It's just a shame that he's on a team with no motor, but I'll argue that the New Jersey Nets have more potential despite their horrid record.
Lopez's game is something I've been dying to see in a center since Tim Duncan came into the league: a center with great shooting range with an array of of post moves, great court awareness and positioning, and can rebound and block like a veteran. This is a rare breed in basketball.
Most other young centers who are beaming with talent like Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum are huge and stake their territory on the low block and in the lane. They are both extremely good in this area, but can they step out and shoot 18-footers consistently?
Lopez has a finess game that is not often seen in a big man. His talent as a pick-and-pop guy is difficult to defend as most centers in the league are looking to protect the basket more than following their man out of the paint.
Lopez's shooting stroke is smooth for a man his size, and he makes opposing defenders pay for not respecting it. His court positioning on the outside reminds me a lot of Brad Miller, which is something that Duncan doesn't have quite in common as he works a more mid-range game.
What happens when Tim Duncan and Brad Miller have a kid (Wow, that sounds incredibly wrong)? You get Brooke Lopez. Sorry Robin.
Hopefully Lopez's team will get a little boost after the season, as it will be interesting to see what happens this summer when the Nets will be chasing big free agents like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
Lopez already has an All-Star point guard in Devin Harris to run with, and if they can grab one of the big name guys (or possibly a few) come July, they'll have the word dynasty written all over them.
In the mean time, let the kid keep developing his game and puzzling coaches.
No comments:
Post a Comment