03-26-2019, 08:25 AM
It's probably been discussed here, but Brook Lopez has revolutionized his game in response to the changing offense focus in the NBA.
The Ringer staff is writing up "MVP" candidates and had this to say about Brook:
(https://www.theringer.com/nba/2019/3/26/...sonal-mvps)
Zach Kram: Lopez didn’t need to change. Through his first eight NBA seasons, he had been an All-Star, scored 20-plus-points per game three times, and earned nearly $74 million. He’d also made just three 3-pointers and attempted just 31.
But starting in 2016-17, Lopez modernized anyway, as he left the post for the 3-point line in response to the sport’s offensive evolution. Over the past three seasons, the Net/Laker/Buck has made 35.6 percent of his 1,186 long-range attempts. Here are some other players who have shot between 35 and 36 percent on 3s in that span: LeBron James, James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Devin Booker, Isaiah Thomas.
And Lopez has been even better this season, canning 37.1 percent of his 6.4 triples per game, and inspiring the “Splash Mountain” nickname that ranks among the league’s best. Meanwhile, he anchors the league’s top defense by allowing opponents to shoot just 51.5 percent at the rim when he’s the closest defender—the seventh-best mark among 150 players who have defended three such shots per game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is probably the real MVP, but Lopez allows his teammate to maraud near the basket like prime Shaq on offense and forms a perfect pair with the DPOY candidate on defense as well. For years, teams have pursued 3-and-D wings to round out a modern roster; Lopez is the much rarer 3-and-D big man who serves both roles with equal vigor and success.
The Ringer staff is writing up "MVP" candidates and had this to say about Brook:
(https://www.theringer.com/nba/2019/3/26/...sonal-mvps)
Zach Kram: Lopez didn’t need to change. Through his first eight NBA seasons, he had been an All-Star, scored 20-plus-points per game three times, and earned nearly $74 million. He’d also made just three 3-pointers and attempted just 31.
But starting in 2016-17, Lopez modernized anyway, as he left the post for the 3-point line in response to the sport’s offensive evolution. Over the past three seasons, the Net/Laker/Buck has made 35.6 percent of his 1,186 long-range attempts. Here are some other players who have shot between 35 and 36 percent on 3s in that span: LeBron James, James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Devin Booker, Isaiah Thomas.
And Lopez has been even better this season, canning 37.1 percent of his 6.4 triples per game, and inspiring the “Splash Mountain” nickname that ranks among the league’s best. Meanwhile, he anchors the league’s top defense by allowing opponents to shoot just 51.5 percent at the rim when he’s the closest defender—the seventh-best mark among 150 players who have defended three such shots per game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is probably the real MVP, but Lopez allows his teammate to maraud near the basket like prime Shaq on offense and forms a perfect pair with the DPOY candidate on defense as well. For years, teams have pursued 3-and-D wings to round out a modern roster; Lopez is the much rarer 3-and-D big man who serves both roles with equal vigor and success.
