As the search for Tyreke’s running mate continues, I would like to turn our attention towards a player we had on our roster last year. The man who goes by the name of Toney Douglas. When I look for a player to matchup with Evans, I look for these traits:
Shooting
Douglas is a good 3pt shooter. He is a career 35.9% three point shooter, and if you take away his one shortened season when he shot 23.1% from three, he would be sitting at a 37.8% career average. This year he shot 38% from beyond the arc and 38.9% while he was in Sacramento. He tends to shoot better as the season goes on which is what you like to see when you’re going into the playoffs (He averages 39.4% from three after the all-star break for his career).
Douglas has a decent midrange game to go along with an above average 3pt shot. I’ve noticed that he’s not afraid to take it if the defense gives it to him by under-cutting a screen. These are his shooting stats by floor positioning while in Sacramento:
At the rim: 61.5%
3-9 feet: 13.3%
10-15 feet: 40%
16-23 feet: 36%
And these are his career percentages by floor positioning:
At the rim: 58.2%%
3-9 feet: 38.1 %
10-15 feet: 39.1%
16-23 feet: 32.5%
His shooting between 3-23 feet is about average considering the league average for PGs sits around 38%-43%. Again, he’s not amazing from midrange, but his jumper still demands respect from this range.
Douglas is also a terrific free throw shooter. His career average is 83.5% which is above average considering the league average for PGs is a tad above 80%. Douglas actually shot very well from the stripe last year (90.5%). Even though he doesn’t get to the line often, it is always nice to have a guy who is automatic for technical foul and 3-in-the-key shots.
Defense
Defense is where Douglas makes his money. He is a tremendous defender. His energy, dedication, and knowledge on that side of the ball are what allow him to be so effective. He’s also great at taking the ball away from his opponent. He averaged 1 steal in only 18 minutes of play last year (2.17 steals in 40 minutes of play). He averages .9 steals in 20 minutes of play over his entire career (1.83 steals in 40 minutes of play). Even though he is very good at taking the ball away from his matchup, he forces many turnovers that you don’t see in the boxscore. His energy, defensive awareness, stealing ability, and his ability to stay in front of his man make him an outstanding defender at PG.
Ballhandling & Passing
Douglas is a solid ballhandler. He won’t stand out to you like Evans does, but he doesn’t mishandle the ball when bringing the ball up, being pressured, or dribbling through traffic (Yeah, I’m looking at you Jimmer). Douglas has a career turnover rate very on par with the PG league average (11.4%) which goes to show that he tends to make good decisions with the ball in his hands. He won’t amaze you with any spectacular passes, but he will make the smart pass that puts his teammates in a good position to score. Although his career assist to turnover ratio is a bit below average sitting at 2.18 (league average among PGs is 2.4), we don’t need him to be running the entire offense. As an off ball guard who will help run the offense here and there, an assist to turnover ratio of above 2 is more than adequate. Again, he’s not going to wow you with his passing and dribbling, but if you watch him, you’ll notice that he knows his limitations and tends to make good decisions with the ball.
Size & Athleticism
Douglas has very good size for a PG. He is a solid 6’2” in shoes which allows him to matchup with just about any PG in terms of height. He weighs 185lbs, but he is a very strong 185lbs. He recorded 15 reps on the bench press during the combine which shows just how strong his upper body really is (Evans recorded 7 reps to put it in perspective). He also has good length (6’6” wingspan) which he uses very well on the defensive side to bother his matchup.
He is also a very athletic guard with great speed and agility which allows him to stay in front of his man on the defense end and create separation on the offensive end. He recorded a time of 10.63 in the agility test which would have ranked him 6[SUP]th[/SUP] in this year’s draft (behind Blue, Caldwell-Pope, Leslie, Siva, & Snell). His 3/4 court sprint was 3.03 seconds which would have him ranked 1[SUP]st[/SUP] in this year’s draft. Make no mistake his speed and quickness are well above average.
Role Players Mentality
This might be one of the most important attributes. We don’t need a player who thinks his success will determine the team’s success. We need a guy who is willing to sacrifice his shots and touches for the sake of the team. From his time in Sacramento, I got the impression that he was willing to be that guy. I never got the feeling that he was in hero mode or looking for his own shot when he came down the floor. In fact, I noticed he would bring the ball up as fast as he could and either hand it off to Evans immediately or look to feed Cousins in the post. It warmed my heart to see that. Again, we need a player who is willing to defer to our superior players, and I think Douglas fits the bill.
I’m not sure how much we could get Douglas for if we wished to resign him. My guess would be no more than the contract Chalmers got (4 mil per year). I’m hoping we could get him for 2-3 mil per year. I think that would be a very good value for us.
So what do you guys say? Is he the PG we need next to Evans and Cousins?
- Shooting
- Defense
- Ballhandling & Passing
- Size & Athleticism
- Role Players Mentality
Shooting
Douglas is a good 3pt shooter. He is a career 35.9% three point shooter, and if you take away his one shortened season when he shot 23.1% from three, he would be sitting at a 37.8% career average. This year he shot 38% from beyond the arc and 38.9% while he was in Sacramento. He tends to shoot better as the season goes on which is what you like to see when you’re going into the playoffs (He averages 39.4% from three after the all-star break for his career).
Douglas has a decent midrange game to go along with an above average 3pt shot. I’ve noticed that he’s not afraid to take it if the defense gives it to him by under-cutting a screen. These are his shooting stats by floor positioning while in Sacramento:
At the rim: 61.5%
3-9 feet: 13.3%
10-15 feet: 40%
16-23 feet: 36%
And these are his career percentages by floor positioning:
At the rim: 58.2%%
3-9 feet: 38.1 %
10-15 feet: 39.1%
16-23 feet: 32.5%
His shooting between 3-23 feet is about average considering the league average for PGs sits around 38%-43%. Again, he’s not amazing from midrange, but his jumper still demands respect from this range.
Douglas is also a terrific free throw shooter. His career average is 83.5% which is above average considering the league average for PGs is a tad above 80%. Douglas actually shot very well from the stripe last year (90.5%). Even though he doesn’t get to the line often, it is always nice to have a guy who is automatic for technical foul and 3-in-the-key shots.
Defense
Defense is where Douglas makes his money. He is a tremendous defender. His energy, dedication, and knowledge on that side of the ball are what allow him to be so effective. He’s also great at taking the ball away from his opponent. He averaged 1 steal in only 18 minutes of play last year (2.17 steals in 40 minutes of play). He averages .9 steals in 20 minutes of play over his entire career (1.83 steals in 40 minutes of play). Even though he is very good at taking the ball away from his matchup, he forces many turnovers that you don’t see in the boxscore. His energy, defensive awareness, stealing ability, and his ability to stay in front of his man make him an outstanding defender at PG.
Ballhandling & Passing
Douglas is a solid ballhandler. He won’t stand out to you like Evans does, but he doesn’t mishandle the ball when bringing the ball up, being pressured, or dribbling through traffic (Yeah, I’m looking at you Jimmer). Douglas has a career turnover rate very on par with the PG league average (11.4%) which goes to show that he tends to make good decisions with the ball in his hands. He won’t amaze you with any spectacular passes, but he will make the smart pass that puts his teammates in a good position to score. Although his career assist to turnover ratio is a bit below average sitting at 2.18 (league average among PGs is 2.4), we don’t need him to be running the entire offense. As an off ball guard who will help run the offense here and there, an assist to turnover ratio of above 2 is more than adequate. Again, he’s not going to wow you with his passing and dribbling, but if you watch him, you’ll notice that he knows his limitations and tends to make good decisions with the ball.
Size & Athleticism
Douglas has very good size for a PG. He is a solid 6’2” in shoes which allows him to matchup with just about any PG in terms of height. He weighs 185lbs, but he is a very strong 185lbs. He recorded 15 reps on the bench press during the combine which shows just how strong his upper body really is (Evans recorded 7 reps to put it in perspective). He also has good length (6’6” wingspan) which he uses very well on the defensive side to bother his matchup.
He is also a very athletic guard with great speed and agility which allows him to stay in front of his man on the defense end and create separation on the offensive end. He recorded a time of 10.63 in the agility test which would have ranked him 6[SUP]th[/SUP] in this year’s draft (behind Blue, Caldwell-Pope, Leslie, Siva, & Snell). His 3/4 court sprint was 3.03 seconds which would have him ranked 1[SUP]st[/SUP] in this year’s draft. Make no mistake his speed and quickness are well above average.
Role Players Mentality
This might be one of the most important attributes. We don’t need a player who thinks his success will determine the team’s success. We need a guy who is willing to sacrifice his shots and touches for the sake of the team. From his time in Sacramento, I got the impression that he was willing to be that guy. I never got the feeling that he was in hero mode or looking for his own shot when he came down the floor. In fact, I noticed he would bring the ball up as fast as he could and either hand it off to Evans immediately or look to feed Cousins in the post. It warmed my heart to see that. Again, we need a player who is willing to defer to our superior players, and I think Douglas fits the bill.
I’m not sure how much we could get Douglas for if we wished to resign him. My guess would be no more than the contract Chalmers got (4 mil per year). I’m hoping we could get him for 2-3 mil per year. I think that would be a very good value for us.
So what do you guys say? Is he the PG we need next to Evans and Cousins?