One on One: Four Questions for the Upcoming Season

Are the Wolves playoff bound? Is this year the final chance for Bismack Biyombo?

Jackson McNally and Jon Elliott go one on one answering this week’s questions.

1. How will Trey Burke’s injury affect Utah’s season? Could it hinder the development of other young players on the roster?

Jackson: I, unlike many others are not that high on Jazz rookie Trey Burke. While I feel he is a solid player I project to be something more like a serviceable guard in the NBA. With that being said, this is a huge blow for the Jazz as he is their present and future for the time being. This would have been a good time for he and young teammates Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors to develop chemistry. Playing out of the spotlight this could have been a season that saw the Jazz be one of the NBA’s worst but show glimpses of potential. With Burke going out look for them to try and resign a veteran PG like Jamaal Tinsley.

Jon: Trey Burke is clearly the future of the Jazz at point guard. That being said, there are several players that are looked at as “the future” for their position on this roster. In fact, just about every starter (save Richard Jefferson) is looking to prove that they’re going to be the guy going forward. This injury does in fact hurt the Jazz in the sense of chemistry. A point guard is naturally the leader of the team, and I don’t think anyone would question Burke’s ability to come in and lead this young team, just as he led a talented Michigan roster. With Burke expected to miss 8-12 weeks, equating to somewhere around 30 games of the season, the development of the young players on the roster will definitely be stunted somewhat. John Lucas III is projected to start at PG for the Jazz in the meantime. Lucas III is not known as a pass-first point guard, which I think the Jazz need right now to give their young guys confidence and more shots to develop their offensive game. However, nobody is expecting this Jazz team to do much more than develop their young talent for next season, so this won’t be a huge issue in the long run as long as the injury doesn’t become a constant hurdle for Burk

2. Is this year the final chance for Bismack Biyombo to live up to his potential (at least in some capacity)?

Jackson: In absolutely no way is this an “end of the road” or “final chance season” for Bismack Biyombo. While incompetent at times he shows glimpses of potential and should thrive coming off the bench. With a new coaching staff consisting of Steve Clifford and Patrick Ewing, Bismack should thrive under their guidance. Another player who will help him along is free agent acquisition Al Jefferson. They should form a formidable offense/defense combo. Biyombo projects to be a defensive stopper and rebounder in his career and he has shown that he is definitely capable of achieving that status. The Bobcats will not give up on the 7^th overall pick just three years ago this quickly. Biyombo managed an impressive 9.6 RPG and 2.6 BPG per 36 last season and fans should look for that number to improve.

Jon: Biyombo’s strength is defense, there’s no mistaking that. The mistake is to try to develop more than one thing at a time for such a raw talent. I expect Biyombo to work on his help defense and second-pass defense as he is notorious for going for the big block on the first person and getting burned after that player passes off to a teammate for the easy bucket. If Bismack can work on perfecting his low post defense first (and possibly refine any flaws in his rebounding game), then the Bobcats can afford to give him another season or two to develop a few more offensive weapons. Biyombo will have a lot of pressure reduced now that the Bobcats shored up their front court by adding Cody Zeller and Al Jefferson during the off-season.

3. Are the Timberwolves good enough for the playoffs?

Jackson: While I like what the timberwolves have put together (mostly) it is still hard to see them make the playoffs. During this years draft they selected Shabazz Muhammad out of UCLA to fill in the whole at SF. Mired with controversy I thought he was a risky pick to say the least and didn’t fully understand why he was the choice. I do like however, the selection of Gorgui Dieng out of Louisville as he has serious upside and will bring defense and rebounding to the team immediately. They acquired Kevin Martin in FA in a move I absolutely despised. It is a terrible fit because when you look at the roster you see that all 5 starters are below average defenders and athletes for their positions. Having Love, Martin, Budinger, and Muhammad prowling the perimeter seems like a spacing issue to me. Rubio and Pekovic will attack the basket fiercely but is it enough for a playoff spot in a stacked Western Conference? I don’t think so. I see them finishing 10^th and going below .500.

Jon: The short answer is yes. Absolutely yes, in fact. The problem last season was injuries. Hopefully for the Wolves, that won’t be the case this year. Rubio is easily a top 10 point guard (and top 5 pure point guard) when healthy, and Kevin Love is.. well Kevin Love. Nikola Pekovic can nearly average a double-double, even with Love’s perfect rebounding form in the lane with him. The addition of Kevin Martin is vital as they finally have a dependable scoring threat at SG, and with Chase Budinger now on the wing with him, this team can really put up points. Defense may be lacking for them, especially without Kirilenko. The thing that makes them a threat over the season is their bench. There aren’t any Sixth Man of the Year candidates in my mind, but with Shabazz Muhammad, Alexey Shved, Derrick Williams, and Gorgui Dieng, this team is loaded with potential. Don’t forget about veterans JJ Barea, Corey Brewer, and Ronny Turiaf who can be valuable low-minute role players as well. If this team is healthy, they’ve got a chance to be a playoff team for a long time. Put me down for the Wolves ending in 7th place in the West, behind (in no particular order) the Thunder, Clippers, Rockets, Spurs, Grizzlies, and Warriors. I don’t see any team outside of those 6 in the wild, wild west that have a better roster top-to-bottom.

4. Who show the most improvement in his second NBA season: Jonas Valanciunas or Andre Drummond?

Jackson: Both are ultra talented, but I tend to favor Valanciunas In this argument. There is no doubt Valanciunas has a more refined game at the moment. While Andre Drummond dominates within three feet he struggles from just about everywhere else on the floor. Andre’s poor free throw shooting has also become a target of teams as they can afford to put him on the line. Now, with Valanciunas you find a European big man who has nice touch around the basket and even from 10-15 feet. Jonas knocks down free throws at an extraordinary clip (78%) and runs the floor well. While Drummond has him beat in rebounding he is to be expected because he is a far superior athlete. I say Valanciunas shows more improvement next year, but much of the reason is not Drummonds fault. I think the Pistons will be disastrous with so many cancerous players, and some will have to sacrifice shots to free gunners like Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings.

Jon: Jonas Valanciunas should steadily progress on this team and could become a cornerstone for the Raptors eventually.  However, Andre Drummond is absolutely ready to explode!  The offensive opportunities may be limited with the new look Pistons roster, however Drummond has top 3 Center potential as long as he continues his development as expected.  He averaged 15.5 PPG, 14.8 RPG, and 2.0 BPG in Summer League this year, and while Summer League stats can either be highly inflated or deflated, they can also provide a peek into someone’s potential.  More impressively, Drummond averaged 7.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and a very impressive 1.6 BPG in just over 20 minutes per contest last year as a rookie.  Valanciunas will be a very good Center for quite a while in my opinion, however Drummond can look like the best Center in the game on some nights.  If he stays healthy, he’ll explode for close to a double-double season and could become a dominant defensive force down low.