Anonymous
Years ago
I am not a hater, far from it, I am a huge fan but have great concern about Delly's future in the NBA.
He is playing good minutes but appears to be contributing very little.
Thoughts about his future in the NBA?
He definitely needs to start shooting the ball better.
Reggie
Years ago
appearances can be deceiving. Look up his plus minus, and look up which 5 cavs players perform best on the court together. From memory he's involved in 3 of the 5 most successful lineups for cleveland. He's definitely contributing.
But yeh who knows if he'll last... he's playing for a pretty awful team
matt
Years ago
needs to improve his 3 point shooting but has intangibles such as leadership that can't be taught
I think he'll last if he wants to. He's going to be a career back-up point guard (or more likely, 3rd string). If he wants to duck over to Europe for more money and court time, that will be the chief determinant IMO. He may be happy to bide his time like Patty.
Steven
Years ago
Way too early to tell. Has showed promising signs but definitely needs to work on his shooting.
He will make a lot of money playing basketball either in the nba or high level euro.
High level euro with the ball in his hands for 30 minutes a game running pick n rolls might even be better from a Boomers prospective. The money may not be too different either.
he's not shooting well at all in recent games - might be thinking about the shot selection too much, it would be good to see him get back into the groove with waiters out
he would be a better fit in Europe !!
and probably earn good money - pretty much in the same position as Jawai was a few years back
A couple of nba seasons then Europe
he needs a proper preseason to work on his fundamentals. last preseason he was probably mainly working on how best to make the NBA by trying to fit in to systems and what not and not putting as much time actually working on his flaws. hopefully delly can improve on his deficiencies by next season.
twenty four
Years ago
I haven't really watched the Cavs too much lately, but the things that stood out about Delly early in the season were his hustle, his lack of speed and his subsequent lack of creativity of the dribble.
He would rarely actually run the point, instead playing off the ball, setting picks, cutting hard etc. When the ball was actually in his hands, there wasn't much happening. It was either a couple of dribbles then pass or just a quick swing of the ball. He seemed to struggle a bit getting anywhere off the dribble and just didn't have the speed or creativity to shake defenders. Some of that may have been him needing to adjust to the pace of the game, but I think a lot of it was just Delly's athletic limitations.
Defensively, he was the same. He'd work his arse off, but there were times when he was just a step too slow to keep up with his opponent.
Obviously his hustle and work rate have been good enough to get him minutes, and I'm sure the coaches love having a guard who is willing to constantly do the little things that you don't often see them do, but I can't help but feel as though Delly's may be close to reaching his ceiling as an NBA player.
I'd love to be proven wrong, but it's going to be hard to make it in the NBA as a PG who doesn't really run the point or shoot the ball too well and relies simply on hustle to get minutes.
Mick
Years ago
Twenty Four hit the nail on the head unfortunately.
Doesn't mean he can't have a long NBA career though.
Stevie Wonder
Years ago
take notes from patty mills and hopefully it will work out for Delly
Kobe24
Years ago
Send him to the Spurs, then he will automatically enter Beastmode. Then the threads on him will increase to a day by day update of his on and off court activities... which is great for everyone.
In all seriousness though, too early to tell if he is a NBA guy or just a Mike Brown guy. If Brown was to be fired tomorrow, ask yourself would be on thin ice under a new regime? Hard to tell, but either way like his tenacity.
Poor shooting mechanics can make it hard to find consistency with your shot. Also the poor technique makes it hard for him to shoot jumpers/pull-ups off the dribble without his feet set. I find it hard to believe this would be the case for someone who was at the AIS. Clearly he developed a lot of other great skills there that have taken him to this level, but the shooting technique deficiency I find odd.
I think he does have the ability to run the point, and very well, but he's not dynamic enough at this stage on the offensive end to be any more than a bench player. He's not athletic, and he's not an incredible shooter or scorer, he needs to find a way to be more crafty in both scoring for himself and creating for others, and I think that stems from his need to improve his ball-handling.
I don't really care to be honest, I love Delly and he has all my support and I want him in the best form all the time, having Patty and Dante fighting him for court time...who better to test them than Delly.
I just want Australians respected in the NBA and with Delly's work ethic, you have to believe it won't be because of him that we aren't
Delly's role seems to have changed throughout the season.
He started the season as a hustling 2/3 who sat in the corner for the 3, rarely running the offence like he would have been familiar doing in college and with the Boomers. His shooting percentages were very good during that period, going for nearly 50% from the field and over 42% from 3-point range.
When Deng arrived in January, his role (and playing number) changed. His minutes dried up and his shooting clip fell dramatically. This happened to coincide with a long Cavs losing streak.
From what I've seen, his role more recently has morphed more into a distributor at the 1/2, often running the bench unit. His assist numbers have lifted above 3apg in 16mpg, but his shooting clip has continued to decline. Regardless, Cavs have been winning more since his new role, and at least his +/- has been on average positive since taking on this new role.
Mick
Years ago
He should just watch miles of tape this offseason of hall of fame point guards who weren't very athletic. There are many. I think working with a skills coach with a focus on running / agility and ballhandling wouldn't hurt either.
Mick
Years ago
Also, he obviously has those poor shooting mechanics. He can't get off his shot unless wide open. It's a set shot. And he can't shoot it off the dribble either.
LanceUppercut
Years ago
Great points Mick if Delly can work on those things in the off season (in between Boomers commitments) he will be a valuable bench player for any team. Hopefully Delly will heed your advice.
whats the quote..."Players are made in the off season".
On the other hand, he is able to get his floater/runner off against NBA defenses. It's a good weapon to have, given his lack of lightning speed.
For players like Delly, they really rely on the right situation being on offer. He is able to play in the NBA but to get minutes and stick in the league, he needs a team that wants someone of his style.
I hope he finds a spot on a contender as a backup PG rather than playing for a basket case like Cavs...
rohant16
Years ago
Played a very solid game today. Hit some big shots. Looks like he is the only guard trying on defense.
Credit to him he has been in a slump to respond like that takes some guts.
Paul
Years ago
Yeah i think it's 50-50... a guy like him, all it takes is a coach to like him/ not like him to make/end his career.
Good luck to him
cliffclavin
Years ago
I've only seen one cavs game on ESPN this year, but I think he just needs more time to settle. His style seems to be about leadership which can only come through time and more experience.
For example not everyone in football makes it at a big club straight away but have great success at other big clubs - think of Daniel Sturridge at Liverpool since moving from Chelsea. Given more time he is showing his class. I think Delly will too. He seems to have that focus to succeed - which is proven by what people on this site say- that despite his limitations - he is still playing pro ball at the best level in the world at 23 years old. Good luck to the lad.
Bear
Years ago
Guys, M.D. is a winner, the NBA is about two things, winning and the show.
So, if M.D. isn't a show pony (and he isn't), then he certainly qualifies in the other important factor for selecting an NBA player IMHO...
Will he last, of course he will!
The kid has talent. He has already had his jersey retired at st. marys and is the all time leading scorer from there. Wherever he ends up he will be a beast.
With the amount of beasts the Boomers will have you would think they are a lock for a gold medal.
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