I'm starting to question Jason Thompson

[LWP777]

I'm starting to think that he's not going to ever be much better than he is right now. It's beginning to be fairly clear that his basketball IQ is not very high. He is also starting to look like he has bad hands and he is soft around the rim 90% of the time. He has no control over his body. He doesn't understand what a foul is.

Last night he flipped up some garbage shot that rolled off the rim and a Warrior's player got the rebound. Frustrated, he fouled the rebounder for no reason at all and Golden State went down and make 2 FT's because they were in the penalty. Smart players do not do this sort of crap. They know when they are in the penalty and they don't give away 2 points because they are frustrated. Low basketball IQ.

He also has no clue about how to play defense. When he fouls other players he acts like it was the worst call in the world. He yanked on a player's jersey earlier in the year and had no clue he did that until he watched the replay after the game. He commits very cheap "And 1" fouls instead of keeping players from finishing.

There are times that he makes you believe he is "getting" it. That dunk he had last night was one of those moments but for every one of those plays, he makes 10 weak plays. I still think he's a decent player for where we picked him in the draft but I don't think he is a big man to build around. I think his numbers are artificially inflated because he gets more minutes than he deserves because we have no other options. He is not a young rookie and he's played in a lot of games already (hasn't missed a game yet which is one of his biggest positives) so I don't expect a huge improvement from this point forward. There are some players who just aren't going to have good instincts for the game and he is one of them.

He seems like a nice enough guy so I hope I am wrong about him but I'm just trying to be honest about his game and his future in the NBA.

 

[pshn80]

Jason was a fast starter when he entered the NBA. He started each game and still does. But I agree with you. Its an open question that I don't have a good hint about yet whether he will develop to be a good journeyman. He really isn't reliable now - this season.

 

[Larry89]

Needs better footwork, work on his psotgame, needs more upperbody strength and conditioning.

Jumpshot is sporadic and unreliable.. also needs to learn where double teams are coming from

 

[Henkel]

Welcome to the club. Jason is mostly a effort player with a decent jump shot. When he isn't hitting that jumper his offensive only comes from running the floor and offensive rebounding.

Hes a average pf who doesn't give you much defensively. I think some people around here tend to overrate him by refusing discuss his trade value as if he is untouchable.

 

[Bricklayer]

I'm starting to think that he's not going to ever be much better than he is right now. It's beginning to be fairly clear that his basketball IQ is not very high. He is also starting to look like he has bad hands and he is soft around the rim 90% of the time. He has no control over his body. He doesn't understand what a foul is.

Last night he flipped up some garbage shot that rolled off the rim and a Warrior's player got the rebound. Frustrated, he fouled the rebounder for no reason at all and Golden State went down and make 2 FT's because they were in the penalty. Smart players do not do this sort of crap. They know when they are in the penalty and they don't give away 2 points because they are frustrated. Low basketball IQ.

He also has no clue about how to play defense. When he fouls other players he acts like it was the worst call in the world. He yanked on a player's jersey earlier in the year and had no clue he did that until he watched the replay after the game. He commits very cheap "And 1" fouls instead of keeping players from finishing.

There are times that he makes you believe he is "getting" it. That dunk he had last night was one of those moments but for every one of those plays, he makes 10 weak plays. I still think he's a decent player for where we picked him in the draft but I don't think he is a big man to build around. I think his numbers are artificially inflated because he gets more minutes than he deserves because we have no other options. He is not a young rookie and he's played in a lot of games already (hasn't missed a game yet which is one of his biggest positives) so I don't expect a huge improvement from this point forward. There are some players who just aren't going to have good instincts for the game and he is one of them.

He seems like a nice enough guy so I hope I am wrong about him but I'm just trying to be honest about his game and his future in the NBA.

I go back and forth on the JT issue. Not infrequently I agree with the above assessment -- for lack of a better comparison, maybe a Drew Gooden level player. Then sometimes there is the promise of more.

 

[LWP777]

Needs better footwork, work on his psotgame, needs more upperbody strength and conditioning.

Jumpshot is sporadic and unreliable.. also needs to learn where double teams are coming from

There are all very good points and true. I guess I just question whether not he will improve in these areas. There are countless NBA players who at this point in their careers never really got that much better.

 

[M_Barragan]

He has no touch around the basket... when he takes a shot in the paint and makes it. I feel like we just one the championship.

He's that bad...

 

[Merdiesel]

Jason Thompson drives me crazy.
He just seems to do the same stupid **** over and over.
I'm ok with making mistakes, just so long as you make an effort to correct them.

For those who defend him, ask yourself these questions.

How many times this season has he committed game changing stupid fouls in crucial moments?

How many times have we seen him fire the ball 20 yards ahead on a fast break?

How many missed uncontested layups?

How many times this season has he cried on a foul or no-call?

The worst part is he cries every time because he doesn't think hes doing anything wrong. He's not going to change until he realizes hes a lazy bastard on defense. I mean really?.. He doesn't understand why he leads the league in fouls and is constantly in foul trouble?

 

[Bricklayer]

The worst part is he cries every time because he doesn't think hes doing anything wrong. He's not going to change until he realizes hes a lazy bastard on defense. I mean really?.. He doesn't understand why he leads the league in fouls and is constantly in foul trouble?

Well its certainly not because he's lazy.

 

[The Astronaut]

even though I would like to see more out of JT, I think a 2nd year player who is averaging almost a double double (14.7 PPG, 9.1 REB) is not that bad. not to mention a guy with a great attitude who realizes he needs to keep learning and getting better.

49.3 FG% and more assists than steals is a nice stat as well.

just saying.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

He's an okay enough player due to his masking on both ends of the court. He just lacks super upside, that's all.

 

[ParniValjak]

I'm starting to think that he's not going to ever be much better than he is right now. It's beginning to be fairly clear that his basketball IQ is not very high. He is also starting to look like he has bad hands and he is soft around the rim 90% of the time. He has no control over his body. He doesn't understand what a foul is.

Last night he flipped up some garbage shot that rolled off the rim and a Warrior's player got the rebound. Frustrated, he fouled the rebounder for no reason at all and Golden State went down and make 2 FT's because they were in the penalty. Smart players do not do this sort of crap. They know when they are in the penalty and they don't give away 2 points because they are frustrated. Low basketball IQ.

He also has no clue about how to play defense. When he fouls other players he acts like it was the worst call in the world. He yanked on a player's jersey earlier in the year and had no clue he did that until he watched the replay after the game. He commits very cheap "And 1" fouls instead of keeping players from finishing.

There are times that he makes you believe he is "getting" it. That dunk he had last night was one of those moments but for every one of those plays, he makes 10 weak plays. I still think he's a decent player for where we picked him in the draft but I don't think he is a big man to build around. I think his numbers are artificially inflated because he gets more minutes than he deserves because we have no other options. He is not a young rookie and he's played in a lot of games already (hasn't missed a game yet which is one of his biggest positives) so I don't expect a huge improvement from this point forward. There are some players who just aren't going to have good instincts for the game and he is one of them.

He seems like a nice enough guy so I hope I am wrong about him but I'm just trying to be honest about his game and his future in the NBA.

What?! So you are saying he is not going to be as good as Chris Bosh!

Shock! Horror!

JT is what he is! A good, solid PF in the league who plays with high energy and makes dumb decisions. He is a good PF but no where near as good as people have been making him out to be. He is never going to be an all-star level player that many believe he will.

 

[=LarryLegend=]

My only problem is he never dunks when he is in the post, he always throws a crappy layup. Dude is 6'10ish......Webber wouldn't lay it in every time thats for sure.

 

[AriesMar27]

what took you so long to realize that he was a scrub? he's like the beno of pfs... he'd be great off the bench but is a bad starter. i wouldnt care if he was traded at this point, ive given up on him ever becoming a good starting pf in the nba.

 

[=LarryLegend=]

what took you so long to realize that he was a scrub? he's like the beno of pfs... he'd be great off the bench but is a bad starter. i wouldnt care if he was traded at this point, ive given up on him ever becoming a good starting pf in the nba.

He is def not a scrub.

 

[vikinginferno]

I don't think some of you realize that players develop. A second year player is still early in development and still has MUCH improvement to make. A 2nd year player averaging almost 15 ppg and 10 rpg is doing VERY well. Obviously he gets frustrated easily, but that is something that can be corrected. And so can the lack of going in strong. Also, JT will never be an all-nba defender, but he has the tools to be a pretty good defender.

 

[AriesMar27]

He is def not a scrub.

thompson is scrubtastic... how many teams would he start for in the nba besides the kings?

exactly scrub.....

evans and martin are the only 2 players on this team that arent scrubs... we have some talented players on this team but they are scrubs... just ask yourself, who on this team would be a starter on another team? add up how many teams would have them start and you'll realize that they are scrubs. there are 4 or 5 teams that evans and martin wouldnt start on... i couldnt name 5 teams that thompson would start for outside of this one.

 

[M_Barragan]

Just because they are not starting quailty does not mean they are scubs though.
Casspi and Dante are young players... so is JT and Spence.

Obviously Casspi and Dante are a different level then JT and Spence.
Meanin with time they can be very good players. JT and Spence is another story.

JT i personally thing sucks. By 23 you should have touch... if you don't you will never have it. He does not have it he will never be a good post player. I just hope he can grow some neurons and be a servicable starter next to a good center.

 

[VF21]

thompson is scrubtastic... how many teams would he start for in the nba besides the kings?

exactly scrub.....

evans and martin are the only 2 players on this team that arent scrubs... we have some talented players on this team but they are scrubs... just ask yourself, who on this team would be a starter on another team? add up how many teams would have them start and you'll realize that they are scrubs. there are 4 or 5 teams that evans and martin wouldnt start on... i couldnt name 5 teams that thompson would start for outside of this one.

Isn't the point of having a young, rebuilding team to start young players and have them develop? It's not about Thompson starting on another team, nor should it be. It's about him starting on this team so he can gain the experience to become the player we want/need him to be.

You throw the title "scrub" around way too cavalierly IMO.

 

[vikinginferno]

thompson is scrubtastic... how many teams would he start for in the nba besides the kings?

exactly scrub.....

evans and martin are the only 2 players on this team that arent scrubs... we have some talented players on this team but they are scrubs... just ask yourself, who on this team would be a starter on another team? add up how many teams would have them start and you'll realize that they are scrubs. there are 4 or 5 teams that evans and martin wouldnt start on... i couldnt name 5 teams that thompson would start for outside of this one.

Ok let me see:

Celtics: no, KG has that taken
Nets: definitely
Knicks: definitely
Atlanta: probably not, but maybe if they move Smith to SF
Charlotte: yes
Chicago: yes
Cleveland: yes
Dallas: nope, Dirk
Denver: maybe, Kenyon Martin currently starting
Detroit: yes
Golden State: yes
Houston: probably start with Scola as either C or PF
Indiana: maybe, Troy Murphy currently starting
Clippers: yes, instead of having old man Camby starting (not when Griffin comes back though)
Lakers: no
Memphis: probably not
Miami: maybe, beasley starting
Milwaukee: yes
Minnesota: no
New Orleans: no
Oklahoma City: yes (but as C)
Orlando: no
Philadelphia: maybe, thaddeus young starting now
Phoenix: no
Portland: no
San Antonio: yes, duncan play C
Toronto: no
Utah: no
Washington: no

On my count, there is about 12-15 teams where he would start.

 

[OptimusRhyme]

dontes iq looked borderline retarded last year and now look at him. JT will come around. It would be nice to have a vet big around JT to help him keep his head on straight.. im also starting to wonder if shareef adur rahim is doing a good enough job teaching the bigs?? I meen seriously he was good offensively when he played but he sucked on defense. JT and Hawes need a defensive big man coach, anyone have ideas for who that could be?

That dunk last night OVER Randoplh showed me that JT is capable of finishing like Amare if he chooses too. That dunk looked so easy for him to do. Enough of these flippity floppity shots!! JT you are a BIG MAN, and sometimes i think he honestly forgets that. He has the height, strength, quickness, length and athleticism to finish with dunks like that more often. It just has to be unleashed within him and he has to realize what he is really capable of doing at his size.

Oh yah one more thing I wanted to point out with JT is his Defensive rebounding needs to improve for our defense to get better. For comparison of stats; JT Averages 9.1 RPG(5.6 DRPG, 3.5 ORPG)
Al Horford averages 9.9 RPG (7.2 DRPG, 2.7 ORPG)
Troy Murphy averages 8.9 RPG (7.3 DRPG, 1.6 ORPG)
Maybe he should focus a little more on Defensive rebounding, so big men can stop getting easy second put backs on us. maybe im looking to much into the rebounding as an excuse.. i dunno but we really need help back there on the D glass, Omri has been nice in that department.

 

[AriesMar27]

Isn't the point of having a young, rebuilding team to start young players and have them develop? It's not about Thompson starting on another team, nor should it be. It's about him starting on this team so he can gain the experience to become the player we want/need him to be.

You throw the title "scrub" around way too cavalierly IMO.

im all for rebuilding and letting players develop but i honestly dont see thompson being that much better in 3 years than he is now....

casspi and donte maybe... but thompson? no... he sucks... he and hawes are lucky that we dont have any other bigs.

 

[Tetsujin]

im all for rebuilding and letting players develop but i honestly dont see thompson being that much better in 3 years than he is now....

casspi and donte maybe... but thompson? no... he sucks... he and hawes are lucky that we dont have any other bigs.

15 and 9 isn't what I would call sucky. Mikki Moore and Zombie Reef, among others are what I would call people not quite capable of holding a starting spot n the NBA.

 

[AriesMar27]

15 and 9 isn't what I would call sucky. Mikki Moore and Zombie Reef, among others are what I would call people not quite capable of holding a starting spot n the NBA.

when thats all you get from they pf position it sucks... thompson is our starting pf and back up center... brockman averages 2.6 points and 4 rebounds off the bench at pf/c... hawes is at 10.6/5.9... dude thompson sucks... just because he isnt the worst player doesnt mean that he doesnt suck. hawes sucks too.... tons of potential but he sucks... thompson doesnt have the upside that hawes has, which makes him even suckier, there isnt any room to grow.

the most that thompson can do to improve is to shoot a higher fg%... wow... he's a poormans david west or zach randolph... decent numbers on a bad team. he would be lucky if he ended up as good as shareef. classic good player on a bad team, who was a poor defender but decent scorer... though i doubt that thompson will be the scorer that shareef was...

for the record, shareef was pretty much a starter his entire career... until he came here and got injured...

 

[Tetsujin]

when thats all you get from they pf position it sucks... thompson is our starting pf and back up center... brockman averages 2.6 points and 4 rebounds off the bench at pf/c... hawes is at 10.6/5.9... dude thompson sucks... just because he isnt the worst player doesnt mean that he doesnt suck. hawes sucks too.... tons of potential but he sucks... thompson doesnt have the upside that hawes has, which makes him even suckier, there isnt any room to grow.

the most that thompson can do to improve is to shoot a higher fg%... wow... he's a poormans david west or zach randolph... decent numbers on a bad team. he would be lucky if he ended up as good as shareef. classic good player on a bad team, who was a poor defender but decent scorer... though i doubt that thompson will be the scorer that shareef was...

JT is 23rd (correction: 22nd) among all forwards in scoring (This includes Melo and LeBron as well as SF's).
GP MPG PTS FGM-FGA FG% 3PM-3PA 3P% FTM-FTA FT%
1
Carmelo Anthony , DEN
32 37.6 30.0 10.3-22.0 .470 .8-2.4 .355 8.5-9.9 .861
2
LeBron James , CLE
38 38.3 28.9 10.1-20.0 .502 1.7-4.7 .352 7.1-9.1 .778
3
Kevin Durant , OKC
35 39.9 28.4 9.6-20.1 .478 1.3-4.2 .318 7.8-9.0 .869
4
Dirk Nowitzki , DAL
35 37.7 24.9 9.0-19.1 .471 .7-1.9 .400 6.2-7.0 .886
5
Chris Bosh , TOR
37 35.2 23.7 8.3-15.9 .521 .2-.4 .462 7.0-9.0 .781
6
Amar'e Stoudemire , PHX
37 34.7 20.8 7.9-14.0 .567 .0-.1 .000 5.0-6.6 .758
7
Zach Randolph , MEM
35 36.9 20.5 8.2-16.2 .508 .1-.4 .231 4.0-4.8 .833
8
Rudy Gay , MEM
33 39.1 20.5 7.7-16.6 .464 .8-2.4 .329 4.3-5.8 .742
9
Tim Duncan , SAS
32 32.0 20.2 8.1-14.6 .554 .0-.2 .000 4.1-5.3 .765
10
Carlos Boozer , UTA
36 34.9 19.1 7.7-14.4 .533 .0-.0 .000 3.7-4.9 .766
11
Corey Maggette , GSW
34 28.9 18.8 6.1-11.6 .527 .2-.9 .188 6.4-7.9 .817
12
Al Harrington , NYK
34 31.3 18.4 6.7-15.2 .440 1.6-5.4 .295 3.4-4.5 .753
13
Gerald Wallace , CHA
33 41.7 18.2 5.9-12.5 .470 .6-1.9 .339 5.8-7.6 .754
14
David West , NOH
34 35.5 17.7 7.3-15.0 .487 .1-.4 .385 2.9-3.4 .855
15
Luol Deng , CHI
34 38.5 17.4 6.9-15.1 .455 .4-1.0 .382 3.4-4.2 .792
16
Carl Landry , HOU
35 26.9 16.9 6.3-10.9 .572 .0-.0 .000 4.4-5.1 .865
17
Caron Butler , WAS
32 38.8 16.8 6.0-14.0 .429 .6-2.0 .302 4.2-4.9 .859
18
Michael Beasley , MIA
34 31.9 15.8 6.2-13.7 .454 .3-1.5 .200 3.0-3.6 .836
19
LaMarcus Aldridge , POR
35 35.4 15.7 6.4-13.1 .487 .1-.2 .714 2.7-3.4 .798
20
Josh Smith , ATL
35 32.3 15.0 6.0-11.5 .517 .0-.1 .000 3.0-5.0 .602
21
Wilson Chandler , NYK
35 35.0 14.9 6.1-13.3 .461 .8-2.8 .278 1.9-2.3 .848
22
Jason Thompson , SAC
35 35.3 14.7 5.7-11.8 .487 .0-.1 .000 3.2-4.3 .737
23
Danilo Gallinari , NYK
34 31.1 14.6 4.7-10.9 .432 2.8-6.9 .410 2.4-2.9 .820
24
Thaddeus Young , PHI
35 35.3 14.6 6.0-13.3 .450 .8-2.4 .337 1.8-2.7 .660

LaMarcus Aldridge, Beasley, Landry, West, Boozer, Duncan, Randolph, Amare, Bosh and Dirk are PF's on the list who are outscoring him.

In addition, JT is 8th in rebounding among forwards, only being out rebounded by Gerald Wallace, Camby, Zach Randolph, Bosh, Boozer, Duncan, and Odom.

Now I'm not one who believes that stats are the most reliable indicator of things, but those numbers are pretty damn good for a second year forward from a small school who plays dumber than a box of rocks.

So far it seems to me that your major complaint is that JT isn't Tim Duncan or Chris Bosh. Well, I hate to break it to you but not many players are.

Not every player can be a superstar and I think JT is a prime example of that.

By the way, David West, who you said JT would be a poor man's version of has similar stats to JT already and Randolph, who was pretty damn good for a while in Portland, has been playing out of his freaking mind in Memphis.


Humorous aside: Some stud named Sheldon Williams is right above Thompson in rebounds per 48 minutes, thus proving how crappy stats are.

 

[Tetsujin]

for the record, shareef was pretty much a starter his entire career... until he came here and got injured...

Hence the term Zombie Reef.

 

[AriesMar27]

well, west is having a bad season... definitely not an all-star this season... and randolph has pretty much been a 20/10 guy since his third season in the league. thats only because he didnt get any minutes in the beginning until rasheed was traded. he's in the same class of player as martin, they probably couldve scored 20ppg in their rookie season but didnt get the minutes.

but thompson and brockmans stats combined barely touch randolphs... though they get more rebounds, 14 rpg combined... if you add hawes our bigs only average 20 rbounds per game.

your list also didnt have pau gasol, who has been injured and not playing much, but he is obviously light years ahead of thompson. odom as well who had his role reduced this season is still much better than thompson will ever be and he is a bonehead as well...

 

[casspion]

He is def not a scrub.

He played two seasons for the kings. He may or may not be a scrub. What I know for sure he made errors,and many of them, that wouldn't be tolerated on better teams.

 

[Tetsujin]

well, west is having a bad season... definitely not an all-star this season... and randolph has pretty much been a 20/10 guy since his third season in the league. thats only because he didnt get any minutes in the beginning until rasheed was traded. he's in the same class of player as martin, they probably couldve scored 20ppg in their rookie season but didnt get the minutes.

but thompson and brockmans stats combined barely touch randolphs... though they get more rebounds, 14 rpg combined... if you add hawes our bigs only average 20 rbounds per game.

your list also didnt have pau gasol, who has been injured and not playing much, but he is obviously light years ahead of thompson. odom as well who had his role reduced this season is still much better than thompson will ever be and he is a bonehead as well...

Pau Gasol is a Center, a group not included with the forward list on NBA.com.
Lamar Odom has also been playing in the NBA for about a decade longer than JT. When comparing players, it's probably a good idea to compare them at similar points in their careers.

Odom in 2nd Season:
37.2MPG/7.8RPG/5.2 APG/1.0SPG/1.6BPG/3.47TOPG/17.2PPG

JT in 2nd Season (so far):
35MPG/9.1RPG/2.2APG/.6SPG/1BPG/2.0TOPG/14.7PPG

People like to complain about JT being turnover happy but Odom was close to 3.5 per game. Odom's stats are better but at the same time, he was playing for the Clips who had a frontline that really does deserve the label of scrubs: Brian Skinner and Michael "I Like Kandi" Olowakandi with Cherokee Parks and Eric Piatkoski in there as well. If your argument is that the lack of frontline help has padded JT's statline then shouldn't by the same logic, Odom have been doing much better statistically than he was?

Just for fun (by no means am I saying JT will become Bosh or anything similar)
Bosh in his second year:
37MPG/8.9RPG/1.9APG/.9SPG/1.4BPG/2.31TOPG/16.8PPG

 

[SCKingsfan]

2nd year in the NBA. "I don't see him being any better in 3 years"? Come on. He has the talent to be a very good pf. Hasn't lived up to it consistently yet but let's see where he is at 26 - he's got 3 years.