I've got a write in vote: James Johnson had a better season than Jimmy Butler last year.
I would propose that statistically he did have better season than Jimmy Butler. It remains to be seen though if Johnson can actually maintain that level of efficient production playing 40mpg though like Butler does (which I doubt he could).
The counter-argument to this has frequently been used against DeRozan in the past. With people using efficient players who take on much less volume and usage, and using that to discredit DeRozan as an "inefficient chucker" or something to that effect.
While I don't think TR is anywhere close to Klay, I think everyone's overlooking the teammates he's playing with. Klay's a decent defender, but it's not like he's the guy who made GS a top defensive team last year. They had Iggy guarding the elite wings and a somewhat healthier bogut/O'neal manning the paint (bogut was out most of the 2012-2013 season).
Meanwhile TR is playing alongside Derozan who's nowhere near the level of iggy defensively.
While I don't think TR is anywhere close to Klay, I think everyone's overlooking the teammates he's playing with. Klay's a decent defender, but it's not like he's the guy who made GS a top defensive team last year. They had Iggy guarding the elite wings and a somewhat healthier bogut/O'neal manning the paint (bogut was out most of the 2012-2013 season).
Meanwhile TR is playing alongside Derozan who's nowhere near the level of iggy defensively.
Agree with this. It's something that's often ignored, but in 2012-13 Bogut missed most of the season and the Warriors hadn't acquired Iguodala yet. They had an average, 14th ranked defense. The following year (last year), Bogut was healthy and Iggy was acquired. They shot up to 4th in defense without a lot of other major changes to the roster (if anything the rest of the roster got worse defensively with the loss of Jack at backup PG).
I think their elite d has a lot to do with having arguably the best defensive wing in Iguodala and at least a top 5 rim protector in Bogut.
Yeah, when I said worst case we got a Klay Thompson-esque player, I didn't mean right now, I meant later in his career. Maybe I shoulda cleared that up. Maybe that IS too high a floor. But I digress.
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