March 4th, 2010
Lee Marches On Through Sprain
He was finished this time. He had to be. Courtney Lee had missed two games with a sprained ankle, and the Nets’ starting two-guard had just completed yet another post-practice shooting drill alongside backup point Chris Quinn.
… And then assistant coach John Loyer started explaining anew, gesturing at floor spots and mimicking motions, which led to another series of catch/dribble/shot combos, and another series of (mostly) made buckets by the second-year swingman. The pattern repeated until an hour had passed, and Lee certainly seemed to be recovering well, though he didn’t participate in practice. Yet Nets coach and GM Kiki Vandeweghe said Lee was doubtful for tomorrow’s game against the Magic; (Buy Tickets) Lee said his ankle felt better, and he’d test it at the morning shootaround before consulting with athletic trainer Tim Walsh.
“Ultimately, Timmy’s the trainer, so his opinion and decision are important in the situation,” Lee said. “But also, with me, if I feel I can go, I’m going to let them know and I’m going to be able to go and Kiki will either play me or not.”
Explained Vandeweghe: “We held him out of practice because the ankle is not ready to go. He tried it before. He went through shooting. But you just can’t push it. If it was a playoff situation it’d probably be different. He’d probably go. But in this situation, no.”
With a nod to Nets Are Scorching, Lee’s return to the lineup – Friday or not, starting or not – will positively impact the Nets. His heralded defense has become more notable as the season has worn on and the sample size has grown. According to the Web site 82games.com, Lee holds opposing swingmen to an average per-48-minute line of roughly 18 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists with a .501 eFG%. That rates slightly above league-average (resulting in a player efficiency rating around 18; 15 is average and 20, impressive), which becomes intriguing when one realizes 18, 6 and 5 often represents a sub-par performance for the star swingmen Lee regularly guards.
Yet it’s only during the past month that Lee finally emerged from a shooting slump that soured his early-season percentages. On January 31st, Lee held season averages of 11.1 points on .276 three-point shooting and .402 overall; in 12 February games, those numbers jumped to 15.5, .409 and .486. Four times Lee scored more than 20 points, including back-to-back occasions for the first time in his career – the latter coming pre-sprain in Boston last Saturday. He had topped 20 only three times in the previous 38.
According to the Web site hoopdata.com, Lee’s improvement is totally confined to long jump shots: season splits reveal he has made (46) and attempted (96) more field goals from 16-23 feet (.529 February eFG%) and three-point range (.614 Feb. eFG%) than in any other month, while maintaining a .605 eFG% on three attempts at the rim per game. It also shows Lee averages only two shots per game between the rim and 15 feet, all of which manifests on court in aggressive decision-making: Lee is either driving all the way to the rim, taking a quick, confident three or attacking the defense with a one- or two-dribble pullup jumper.
As Thursday’s extended session proved, Lee has been putting in work to gain in-game rhythm on his jumper, and his season averages now rest at .317 from three and .425 overall – much closer to the .400 and .450 marks he established as a rookie in Orlando. The ankle injury came at an inopportune time, mirroring the November groin strain that sidelined Lee for seven games and hindered any chance at early-season success.
“Yeah, that definitely sucks,” said Lee, who also missed a game in January following surgery to remove an extra, late-developing wisdom tooth. “Once you start getting back to your normal self and playing well, something always pops up. I just look at it as adversity, and I can overcome it: just continue to work on my game and just work myself back into shape and being healthy and go from there.”
T-Will Succeed, But Won't Grade Season
Wrote a lot about Terrence Williams in last night's story, but he had some interesting things to say to the media horde today, mentioning that he’s feeling more confident and adjusting to the slower (yes, slower) pace of the NBA game. The rookie says he’s focusing on attacking the rim, either for himself or to set up teammates, and believes he’s progressing, but declined to self-grade his season.
“I don’t know about a grade, but I would say it’s rocky – in the beginning, definitely.” Williams admitted. “I really didn’t know what to expect. I tried to come here and use the same game that I used in college, but my shot wasn’t falling. I had to re-evaluate myself as a player and change my game to moreso going to the hole, but still do the other little things that I do and love to do, as far as, like, passing, playing D and rebounding.
“Grade? I really wouldn’t give it a grade. I wouldn’t know. I just look at per-36 (minute averages)on the computer. I didn’t know nothing about it ’til I talked to Rod Thorn. You look at how it is when you go into the game, and when you come out the game, the score, and then you look at per 36 on the computer, what I average is good numbers to me…”
What are those numbers, we’re wondering? Well, ideally, per-36 gives you a fair read on what to expect were a bench player given starting minutes. According to the basketball-reference.com Web site, T-Will’s at 11.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals. Pretty solid for a rook, and numbers this writer wouldn’t be surprised to see Terrence build upon in his second season. Until then, we’re going to have to keep reading into the projections.
“For now I think what I’d like to have happen is him solidifying a role,” Vandeweghe said. “I think that’s important for a young player’s development. I think he’s had a couple of games where he’s been consistent. He’s come in and contributed and given us a spark. So I would like to build on that if that’s possible.”
--Posted by Ben Couch at 7:12 p.m.
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