2010/11 Washington Wizards Player Evaluation: Trevor Booker
by Mike Prada on Jul 16, 2011 10:00 AM EDT
in 2011 Player Evaluations
Email
PrintOver the next few weeks, we will be evaluating the 2010/11 seasons of all the players who ended the year on the Wizards' roster. We'll offer our quick thoughts, then ask you to grade their season on a 1-10 scale in the comments. For the purposes of this exercise, we'll start with the key players and work our way down. Next in line: Trevor Booker.
Key advanced stat: Booker posted a 58.2% TS%, which is awesome even with limited usage. Less awesome is the 18% he shot from 16-23 feet.
Trevor Booker deserved better last year. When you consider his age, his statistics and his status as a cult favorite, he really should have received more than 1,063 minutes. He would have if not for his foot injury, but it still probably wouldn't have been enough.
Booker had a few things working against him that shouldn't have been. He got caught a bit in the Andray Blatche crossfire. The exact reasons for the Wizards playing Blatche 34 minutes a night are somewhat of a mystery, with many factors tied in. The man most affected by all that, though, was Booker. Minutes Blatche got were minutes Booker didn't get. Flip Saunders tried to get creative and work with Booker on his shooting so he could become a small forward, but the simplest solution would be to have given Booker more of Blatche's minutes.
Now, granted, Booker's position is a bit of a mystery. While he fared better playing around the rim than out on the floor, his rebounding numbers weren't incredibly impressive (13.5% REB%, compared to 13.8% for Blatche), and he is a bit undersized. There's also his jump shot, which is very much a work in progress and made it difficult for Saunders to find a lineup that allowed him to hide that. I also think Saunders was trying to bring Booker along slowly, giving him more minutes and responsibility before he broke his foot. It makes sense, I guess.
But I still don't think it was the right call. One of the major reasons Booker was drafted was because he could step in right away and make an impact. Maybe he's not a small forward or power forward. Maybe he has his weaknesses that will doom him to being a part-time player. But he also has strengths that make an impact on the game when he plays. When he's in there, things happen and he's productive. He proved it in limited minutes this year, and should have earned the chance to do so in more time.
This summer is an interesting one for Booker. He didn't seem that happy on draft night when the Wizards picked Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton, probably because the Wizards have been pushing him to develop his floor game so he could play small forward and power forward. He probably does need to become a better perimeter shooter if he wants to become more than he is right now.
But in a way, it might be for the best. I'd rather see Booker play power forward, even if the team has to live with some of his weaknesses. Drafting two small forwards can put that experiment to end and make it so Booker assumes his rightful place as the top big man off the bench.
A LIMERICK ON TREVOR BOOKER'S 2010/11 SEASON, BY JAKE WHITACRE
Like finding a white colored pear
A rookie with toughness is rare
When you get one
Just play him, son
He'll give other teams quite the scare
DISCUSSION QUESTION
How much should Booker be worried by the Wizards drafting both Vesely and Singleton?
31 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Booker...
Is no way a SF. Flip needs to give up on that plan.
by Bryan1976 on Jul 16, 2011 10:16 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Agreed
I’d rather he work to become a great power forward instead of spending the same amount of time becoming an average small forward. The solution is to probably limit Rashard’s minutes and have Dray or even Booker cover center more often this year.
Follow me on twitter -
http://twitter.com/TheRealTPruitt
by pantslessyoda1 on Jul 16, 2011 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions
My biggest Booker memory
was the Clippers game in LA back in March. He was frustrating Blake for much of the night with physical box outs. They both got tangled up late in the 3rd quarter on the baseline and Booker gets tagged with a technical & personal foul.
Flip took him out and he never came back into the double OT loss. Less than a week later he was done with the broken foot.
Blake had a triple-double that night BTW.
by el freako on Jul 16, 2011 10:20 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Booker also had a brilliant game against the Lakers in LA...
If he had played a minute or two more and Yi a minute or two less, the Wizards might actually have won.
Booker showed me great determination (I was sitting close enough to the floor under the basket to see the intensity of his facial expressions), and an instinct to finish shots and put back offensive rebounds.
I think he was a great pick at 23 in 2010and believe he will get his minutes at 4-5 one way or another.
the best night I remember of Booker
were his back to back thunder dunks, I think that was vs. Minny.
Yeah, that's exactly what I thought of
He did it at least twice in a row. It was crazy, almost reminded me of Javale and Foye’s back to back alley oops on pick and rolls the year before.
Follow me on twitter -
http://twitter.com/TheRealTPruitt
by pantslessyoda1 on Jul 16, 2011 10:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Where's the poll, Prada?
I’m interested to see what the consensus is on the type of season Booker had on a scale of 1-10.
Booker should be very worried
About the team drafting Vesely and Singleton. I am worried for him. I like him a lot and hope he gets some of those Flip Saunders ‘veteran’ minutes early on next year. He’ll never be an all-star but he can be just about as impactful as one on any given night.
I see him as an explosive Ron Artest.
Ohhh my God.
Where is my FACE? I CANT FEEL MY FACE!!!
by returnofswagger on Jul 16, 2011 1:30 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
devil's advocation
For the sake of argument, let’s say that neither Vesely nor Singleton has a better midrange J than Trev does right now….if that’s the case, what makes either a more capable SF than him?
As far as our front office is concerned
The number 6 for Jan and the number 18 for Singleton.
Ohhh my God.
Where is my FACE? I CANT FEEL MY FACE!!!
by returnofswagger on Jul 17, 2011 12:48 AM EDT up reply actions
I like Booker as a PF
Even though he is undersized, he can give 20 solid minutes at PF. I think with Vesely and Singleton being drafted, Blatche has more to worry about than Booker.
I agree.
His offensive game is built for PF. He has a good post game, and can work on pick and rolls well. His game cannot work for SF, he doesn’t have a reliable jumpshot, he cannot handle the ball, he just isn’t built for that.
Defensively, even though he’s oversized, his athleticism and strength make up for it, much like it did for Charles Barkley. He can also defend SFs though, so switching him there during games at times wouldn’t hurt that much imo. Still though, PF should be his main spot.
Vesely and Singleton don't have reliable Js either though right?
And both were below 50%FT last season. So what do they do at SF that Trev can’t? Seems to me both our picks are expected to be defensive guys who will develop their offense (hopefully) over time. IMHO, that’s exactly what Flip said Booker was last season.
Yes, but both are better for the SF position
While Vesely doesn’t have a reliable shot, it is better than Bookers. But more importantly, Vesely can handle the ball better, so he can create more opportunities off the dribble. Booker can’t dribble like Vesely, so he’s better off in the post area.
Singleton’s shot is better than Booker’s. He is also a better ball handler. But more importantly, Booker is much more suited for PF than Singleton. Booker played PF in college, Singleton is more a SG/SF player. So this is a case of Booker being more suited for PF than the other player (Singleton).
But it all goes back to Dray getting too much playing time. I’d rather see Vesely get those minutes at PF, and have Booker playing SF if anything. But Dray should not be the guy stunting the growth of our young players when he is playing as bad as he was for most of the season.
the shooting stats for Vesley and Singleton are dismal and both had 14%TO rates which might indicate subpar handles
I’m just not sure that Booker has more weaknesses at SF than either of them, of course they are both 2yrs younger than him and may have higher ceilings at the position
If Vesely and Singleton cant beat out Booker for PT I'm gonna cry...
Than this draft was a waste.
I really do want Book as a culture guy to have a legit role in the rotation though… For all of pur prospects to get PT Lewis has got to go, but that won’t happen for good reasons.
I don’t want to talk about anymore really, just get the season started already!!
"My logic fails all the time...especially when talking to females" Rook6980
"I'll be lounging on the couch, just chillin in my snuggie, klick to MTV so they can teach my how to dougie" (Buno Mars, The lazy song)
by Dutch Hoopfan on Jul 17, 2011 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Singleton was 18th pick in a weak draft, Booker was 23rd (?) in an average draft. Not sure why Singleton not being able to beat out booker this year is reason for tears.
by MR on Jul 17, 2011 8:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Singleton was projected as a lottery pick, Booker was projected as a 2nd rounder
.
Booker was drafted way higner than where he was projected but even for a 21st overall selection, he had a solid season.
That said, I think there is a good chance that if, say the Mavs, had selected him at 25 there is a good chance he saw as little PT as Quincy Pondexter did for them this yr.
I had Pondexter as a better prospect than Booker going into the draft but in terms of production he didn’t do shit his rookie yr, especially compared to Booker and thats beceause he received PT for us.
Dudes like him but also guys like Aldrich, Whiteside, Braickins or even Ebanks and a few more all dissapointed beceause they did’t saw the floor much. If they would have been drafted by the Wizards, they’d have gotten Booker or Seraphin type minutes at least and we would have been happy whith the upside and promise they showed.
Singleton was projected to go mid to late lottery in this draft, lets assume he would have been a late lottery to mid first rounder in a normal one, that is still higher than most had ranked Booker .
The same goes for Vesely of whom Ernie said he was thinking about him with the 2010 pick. Of course it became John Wall but what if we had landed #5 instead? He might have taken Vesely over Monroe, Paul George or Cousins! If thát guy can’t outperform Booker, I’m gonna be pissed as hell.
.
"My logic fails all the time...especially when talking to females" Rook6980
"I'll be lounging on the couch, just chillin in my snuggie, klick to MTV so they can teach my how to dougie" (Buno Mars, The lazy song)
by Dutch Hoopfan on Jul 18, 2011 8:14 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Ow and off course I’m not seriously gonna cry , but I will get out my pitchfork and be lighting my torch as while waiting for the ‘Fire Ernie’ bandwagon to pick me up!
"My logic fails all the time...especially when talking to females" Rook6980
by Dutch Hoopfan on Jul 18, 2011 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions
You are basing your valuation on media mock drafts, hype, and blogs.
If Booker is good enough to beat out other players then who cares what his draft position was?
As far as I’m concerned once the draft is over, draft position is irrelevant (except for cost of rookie contract).
If they all play well and Booker gets more PT then that’s great. If they all play poorly and Booker gets more PT than it sucks.
by MR on Jul 18, 2011 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You sir are absolutely right about that
"My logic fails all the time...especially when talking to females" Rook6980
by Dutch Hoopfan on Jul 18, 2011 8:59 PM EDT up reply actions
I voted a 7
Loved his energy and competitiveness, his defensive rebounding left a lot to be desired though (we all know about his work-in-progress jumper). I also think he be scarcely used, if at all, at SF. PF is where he should be and its even better when he’s paired with JaVale at Center.
I'm not going to think of something extra witty or clever to say, I don't want to convince you to see things my way, I just have 2 words for you: JEREMY LAMB
High hopes for Book!
I enjoyed his rookie campaign immensly. The thing I remember most are his spectacular putback dunks. That dude can SKY!! I like him, like most at the 4. However, he was just a rookie. He can, and should try to develop a handle and a reliable jumper. It can help him play 4 or 3 and as such, be a valuable rotation guy, with a great motor, high intensity, and what I hope is a growing flair for the dramatic. It’s like I felt about Nick Young last year
when people were saying his ceiling was basically Jamaal Crawford and Hinrich was on the way. Aim high brother….aim high!
Why is his game not suited to play the 3?
He can be a great defender against opposing sf’s in my opinion. He has the strenth and the quickness laterally to make Lebron James tear of his underlip in frustration. Offensively, he can post up, slash to the basket and crash the offensive boards.
He is and will be a low usage player on O and his bread and butter is and always will be his energy and defense. If he takes a little smarter shots (which will come with experience) and improves his jumper a little I see no reason why he couldn’t improve the midrange J % to 33%. Combine that with backdoor cuts and some posting up and I see no reason why he can’t play as a defensive, energy injection at SF. To be honest, this is exactly what I expect from Vesely next yr.
"My logic fails all the time...especially when talking to females" Rook6980
"I'll be lounging on the couch, just chillin in my snuggie, klick to MTV so they can teach my how to dougie" (Buno Mars, The lazy song)
Having such long SFs
Allows us to play him at 4 without giving up too much size
It doesn't work like that
The opposite really. Long, skinny Vesely at SF works best with long, skinny Blatche at PF and long, skinny JaVale at C.
All that length and quickness allows you to play zone to prevent entry passes and drives to the rim. The zone calls for fronting the post and therefore giving up inside rebounding position, so you need quickness and length instead of strength and boxing out to grab boards.
Zone up with length and quickness across the board.
Or man up with strength and toughness across the board.
Half measures: “Squish like grape.”
I agree but do you think we can go zone as a primary defensive scheme?
I guess a normal team (what ever that may be) does it for a few posessions per game, like after time outs to disrupt the opponents drawn up play, or maybe even for short stretches to try to stop the opponent from abusing mismatches or hiding an offensive sparkplug coming off the bench on D because he’s a defensive liability.
Those are all reactionairy tactics though. In the NBA players are to strong, big and fast to break it down and get to the rim anyway or they are shooting the lights out on you from range. Or, both….
The level of play is simply to high and players are to good to make zone your primary defense imho.
"My logic fails all the time...especially when talking to females" Rook6980
by Dutch Hoopfan on Jul 18, 2011 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
It's worth a shot
Zone worked well for Dallas during the playoffs. It plays havoc with our national team in international competition, too.
What are the odds that JaVale and Blatche or whoever will become great man-to-man post defenders? Zone, with its emphasis on length and quickness, seems like a better bet.
does any team run zone the whole game? I cant think of one
the Mavs threw zones in there to disrupt Heat runs and what not, worked great, but i’m thinking they werent using a zone D as their main tool
Not calling for us to run the zone for the entire game.
One of the features of Flip’s zone is that it looks like man-to-man. The confusion as the opponent tries to figure out what the D is doing can burn some seconds off the shot clock. Also, stocky guys like Booker and Seraphin are poor fits in the zone.
Not sure what the ideal percentage would be. 100% zone is not feasible, but maybe 50% would be good. Since we wouldn’t want to run the zone when Booker is at PF or Seraphin is at C, that would mean that we would be running the zone most of the time with the starters, with some man-to-man mixed in as a change of pace.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
NBA Playoffs Content Module
Related FanPosts on Bullets Forever
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- David West hilariously denies each and every one of his young fans a high-five (VIDEO)
- Behind the Box Score, where the Miami Heat are moving on to the conference finals
- Kevin Durant is tired of hearing about the Spurs
- The 10-man rotation, starring your Indiana Pacers
- Blake Griffin highlights, ‘NBA Jam’-style (VIDEO)
