landing on it from a simple jump shot is a cause for concern. Spurs skimping on Medical Staff doesn't help either

[Pavlov]

The fact that he injured his knee just by landing on it from a simple jump shot is a cause for concern. Spurs skimping on Medical Staff doesn't help either

What's your non-anecdotal evidence the Spurs are skimping on medical staff?

[TD 21]

I think where people are missing the boat with Lonnie is that his role with the Spurs will be entirely different than it was with the Austin Spurs.

His efficiency should improve playing in the secondary offensive role off the primary options in catch & shoot situations and creating off closeouts and secondary PnR/DHO action against bent defenses. Compared to the primary role he played in Austin -- where his responsibilities covered such a wide range of aspects ( his efficiency took a dip because of it, imo).

He should flourish this upcoming season in a secondary role offensively, where he can put more energy into the defensive end. His responsibilities as a primary option should be scaled as the season(s) go on like Kawhi was early on in his career.

It won't happen, but I still like the idea of trying Walker as the starting SG. If he can prove to be a solid catch and shoot option from 3 on decent volume, that'd go a long way to making sense of this rotation. Forbes isn't starter material and even if White could do what I just mentioned, it'd be a waste of his play making and leave the bench bereft of one.