J.J. Hickson

[Gimme Some Mo]

Hickson has to be the worst finishing around the rim and or going up strong.

Really? You do realize this guy is on the same team as Z and Andy? Every time they get the ball I am just praying they don't miss a wide open uncontested layup.

Honestly though, our bigs have to be some of the worst in the league as a collective group at finishing around the rim, especially off of pick and rolls. Z and JJ drop every other pass and Andy just pump fakes until he gets stuffed.

 

[FuneralOfHearts]

Really? You do realize this guy is on the same team as Z and Andy? Every time they get the ball I am just praying they don't miss a wide open uncontested layup.

Honestly though, our bigs have to be some of the worst in the league as a collective group at finishing around the rim, especially off of pick and rolls. Z and JJ drop every other pass and Andy just pump fakes until he gets stuffed.

Andy has actually developed quite a bit around the rim. Z and JJ are quite frightening though.

 

[InBoobieWeTrust]

Andy has actually developed quite a bit around the rim. Z and JJ are quite frightening though.

J.J. finishes very well at the rim.

Sometimes I question if people are watching the same player as me.

 

[FuneralOfHearts]

J.J. finishes very well at the rim.

Sometimes I question if people are watching the same player as me.

JJ only finishes when nobody is within a country mile of him though, combined with his inability to catch a pass, which is a much bigger concern to me then his finishing, makes it very difficult to watch at times.

 

[InBoobieWeTrust]

JJ only finishes when nobody is within a country mile of him though

Again, are you watching a different player? Are you watching game tape from last season? Are you watching home video footage of J.J. trying to dunk at 8 years old or something?

 

[SteelSmack]

JJ only finishes when nobody is within a country mile of him though, combined with his inability to catch a pass, which is a much bigger concern to me then his finishing, makes it very difficult to watch at times.

JJ finished a very nice layup last night that involved Boozer (I believe) challenging the shot and JJ having to double clutch and lay it off glass (I personally thought it was a foul). I think his original intention was to dunk. That's a tough play for any power forward to finish, and especially in Utah where they're allowed a little extra contact around the hoop. He finishes very well for being so young. I think you're thinking of the "1st month of the season" Hickson and not the current model out on the floor.

 

[Gimme Some Mo]

J.J. finishes very well at the rim.

Sometimes I question if people are watching the same player as me.

I think they are, but they are just lacking the concept of him being a 21 year old 2nd year player that was hurt for half of last season and almost all of the summer.

They also don't realize this is his 1st year getting "consistent" minutes, if you can even call them consistent.

They also seem to forget that any mistake he makes he will be crucified for and benched immediately, but we have guys like Mo and LeBron that don't even attempt to play defense for most of the game and they don't hear a word about it from the coach. And to be honest, besides Andy and maybe D West, I can't name a player who hustles more than JJ does, yet he gets drilled for it all the time. He goes to the glass on almost every shot, it doesn't matter if we are on offense or defense.

They also forget that he never gets a play called for him and he is an "around the rim" type player who is forced to play with Shaq for almost all of his minutes, which is a terrible fit for JJ.

But other than that, they are watching the same Hickson. :chuckles:

 

[FuneralOfHearts]

JJ finished a very nice layup last night that involved Boozer (I believe) challenging the shot and JJ having to double clutch and lay it off glass (I personally thought it was a foul). I think his original intention was to dunk. That's a tough play for any power forward to finish, and especially in Utah where they're allowed a little extra contact around the hoop. He finishes very well for being so young. I think you're thinking of the "1st month of the season" Hickson and not the current model out on the floor.

No he has certainly finished over people. But again my big concern with J.J. isn't his finishing, its the starting, he can't finish if he can't make the catch first. I certainly don't agree with the post about him being the worst finisher in the league by any stretch but I am also not impressed by him either.

 

[NarlCavs]

Hickson played well last night and I have no problem with his play in the Jazz game. He did fumble the one pass from Mo but certainly wasn't the only Cav to lose control of the ball last night.
Considering the number of TO's in recent games I think there's a case of bad passes, sloppy passes, dumb passes, and passes that look like their intention is to get on the highlights and to not make the basic right simple play. At times the fault isn't always with the intended target of the pass.

Glad W&G brought up Hickson's effort on the defensive end. It has been very noticeable recently that he is playing much better within the defense and is doing what he's supposed to do and is where he's supposed to be. The same can't always be said of some of the bigger names on the roster who are far more experienced and should know better.

When you're given limited opportunities to score you're not going to put up a lot of points. In recent games Hickson has been open for short jumpers or easy drives and is ignored by the ballhandler. JJ is probably shocked at times when he actually receives a pass.

Hickson is far from a perfect player and does still need quite a bit of development. My thinking has always been that I'm willing to trade him but it has to be in the right deal. There's some overeagerness to willingly include him in a deal when it shouldn't be necessary in some of these proposals. GM's need to do everything they can to not have to give up young talent or overpay in trades. There needs to be a balance between long term thinking to go along with what's best in the short term.
It's way too soon to give up on him or willingly give him up. You need to maximize the value of talent you decide to trade.

 

[SteelSmack]

Hickson has been open for short jumpers or easy drives and is ignored by the ballhandler. JJ is probably shocked at times when he actually receives a pass.

I would add that he is ignored when he has deep post position as well. But yeah, what he said.

 

[Keith]

"That is what Ferry is trying to have to avoid having to do. If he can find way not to have to add him, he would rather take that course.

Ferry does not want to have to move any of our young prospects if he doesn't have to."

If I read between the lines it sounds like Z & JJ Hickson for Jamison unless we throw in Multiple picks. Hopefully the Wizards will drive down their bargain...they will have new owner who will probably try to overhaul their team, seems like they just want to make sure their team doesn't have a steep decline over the next couple of years.

 

[iEchoic]

Really? You do realize this guy is on the same team as Z and Andy? Every time they get the ball I am just praying they don't miss a wide open uncontested layup.

Huh? Andy's been finishing great this season, he's shooting 51%, above his career average. Not sure where you're getting this from.

 

[aaronbev79]

Only one thing is clear. The proof is in the pudding.

I guarantee that one way or another, we'll have answers to these questions following the trade deadline.

If he stays with the Cavs, we'll be able to watch how much THIS organization thinks of JJ.

If they start to remove him from the rotation, I think it's clear that his ceiling is MUCH lower than some of you pretend it is.

If he gets traded, then it'll depend on the team he is traded to, and what sort of PT they want to give him at first.

Until then, I think this conversation has run its course. There are clearly LOTS of strong weaknesses in JJ's game that can be attributed to more than youth and inexperience, BUT there's also good reason to still believe that he could develop into a solid role player.

None of this can be proved until after the trade deadline when JJ's long term future will be more clear.

 

[Otsego Mar]

No. Not what I said. That is what Ferry is trying to have to avoid having to do. If he can find way not to have to add him, he would rather take that course.

Ferry does not want to have to move any of our young prospects if he doesn't have to.

The wink signified sarcasm

 

[Zog]

Great game by JJ tonight. 11 points, 14 rebounds in 25 minutes, and he didn't force anything. Didn't look too out of place on D.

Congrats to JJ on his first career double double!