I thought I'd ask, because I'm sure every one of you has his own expectations of McLemore. It appears that the Kings expectations are pretty high. At least in the long term. But how about the short term? What do you expect him to accomplish this season as a 19 year old after one year of college? And are your expectations fair? So before you answer, I thought I'd give you some food for thought. I won't belabor you with his pluses and minuses. We all know what they are. I thought I'd give you some comparisons instead. He's most often compared to Ray Allen, and I'm sure some of you scoff at that. And perhaps your right! Its probably unfair to him! But just for the heck of it, lets look at Allen's first year in the NBA.
Ran Allen: 21 years old, 30.8 MPG, 13.4 PPG, 43.0% FGP, 39.3% 3PP, 4.0 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.8 TO's, 0.9 SPG.
Hmmm! Doesn't blow my socks off! Very reasonable numbers to match! Would you be happy with those numbers for McLemore, considering that Allen was 21 years old and McLemore is 19 with much less college experience?
How about Kobe Bryant? Lets look at Kobe's first two years since he was 18 when he was drafted.
Kobe Bryant: 18 years old, 15.5 MPG, 7.6 PPG, 41.7% FGP, 37.5% 3PP, 1.9 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.5 TO's, 0.6 SPG
19 years old, 26.0 MPG, 15.4 PPG, 42.8% FGP, 34.1% 3PP, 3.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.9 TO's, 0.9 SPG
Once again, numbers that McLemore can probably match. Would that be acceptable? How about someone more recent like James Harden.
James Harden: 19 years old, 22.8 MPG, 9.9 PPG, 40.3% FGP, 37.5% 3PP, 3.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.3 TO's, 1.0 SPG
Hell, I'll eat the phone book if he can't match those numbers! Lets go with someone that was also a great athlete coming out of college. Dwyane Wade.
Dwyane Wade: 22 years old, 34.8 MPG, 16.2 PPG, 46.5% FGP, 30.2% 3PP, 4.0 RPG, 4.5 APG, 3.2 TO's, 1.4 SPG.
Now except for the poor 3PP stat, those are very good numbers for a first year in the NBA. Of course I do think we have to take into consideration, that Wade had 4 years of college and was 22 years old. I would think that if McLemore could match some of those numbers, such as PPG, and perhaps rebounds, and shoot a higher 3PP, everyone would be estactic. No?
I could show you others. Steve Nash was downright terrible his first year, and Nowitzki was almost run out of town. There are the exceptions of course, like Lebron and Durant, both of whom were 19 years old, and played 35 or more minutes a game, and put up 20 PPG. Of course both Durant and Lebron shot very poorly from beyond the arc, with neither of them breaking the 30% barrier. My point is, that there's perception and there's reality. Very few players come out of college and become instant stars. For most it takes a couple of years, and in some cases, like Nash, it took 4 years. The team your on, the coaching staff, and the players your surrounded by, all make a difference.
So I'm interested in your opinions. Personally, if he can play 24 MPG, and put up 14 PPG, while shooting close to 45% overall and 37 % from the three, while grabbing 4 boards a game, I'll say he's had a successful rookie year. What do you think?
Ran Allen: 21 years old, 30.8 MPG, 13.4 PPG, 43.0% FGP, 39.3% 3PP, 4.0 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.8 TO's, 0.9 SPG.
Hmmm! Doesn't blow my socks off! Very reasonable numbers to match! Would you be happy with those numbers for McLemore, considering that Allen was 21 years old and McLemore is 19 with much less college experience?
How about Kobe Bryant? Lets look at Kobe's first two years since he was 18 when he was drafted.
Kobe Bryant: 18 years old, 15.5 MPG, 7.6 PPG, 41.7% FGP, 37.5% 3PP, 1.9 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.5 TO's, 0.6 SPG
19 years old, 26.0 MPG, 15.4 PPG, 42.8% FGP, 34.1% 3PP, 3.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.9 TO's, 0.9 SPG
Once again, numbers that McLemore can probably match. Would that be acceptable? How about someone more recent like James Harden.
James Harden: 19 years old, 22.8 MPG, 9.9 PPG, 40.3% FGP, 37.5% 3PP, 3.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.3 TO's, 1.0 SPG
Hell, I'll eat the phone book if he can't match those numbers! Lets go with someone that was also a great athlete coming out of college. Dwyane Wade.
Dwyane Wade: 22 years old, 34.8 MPG, 16.2 PPG, 46.5% FGP, 30.2% 3PP, 4.0 RPG, 4.5 APG, 3.2 TO's, 1.4 SPG.
Now except for the poor 3PP stat, those are very good numbers for a first year in the NBA. Of course I do think we have to take into consideration, that Wade had 4 years of college and was 22 years old. I would think that if McLemore could match some of those numbers, such as PPG, and perhaps rebounds, and shoot a higher 3PP, everyone would be estactic. No?
I could show you others. Steve Nash was downright terrible his first year, and Nowitzki was almost run out of town. There are the exceptions of course, like Lebron and Durant, both of whom were 19 years old, and played 35 or more minutes a game, and put up 20 PPG. Of course both Durant and Lebron shot very poorly from beyond the arc, with neither of them breaking the 30% barrier. My point is, that there's perception and there's reality. Very few players come out of college and become instant stars. For most it takes a couple of years, and in some cases, like Nash, it took 4 years. The team your on, the coaching staff, and the players your surrounded by, all make a difference.
So I'm interested in your opinions. Personally, if he can play 24 MPG, and put up 14 PPG, while shooting close to 45% overall and 37 % from the three, while grabbing 4 boards a game, I'll say he's had a successful rookie year. What do you think?
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