The general consensus is that Augustin isn't a starter, but why?
by bobcatRedemption on Sep 4, 2010 12:25 AM EDT
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I didn't get a chance to see enough Bobcats games last year to break down D.J. Augustin's game, honestly, so I'm curious - what areas of the game is he so ineffective in?
Yeah, he's not the biggest, fastest, or smartest PG, but he definitely has the necessary tools to be legit. So is it his perimeter or on-ball D? His inability to break down defenses? Or is it a general floor awareness issue? I haven't been able to pick out one area, but I have been excited for D.J. to tap that potential & disprove the doubters across the league for a while.
Seems like a bummer so far. I watched D.J. light it up at Texas time and time again all over the court. We need mojo like that from everyone to compete with the Miami LeBrick Shames this year! So what does D.J. really need to improve to become legitimate?
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DJ's problems are mostly in his head.
I attended quite a few games last season and watched the rest. I was very excited about Deej after he seemed to come into his own at the end of his rookie year. He was developing into a heck of a good baller. But last season he started out in a bit of a slump and never recovered. The main thing that I noticed was that Coach Brown chewed on Augustin constantly. It seemed every time he came off the court he was getting a lecture. Toward the end of the season, LB was also constantly yelling at him as he came up court. I’ll admit this is a subjective opinion, but it seemed that DJ was very frustrated and shaken by the constant brow-beating and his confidence in his own abilities went out the window. I still think he has great potential in the NBA, but he may need a different coach to get his mojo working again.
My sources can beat up your sources
Same problems I saw at Texas
He over-penetrates with no go to move or plan of what to do. He gets stuck in the air and gets blocked or throws up ugly layups (someone is going to bring in statistics to refute my opinion I’m sure). He’s a solid shooter. He doesn’t have the lateral quickness to stay in front of other PG’s. Just my objective opinion.
+1
+he doesn’t see the whole court as a PG. Agreed on the lateral defense.
when he is hot, he can shoot.
by Ft.Mill Bobcat on Sep 4, 2010 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Same problems I saw in Raymond
…except the fact the he’s a solid shooter.
I give D.J. the starter's stamp of approval.
Even Raymond Felton’s development was hindered in the early stages by older, more experienced guards and Larry’s penchant for not playing rooks. D.J. actually got p.t. as a rook with Larry, so that was a major plus. Point blank, he’s a shooter. Shooters need time to shoot. You can’t expect Ray Allen to be effective in short periods of p.t. if you wanted to. His playing time, or lack thereof, has had a major effect on his production. However, if Larry has no choice but to have him in a starter’s role for about 10 games in a row at some point, I think he’ll show that he can produce enough to carry the team. We are a lot better since the last time D.J. had to start. I’m sure he’ll benefit from the improved talent level as Felton did last year.
by Charlotte Bobcat on Sep 4, 2010 12:03 PM EDT reply actions
if you want to know why DJ isnt a starter
just watch film from last year
--(insert quote, lyric, or joke here)
It's not that D.J. doesn't have the potential to be a starter
It’s that he performed way under expectations last season. I tend to agree with O.D. that a lot of that was psychological. Last year was the first time I’d ever seen a player receive a lecture while the ball was actually in play.
D.J. has some liabilities that will always be there. His lack of size is always going to make him have to work harder than most other players just to be average on defense. The problem from last season is that the thing that he excelled at (scoring) went into the toilet. There were times when we saw a glimpse of the kid who played at Texas, but they were few and far between. More playing time, and perhaps a little more confidence from LB would likely bring an improvement in some of his numbers, but many of us can easily see D.J. becoming a career back up.
I love the polls that people make on here, so I participated, but really I think it’s a crap shoot to try and determine what the end of the season holds for D.J. I would say that any one scenario is just as likely as the next, and the results so far seem to agree with me. So I wouldn’t say that D.J. isn’t a starter. Rather, I would say that he’s a question mark. He’s the biggest question mark we have on the team. I wouldn’t be the least bit sorry to see him included in a trade package that nets us a proven starter at the point, but as long as he’s on the team I’ll continue to pull for him and hope he’s able to recapture the skills that got him into the league in the first place.
I thought it was just me.
The only other time I saw a player getting chewed on during gameplay was in Rex Chapman’s rookie year. He would throw up the most ungodly 3-pointers with upwards of a dozen seconds left on the clock and the coach would run up the sidelines screaming after him whenever he did it. By mid-season, Chapman was still jacking them up early, but had started doing it from parts of the court that left him out of voice range of the bench. Shortly after that, he was spending time sitting on said bench.
I feel for DJ. It was only during the very last couple of games the Cats played last season that he got a slap on the butt from Brown when he came off court instead of a verbal smack to the head.
My sources can beat up your sources
by Ourdaywillcome on Sep 5, 2010 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions
DJ's problem is that he's a 5'11" SG.
He’s far better off the ball and can’t really create shots for himself or for his teammates (PGs usually have to be able to do one or the other).
by Spider Jerusalem on Sep 5, 2010 6:38 PM EDT reply actions
Too soon to vote...
Same holds true if the same question were asked about Liv, or Tyrus.
I’m just going to wait for it…
DJ has some skills but his limitations are a hinderance
Being short is a challenge for sure, but others have found a way to offset that (somewhat) by using awareness, quickness and toughness (see M. Bogues). But DJ gets swallowed up by picks, and struggles to adjust to switches. On offense he struggles to establish leadership on the court (not yet anyway), is not a quality passer, and cannot penetrate and create for others. Can he get better? Yes, but I just don’t see him becoming a starter-quality PG. A good back-up, yes, but not likely on this team.
Agreed, he's a backup
I don’t see him as a quality starter in the NBA. A downgrade from Felton IMO, and we grew tired of him.
by Bring Back Primoz on Sep 6, 2010 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions
I'll agree Augustin is a better shooter than Felton
But I think Felton was better at everything else. And let’s compare last year’s shooting numbers:
Augustin: 39% FG, 39% 3PT, 78% FT
Felton: 46% FG, 39% 3PT, 76% FT
by Bring Back Primoz on Sep 6, 2010 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Not trying to start any controversy here, but that Sporting News article is kind of silly
What are the reasons that “scouts” are expecting D.J. to have a breakout year? Well according to the author D.J. is going to hit it big because:
1) Someone has to be the point guard (this is a direct quote)
2) Larry Brown can make anyone a good point guard
So apparently being the shortest guy on the team, having no clear starter ahead of you, and having a magician moonlighting as your head coach are all it takes to have a break out year as an NBA point guard.
While this comment isn’t written to reflect my views on what kind of season I believe D.J. will have (see my comment above if that’s what you’re looking for), this writer doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the state of Charlotte’s point guards.
Nice try Sporting News, but we’ll take it from here.
His statements demonstrate a lack of connectedness
Yes, SOMEBODY has to be the starting point, but it won’t be DJ if the front office can do anything about it. Clearly they are looking for alternatives.
Also, Larry Brown will either make you a good poing guard or break you trying. Last year he broke DJ, who wilted under the pressure to improve and play LB’s way. If Augustine, by defalt, is our starter, the intensity of that role might be TOO much to bear.
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