Hello CSL fans, I'm Cindy Cindy and welcome to the all new CSL Tonite! Please welcome Steve Smith as he discusses the pricetag and value of a skillset and talent vs athletcism. The floor is yours Smitty...
(Broadcast goes black...dead air)...
Well Cindy, I'm gonna discuss the value placed on players throughout the League, the advantages and disadvantages of said players, and the conundrum teams face when dealing with this dilemma.
You have guys like Doug McDermott in Orlando, or Kyle Korver in Charlotte who can't guard their own shadow's but with elite teams playing elite defense you need guys who can keep these teams honest enough on the offensive side of the floor to help the main guys get their baskets in an easier or more efficient way. You can't really put a premium on shooting as there are haves and have not's and depending on the offense, these guys can be just as valuable as a Star level player as they are stars at that particular skill.
The trade-off though is can they guard their position? Can they stay in front of their man? Usually they get lit up light Christmas tree lights but in the end I think it balances out for the better of their teams.
Then you have guys like a Danny Green in Chicago or a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in Detroit who can give you the best of both worlds in that they can shoot and defend at a high level. They can knock down then lock down and that can be invaluable to any team as they typically don't need their number called to be effective in a game.
And then there's guys like Okaro White in Charlotte and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in Oklahoma who give you supreme athleticism to go along with lock down defense. These guys can hold very high value to teams as they provide incredible defense but they also may not be as valuable due to the one-dimensional side of their game. They can be key but can also be a liability so the value can range all over the place.
In short beauty is in the eye of the beholder, these guys can look like prom queens to some and drag queens to another.