Also see: An introduction to the series | Mike James | Javaris Crittenton | DeShawn Stevenson | Fabricio Oberto | Nick Young | JaVale McGee | Dominic McGuire | Andray Blatche (cheating a little)
So ... is Randy Foye a point guard or a shooting guard? Or is he a "combo guard?"
So far, during the preseason, Foye has played a lot of point guard, and, well, he can dribble okay and pass fine, but he isn't exactly creating a ton of efficient offense. However, even then, Foye is better than any backup point guard option on the roster right now, with Javaris Crittenton injured and Mike James being Mike James (WHO?). He's also displayed his skills better when paired with former teammate Mike Miller.
But what we haven't seen from Foye is him running off screens and catching-and-shooting much. Even when he has been the lead guard with a point forward like Miller, it's been Miller running off screens and Foye delivering the passes. This is too bad, because as we discussed earlier this summer, Foye is a pretty good catch-and-shoot player with excellent balance on his jumper and excellent percentages when he catches and shoots. He just hasn't used those skills enough in his career because he's been such a slasher, both by mindset and by circumstance.
But it's still early, and there are a lot of SG candidates to work in. Ultimately, where and how much does Foye play? Make the jump to discuss.
Why he might play more minutes than expected: His ability to play both guard positions is crucial, so he'll get his minutes. The only reason he's playing a lot now at the point is that those skills take longer to pick up.
Why he might play less than expected: There are too many shooting guards to work into the rotation, so Foye is mostly playing backup point because that's the only place to put him.
My best guess: Foye will play the 12-15 minutes Gilbert Arenas doesn't at point guard and will get another 8-12 minutes playing alongside him at shooting guard, depending on the matchups. Against smaller backcourts, we'll see him more; against bigger backcourts, probably not. If it were up to me, those splits would be reversed (12-15 min at SG, 8-12 minutes at PG), but I doubt that happens because there are too many shooting guards on this roster. Have I mentioned that a trade eventually would make sense?