On Zach LaVine’s offensive approach

I did not want the Timberwolves to draft Zach LaVine.

This is well-documented, both pre-draft and on the night that the backup guard from UCLA was drafted 13th overall by the Wolves. LaVine’s positives were primarily his (small sample-size) spot-up shooting ability and ultra-athleticism. And that’s about it, from a purely tangible standpoint.

LaVine didn’t even start on his own team — college teammates Kyle Anderson and Jordan Adams were preferable NBA prospects, and happened to be good at the things that usually translate best to the professional level: three-point shooting, rebounding, steal rate, and not turning the ball over.

All that said, the advantages that LaVine had/has over the others are his other-worldly leaping ability and speed. Flip Saunders keyed in on this, and rightly identified LaVine as the type of guard that could be turned into what point guards have morphed into in the year 2014. Exhibit A: Russell Westbrook. Also from UCLA, Westbrook was (and still is, in many ways) a shooting guard that was molded into an NBA point guard.

(Quick timeout to appreciate how ironic it is that Saunders is forcing a square peg into a round hole with LaVine, encouraging a prototypical shooting guard to play distributor and fit today’s mold for a point guard, all well running an antiquated offensive system and a defense that encourages the opposition to shoot open threes. Got it? Okay, let’s move on.)

There are, of course, many things that aren’t all that similar between the Thunder’s now three-time NBA All-Star point guard and the Wolves’ 19-year old guard that is just now learning on the job. For one, Westbrook was a star in college. LaVine wasn’t. Westbrook rebounded the ball at a much higher rate, too, and showcased an NBA-ready body that LaVine simply doesn’t have.

But, the biggest difference between the two is their scoring mentality. Yes, they both have it in spades, but it’s how they each look to score that is most notable.

While we really only have a pair of starts at point guard to go off of for LaVine, it’s been apparent to this point that he is more than comfortable pulling up for semi-open jumpers in the 16-20 foot range than he is driving to the hoop. This shot selection is no doubt encouraged by Saunders, and it’s tough to see a young, ultra-athletic guard settle for low-percentage jumpers when he could get to the rim with ease.

Take a look at LaVine’s two made shots from the Houston game. Day and night — the first shot isn’t horrible, but the shot selection that early in the shot clock isn’t great. The second video? Exactly what he should be doing. All. The. Time.

Westbrook shoots a lot of mid-range jumpers, of course, but it’s a shot that he’s mastered and uses to keep the defense off-balance in transition. The success of that shot is more or less a a product of his proven ability to get to the rim both in transition and in the flow of the offense.

LaVine needs to get into the paint and do damage, like he managed to do on a couple of his assists against the Rockets. That ability will free up some open jumpers and in turn, passing lanes. He needs to prove that he can do one thing very well in order to keep the defense honest.

It’s far too early to indict Saunders for his handling of LaVine. In fact, he’s looked good thus far, and Saunders has traditionally been a very good point guard coach. But we also know that he loves his point guards jacking up long twos — see Terrell Brandon, Chauncey Billups, etc. This serves more as a cautionary piece than anything else. It’s been two games, after all.

But the track record of Saunders’ offense and the evidence that we have to this point supports some degree of concern regarding where LaVine’s development is headed, and it’s something to keep an eye on. His athletic ability is so very rare, and coupled with his natural instincts, LaVine is a weapon that should be relentlessly attacking the rim, not settling for long, forced jump shots.

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