EG had a solid series against The Warriors and with two outstanding games. When he gets a full head of steam on fast breaks it takes some fortitude to stand in for the charge. As I remember he was a streaky shooter at IU. His consistency and range have improved materially in the NBA.
Eric Gordon
- Thread starter CriticArisen
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I recall Gordon being very good from long range and a beast driving the ball.......powerful dunker. He was unusual in his strength as a Frosh. Certainly he has improved over the years in the NBA.
He was a very good shooter for IU before he injured his shooting hand\wrist. After that he was more one dimensional.
So your saying he has improved his shooting from the time he was an 18-19yo and splitting his time with school to the time he is 30-31 and shooting basketballs for a living? Shocking.
There are quite a lot of players who’s shooting just doesn’t improve. Likely take yourself as an example. Do you believe if you had kept practicing shooting you could have won the 3 pt contest? Was your potential as a shooter unlimited (or limited only by practice hours) and would have constantly improved with more practice. I can think of many 4 year players whose shots didn’t improve materially while in college and not from lack of practice.
He is one of 25 people who has won the NBA 3 pt contest. Maybe you foresaw that level of shooting when he was at IU but I didn’t.
Where did you foresee Jay Edwards would be at 31 based on his shooting at IU? If you can predict with this level of detail you should be advising an NBA GM. Where will Romeo be at age 31?
I am not predicting. And the NBA GMS don't need me just because I am not surprised that a decent shooter became an even better shooter with age and the fact that he is able to spend all his time honing his craft. The GMs wouldn't be surprised either. That is why EG was drafted 7th. It really ain't rocket science dude. Isn't that what everyone of us are supposed to do? Become better with age and experience?
Jay Edwards wasted his opportunities with drugs and alcohol problems.
Your OP didn't talk about the 3pt contest. I didn't even think or "foresee" the NBA 3pt. contest... that is great for him. Your OP made alluded that your were surprised that his shooting has gotten materially better in the NBA. I just stated that we shouldn't be shocked. He was a good shooter at 18, are we all supposed to get better with hard work when we get older? He was drafted 7th overall. My guess is the GMs certainly thought he would. Not a prediction, not a guarantee, but most players get better.
LOL with this analogy. Do I think I would have won a 3pt contest if I continued practicing??? Well, who is my competition? You see, we are not talking apples to oranges here. If I had the skill set to begin with (EG was drafted 7th) and I continued to work hard and practice, then yes... it would be reasonable to believe in myself to win such competition.
You kept stating that you can think of many 4year players who's shot didn't improve. Well, maybe they were not know as shooters to begin with. Maybe their scouting report was, "not a good shooter."
BTW, here was EG's draft scouting report I bolded the part about his shooting:
A rock-solid and incredibly explosive combo guard Tremendously aggressive, and relentless when going to the hoop Constantly looks to attack and use his body to out-muscle weaker defenders at his position Is not afraid of going at bigger help defenders and drawing contact Great leaping ability and outstanding body-control allow him to finish effectively around the hoop An assassin off the dribble, where a quick first step and combination of hesitation moves allow him get by people at will His remarkable speed and change of pace are best seen in the open court as he can be a 1-man fastbreak going around defenders with ease Possesses an extra gear that he displays at times, especially when turning the corner in the halfcourt Possesses a smooth jumpshot, which he is able to hit well beyond the NBA 3 He has a very quick and smooth release, great elevation as well as nice arc on his shot Has shown the ability to play with his back to the basket from the midpost, where he is able to utilize his terrific body strength and finishing ability to abuse smaller players Defensively, he has the potential to be great simply because of his physical tools (good length, nice lateral foot-speed and strength), combine that with his desire and decent understanding of team concepts, and he is already well ahead of the curve
Winning the 3 pt shooting is a measure of the level of his shooting in the NBA. If you say no big deal his shooting improved then how much his shooting improved must be considered. At IU he was a 33% 3 pt shooter.
If you look at high draft pick guards that scored and shot well in college you have guys like Shawn Respert, Eddie Griffin, Dennis Hopson, Brad Holland, Jimmer Fredette, etc. in the NBA their shots apparently regressed if anything.
I still hold to the opinion that Eric Gordon’s shooting improved much more than average over the years.
Not all shooters improve from college to the pros in game situations no matter how hard they work and very few improve as much as Eric Gordon even when considering elite college guards.
The same scouting reports were available for plenty other guards who never performed in the NBA.
I will admit that when I called him a streaky shooter I hadn’t considered a wrist injury as someone mentioned above.
No way, wait a minute--a wrist injury can not impact your shooting. Many of the "experts" on here that were ripping Romeo all year said a wrist injury is just an excuse for not shooting as well as they had hoped!!!
So no-one ever complained about his shooting??? I must need to learn how to read again
Complaining is one thing. Ripping is another and he was ripped for other things.
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