He's also gotta work on his foot speed and quickness
Keegan named to national select team
- Thread starter Tetsujin
- Start date
He's also gotta work on his foot speed and quickness
Insomniacal Fan
Starter
I'm having hard time thinking of any players that got significantly faster and quicker after joining the association.
KingsFanSince85
All-Star
How would you measure such a thing? I don’t believe they run a combine for players already in the league.
We all know there’s been a myriad of players that have improved greatly once in the league. Did improving in areas such as speed and quickness have anything to do their vast overall improvement? It’s a difficult thing to say, let alone prove.
Insomniacal Fan
Starter
Well, these days they do have player motion tracking for most games; player speed is quantifiable.
But "significantly" is the load-bearing word there. Has anyone noticed an improvement in quickness or speed in a player from year-over-year?
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
when a guy has put on as much sheer muscle as Keegan has and seemingly sped up the mechanics of his already fantastic shooting stroke over a single summer, I’m not sure why we’re arguing about whether or not Keegan can improve x aspect of his game.
Also gotta love how Keegan has somehow replaced Bam in the Fox/Monk/Bam triangle of friendship.
to be fair, Murray is a decent golfer, he says he shoots in the 80s.
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
If I’m not mistaken, his mom was a collegete golfer so that probably helps.
Insomniacal Fan
Starter
Maybe Keegan will develop heat vision to burn the retinas out of the eyes of shooters he's defending!
I don't think it's unreasonable to ground discussions of player potential in historical precedent. (Silly stuff is fine too, but I didn't think that was the spirit of the discussion. Pardon me if I misinterpreted)
Srzly
G-League
If you’re asking if he can physically move his feet significantly faster? Probably not.
Can players become quicker at processing the game, have better anticipation, and react more quickly to the game as they spend more time in the league? Absolutely.
macadocious
Starter
Is someone trying to argue that people who are 18-20 can't train to be faster and quicker?
Keegan's lateral quickness is what it is. I'm sure a small incremental improvement can be made but the main improvement is going to come through quicker processing and better recognition.
A lot of this stuff is genetics. It's like drafting a player and hoping he can jump higher. It's not like shooting. You just kind of have what you have for the most part.
A lot of this stuff is genetics. It's like drafting a player and hoping he can jump higher. It's not like shooting. You just kind of have what you have for the most part.
Insomniacal Fan
Starter
Well, Keegan is 23 on the 19th, so that's not exactly relevant.
But hey, I'm not arguing yet; if someone can name anybody who significantly improved their "footspeed and quickness" after coming into the league, I'm happy to learn something.
Yeah you nailed it. It's not players are getting "more athletic" although that's still obviously possible for young guys. It's them learning the NBA game, understanding NBA defensive schemes and just understanding players around the league at a higher level. Failing on defense in the NBA really isn't just getting blown by in ISO defense. Happens occasionally, but it's more often than not a breakdown or a missed rotation at some point in the possession. That's the biggest reason it's next to impossible for rookies/young players to be good defenders. Herb Jones and Walker Kessler the last few seasons have been extreme extreme outliers in terms of their defensive impact as rookies. There's nothing prepares you for guarding NBA offensive talent other than getting those game reps.
I think about how old Tim Duncan, who probably couldn't jump over a pinecone the last few years of his career, was still one of the best defenders in the NBA the last few seasons of his career. His defensive IQ and understanding on how to play NBA defense was just so much better than everyone else's that even when his athleticism left him, he was still able to make an incredible impact on that end of the floor.
sactowndog
All-Star
I think Keegan’s mom played golf in college. He is a bit of a ringer
sactowndog
All-Star
who cares. With his shooting he will be spending the bulk of his energy on offense. We need Kessler to come through and let Keegan play the stretch 4.
macadocious
Starter
Well you were arguing against Keegan but painting a picture on the entirety of the NBA, and while I have no specific metric to point at for this because I don't know where it would exist, I can say unequivocally human being can get quicker and faster through their 20s.
The most prevalent I'd say is Usain Bolt
He consistently improved his times from age 21 through age 27
https://www.thespeedproject.com/athletes/usain-bolt/
But just go look at Track athletes times from freshman in College to Senior in College, then those who go on, look at them progress as they get into worlds and Olympics.
Insomniacal Fan
Starter
Bolt’s world record 100m dash time was set when he was 22 (similar to most WR holders in the pre-PED era). Not sure what metric you’re using, but 22 does seem to be a consistent athletic peak among the best of the best sprinters.
Athletic peaks in other sports aren’t really relevant to my inquiry though. Basketball is more than just sprinting + vertical leaping + greco-roman wrestling. There are lots of exciting ways for Keegan to improve. But ”speed and quickness” seems like an impossible thing to develop. As far as I can tell, those attributes only go one direction, down. If they didn’t, it would be so unusual as to be suspicious.
I wasn’t really looking for people to look up metrics to answer my question. I was expecting somebody to think of some player that had a good story. A qualitative approach is fine with me.
There is a good article as well on Myles Turner improving his body mechanics. http://www.draftexpress.com/amp/art...nce-and-the-NBA-Draft-and-Myles-Turner--4961/
63royals
Bench
FWIW Carl Lewis broke the 100 record 3 times -- at 26, 27 and 30.
Insomniacal Fan
Starter
Yeah, I saw that, it's exceptional, and a bit cloudy with allegations of PED use.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
If you're not an elite athlete at the NBA level you're just not. Period. Monte didn't draft Keegan for elite athletic ability so great news, it's doesn't matter unless he envisioned Keegan to be an elite athlete which Monte's never even suggested. He knows who Keegan is so it really doesn't matter. Now, the question is when athletic ability becomes an issue, if it even does. Then it's a question of how well Monte stacked assets to get that athleticism. It's like with Sasha, people are seeming to suggest his defense is what will determine his time. Will it? It's simply not fair to lump need onto any player if you've basically just gone for a certain type when it comes to roster build. This is a shooting/skill team. Now let the cream of that crop rise to the top. Back in the day J-Will was arguably the best passer on a PASSING team. He was traded for a better shooter/pnr scorer. Play it out and don't be disappointed when what on the surface appears to be the worst move ends up the very best move. If at some point shooting has to give way to something else Monte has plenty of options to play with.
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