Clingan 3 pt shooting- get on the record

[FreeKlaiber]

I am of the belief that he will be a "knockdown 3 pt shooter", and in fact, I think he is now. This is based on alot of pre-game videos i've seen of him hitting many in a row ('practice, we talking about practice'- yes we are). Also his shooting form has always been good. His FT numbers all had to do with arc, where often his shot was flat, turning him to backrim Jim.

So Why wasn't he shooting 3's this year? You could also ask why was he not featured posting up as much as say Edey (until the post-season at least)? Its because his job was to run Luke's half court offense, and in our 5 out, that is screening screens, rolling and playing point center at times for cutters. I am of the camp that he will be the 2nd best nba 3 pt shooter of our 4 newest draftees. So was Hurley holding him back? I think yes and no. But Dean Smith was the only one who could hold Jordan under 20ppg too. Our offense worked out just fine i think, wouldnt change a thing

 

[FreeKlaiber]

"During his pre-draft workout in Portland, Clingan stunned the Blazers with his outside shooting, which included NBA 3-pointers.

“I was shocked. Really shocked,” Billups said. “He shot it, and it was like … an easy shot.”

After the workout, Billups took Clingan into his office and interviewed him. One of his first questions to Clingan was why he attempted only nine 3-pointers over two seasons at UConn.

“I asked him, 'you're a great shooter, why didn't you shoot more.' He gave me one of the best answers a kid could have given me: He said, ‘I just wanted to do what coach needed me to do to win.’ And to me, that’s just a winner.”

Billups said Clingan will enter the season with a green light to shoot 3-pointers, provided he is open and it’s a smart shot."

"With the Blazers building around Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson, two players who like to attack the basket, Billups said it is essential for the Blazers to have big men who can space the floor.

“Understanding that we are going to attack the basket, having (Clingan) space … their big is going to have to make a decision (stop the drive or guard the outside shot),” Billups said. “And that’s a weapon you can use. So it will be fun for me to design stuff to have that.”

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[husky429]

This narrative is odd. Donovan had ample opportunity to shoot 3s. It's the same offense Adama took 75 3s in. He was open at the top of the key 20x a game. Donovan wasn't taking 3s because he wasn't a good enough shooter to benefit our team.

Luke isn't saying "don't shoot 3s because you're tall"... he's saying "don't shoot 3s because you aren't going to help us win shooting at your %.

He'll get there soon with NBA coaching.

 

[FreeKlaiber]

So you are saying he isn't a good enough 3 pt shooter now, but with nba coaching, he will be

So why was Billups blown away (his words) by his 3 pt shooting, now, pre-NBA coaching?

Hes talking about designing sets that use his ability to stretch the floor with his shooting, pre-Portland coaching

I'd rather have AK and Cam shooting my 3's too. Did Dean Smith utilize Jordan to his full potential? No he was a freshman on a team with Perkins, worthy, doherty, and Jimmy Black. He wasn't able to show as much, because it is a team game.

Where will he rank among our four nba draftees in 3 pt %?

 

[kcc1442]

It can be a bit of both. He might have been a decent to even good 3-pt shooter last year (maybe 33-36%). But if you are as stacked as we were and the percentages of scoring were as high as they were with just running our offense and getting our deep array of shooters the ball in good spots then there is no reason for him to take those 3's. Adama might have wanted to prove he could be an outside threat a little more for the NBA, as he was not guaranteed the draft night that DC was.

 

[superjohn]

This narrative is odd. Donovan had ample opportunity to shoot 3s. It's the same offense Adama took 75 3s in. He was open at the top of the key 20x a game. Donovan wasn't taking 3s because he wasn't a good enough shooter to benefit our team.

Luke isn't saying "don't shoot 3s because you're tall"... he's saying "don't shoot 3s because you aren't going to help us win shooting at your %.

He'll get there soon with NBA coaching.

Didn't Hurley joke about strangling Clingan if he shot any more threes?

 

[Drame]

This narrative is odd. Donovan had ample opportunity to shoot 3s. It's the same offense Adama took 75 3s in. He was open at the top of the key 20x a game. Donovan wasn't taking 3s because he wasn't a good enough shooter to benefit our team.

Luke isn't saying "don't shoot 3s because you're tall"... he's saying "don't shoot 3s because you aren't going to help us win shooting at your %.

He'll get there soon with NBA coaching.

You're really gonna die on this hill aren't you. I guarantee you the coaches would say its not the exact same offense as they ran with Adama. You should have a private conversation with Hurley and he can explain it to you.

 

[UC0NN]

We know Clijgan can shoot 3s in practice no question. We can't say he isn't a good shooter in games bc he didn't take any shots to give a real sample. My only guess is he prolly took them in scrimmage and wasn't too effective.

As far as why DC didn't post up more like Edey? Well, he isn't that good of a post up player yet.

 

[Drame]

Also people are forgetting that Clingan shot 65% from 2. He would have to shoot 43% from 3 to match that effective fg percentage. A lot of the offense this year Clingan was at the top of the key where he could have shot it, but then that play would finish with him dunking it

 

[UC0NN]

Also there is value for a 7 foot 2 guy staying in the paint and grabbing rebounds and setting screens than shooting 30% on wide open 3s. Now if he shot 40% we'll that is another issue.

 

[Kenny11]

I think he will take less than 25 his rookie season and will ramp it up after that

 

[Mr. French]

This narrative is odd. Donovan had ample opportunity to shoot 3s. It's the same offense Adama took 75 3s in. He was open at the top of the key 20x a game. Donovan wasn't taking 3s because he wasn't a good enough shooter to benefit our team.

Luke isn't saying "don't shoot 3s because you're tall"... he's saying "don't shoot 3s because you aren't going to help us win shooting at your %.

He'll get there soon with NBA coaching.

I think you’re still saying the same thing. It wasn’t the best shot for our team’s goals, It wasn’t that it was an improbable shot.

If he was the focal point of the O, I bet he shoots 2-3 a game last year.

 

[navery12]

I think you’re still saying the same thing. It wasn’t the best shot for our team’s goals, It wasn’t that it was an improbable shot.

If he was the focal point of the O, I bet he shoots 2-3 a game last year.

If he could have made 3's consistently in games he would have been taking them. Hurley talked up Adama's range all off-season and then when he was able to make them in games he took a bunch. Hurley then openly talked about Donovan's range all last off-season and how it would help him with NBA teams, and then he barely took them in games. There's a reason for that.

If he had been able to take shoot 3's our offense would have been significantly better. Obviously it didn't matter, but imagine the lanes for Karaban to cut to the basket if Clingan is pulling his man out of the paint

 

[UC0NN]

If he could have made 3's consistently in games he would have been taking them. Hurley talked up Adama's range all off-season and then when he was able to make them in games he took a bunch. Hurley then openly talked about Donovan's range all last off-season and how it would help him with NBA teams, and then he barely took them in games. There's a reason for that.

If he had been able to take shoot 3's our offense would have been significantly better. Obviously it didn't matter, but imagine the lanes for Karaban to cut to the basket if Clingan is pulling his man out of the paint

We took a lot of great open look 3s last year. Even tho Newton and Karaban missed a lot of them, I still want them taking them versus DC.

Karaban yet plenty of superior drives to the basket, he just couldn't finish them.

 

[Tenspro2002]

On the record: Clingan will shoot around 1 3 per game at around 30%.

 

[McLovin]

It can be a bit of both. He might have been a decent to even good 3-pt shooter last year (maybe 33-36%). But if you are as stacked as we were and the percentages of scoring were as high as they were with just running our offense and getting our deep array of shooters the ball in good spots then there is no reason for him to take those 3's. Adama might have wanted to prove he could be an outside threat a little more for the NBA, as he was not guaranteed the draft night that DC was.

Adama was told by the staff he needed to shoot at least 1 three-pointer per half by the staff to help his NBA stock. He also did it at a pretty effective clip - 36.5% for a center is pretty good.

This narrative is odd. Donovan had ample opportunity to shoot 3s. It's the same offense Adama took 75 3s in. He was open at the top of the key 20x a game. Donovan wasn't taking 3s because he wasn't a good enough shooter to benefit our team.

Luke isn't saying "don't shoot 3s because you're tall"... he's saying "don't shoot 3s because you aren't going to help us win shooting at your %.

He'll get there soon with NBA coaching.

Clingan maybe could have a 35% 3 point shooter this year. But given our plethora of other shooting options + Clingan's shooting 65% at the rim, he would have had to probably be a 40%+ 3pt for the 3 point shot to be worth the same mathematically. Most opposing centers choose to follow him beyond the arc to help defend the pick-and-rolls because he was a great screener and was always surrounded by 4 good shooters, we probably didn't need to profile him as a 3 point shooter to stretch the defense as much as we did with Adama (also 3 point shooting wasn't something Clingan needed to profile to get drafted, like the staff felt Adama needed).

I do think Clingan could have been a decent 3 point shooter, but mathematically it was better to have him not take 3's so the staff explicitly told him not to shoot it.

 

[UCLJ0211]

I think he will take less than 25 his rookie season and will ramp it up after that

I’ll take the over. It’s an 82-game season.

 

[Palatine]

If he could have made 3's consistently in games he would have been taking them. Hurley talked up Adama's range all off-season and then when he was able to make them in games he took a bunch. Hurley then openly talked about Donovan's range all last off-season and how it would help him with NBA teams, and then he barely took them in games. There's a reason for that.

If he had been able to take shoot 3's our offense would have been significantly better. Obviously it didn't matter, but imagine the lanes for Karaban to cut to the basket if Clingan is pulling his man out of the paint

Hurley said DC was a good three point shooter. You disagree. The Blazers were impressed by Clingan's three point shooting. You were not. You say that Clingan taking threes would have improved our offense. Clearly Hurley did not agree because he had Clingan shoot very few threes and our offense was one of the best in the nation.

How can you possibly hold these opinions when Hurley and the Blazers hold the opposite opinion?

 

[navery12]

Hurley said DC was a good three point shooter. You disagree. The Blazers were impressed by Clingan's three point shooting. You were not. You say that Clingan taking threes would have improved our offense. Clearly Hurley did not agree because he had Clingan shoot very few threes and our offense was one of the best in the nation.

How can you possibly hold these opinions when Hurley and the Blazers hold the opposite opinion?

He was not a good 3 point shooter in games, that is an objective opinion based on stats. I fully believe the Blazers saw his as a good shooter in workouts, he did the same thing at UConn when warming up every game. It just never translated into games.

I fully expect him to be a good shooter in the NBA, the ability to do nothing but basketball will make a huge difference. We saw what it did for Andre Jackson and he was starting from a much lower point than Donovan. His form looks great, he'll get there just like he did with his FT shooting

 

[pj]

If he shoots 65% near the basket that's 1.3 points per shot. If he shoots 35% on 3's that's 1.05 points per shot. And you have taken your best offensive rebounder away from the basket, so points per possession will be even more disparate. It's most efficient therefore to have him take 2's not 3's, go outside to set screens and then roll back to the basket quickly.

The NBA game is different and I won't speak to why Billups may want Donovan taking 3's. The Trailblazers had 1.08 points per possession last year and if Donovan can hit 35% on 3's it probably improves their offense. It's a good weapon to have in his arsenal, that's for sure. With experience his game percentage should move closer to his practice percentage.

 

[Mr. French]

If he could have made 3's consistently in games he would have been taking them. Hurley talked up Adama's range all off-season and then when he was able to make them in games he took a bunch. Hurley then openly talked about Donovan's range all last off-season and how it would help him with NBA teams, and then he barely took them in games. There's a reason for that.

If he had been able to take shoot 3's our offense would have been significantly better. Obviously it didn't matter, but imagine the lanes for Karaban to cut to the basket if Clingan is pulling his man out of the paint

I think a few people hit the main points already…

You think Clingan’s shooting would have made our offense better? I don’t. Neither did Hurley, which is why he emphasized not shooting them.

I’m also remembering Sanogo making a few notable 3s but fail to recall it being some major weapon. He was also a year deeper into development than Clingan and only 6’8, AND he HAD to for his personal growth.

We had the best, most deep and versatile offense in basketball last year. It made no sense for DC to shoot 3s. It would almost never be the best option. I think any time Hurley mentioned him not shooting it was about the team getting a better shot.

But I will guess the NBA teams and the personal workouts they just watched think that, even if you don’t.

 

[UC0NN]

Guys, nobody knows what % he shoots in games, nobody. Bc he never shot.

Drills, warmups, and practice are not games.

Solo never misses in practice, Bouknight never misses in practice either. Bronny James was 2nd at the combine in the 3 point drill. There is a huge difference between games and practice.

Adama had no shot at getting drafted, he had to showcase his shot. DC was projected to go 10-20 after his freshman year, big difference.

Too bad Danny held DC back from going #1, LOL. I think DC is happy with the results.

 

[Hoophound]

Shooting in a game is a very different thing for some guys. I’ve known guys that could shoot lights out in practice but could barely make a shot in a game. It’s not just stroke and skill, it’s confidence. Having the green light will boost his confidence some but he’s got some work to do. He did not look comfortable looking for a shot out there while at UConn. NBA competition may rattle him a bit more before he finally figures it out. I doubt he’s much of a threat from 3 this season unless the Blazers really focus on it with him starting now.

 

[navery12]

I think a few people hit the main points already…

You think Clingan’s shooting would have made our offense better? I don’t. Neither did Hurley, which is why he emphasized not shooting them.

Yes 100%. And Hurley also said it would help the offense all off-season and then never brought it into games, which is why I read it as he didn't have confidence in him making 3's. Maybe I'm wrong but it seems pretty straightforward to me

I’m also remembering Sanogo making a few notable 3s but fail to recall it being some major weapon. He was also a year deeper into development than Clingan and only 6’8, AND he HAD to for his personal growth.

We had the best, most deep and versatile offense in basketball last year. It made no sense for DC to shoot 3s. It would almost never be the best option. I think any time Hurley mentioned him not shooting it was about the team getting a better shot.

It was definitely a big weapon, because it forced the defense to step out and guard him outside the paint. It was talked about endlessly with him and Jackson and opening up our offense during the run to win the championship. It wasn't a focus of his game, just like I don't think it would be for Clingan, but just a nice option to have

But I will guess the NBA teams and the personal workouts they just watched think that, even if you don’t.

I have no idea what this means. If you're saying they think Donovan will be able to shoot 3's in the NBA then I'm agreeing with them

 

[WhereistheDove?]

The argument that Clingan was a good three point shooter last year but was handcuffed by the system is a weird one because it implies the coaching staff were kind of dumb in how they used Clingan.

As folks have mentioned, there’s a big difference between being a good shooter now and showing the ability for teams to believe he will be a good shooter in the future. I think it’s pretty reality is the latter.