PR2011: Everyone Else

So the everyone else post has to do with the guys on the end of the bench: Songaila, Battie, and Nocioni. I’ve seen enough of them to know their strengths and weaknesses, what they like to do and what they try to do on the court. The other two guys that won’t be covered, Kapono and Brackins, are for good reason. Brackins has played in 2 games so far this year for the team, so obviously I haven’t seen him play enough. Kapono’s scouting report: “white guy that stands in the corner”. Okay, now onto the other 3.

Of the other three guys, I can only hope that one, maybe two of them see significant time in significant games. That would be Tony Battie, the closest thing we have to a guy who could defend a dominant center, like Dwight Howard, without completely failing. The other would be Andres Nocioni in very limited situations. I’m not sure why Darius Songaila exists (on this team, that is).

The main point of this article would be to look at each player, and show what they bring to the team and why what they bring can be valuable.

Tony Battie

OFFENSE

Stats: 10.4 Mins, 2.7 PPG, 47.4% FG, 2/3 3FG, 0.3 APG, 0.4 TO

Alright, so Battie isn’t in there for his offense. In fact, the only thing offensively that he does even at an average rate is shot 15-foot jump shots. Somehow, he’s also made 2 of 3 three-pointers taken. Nice random stat to drop if you feel like you need one. Otherwise, nothing notable or remarkable.

DEFENSE

Stats: 2.4 RPG, 0.5 ORPG, 1.9 DRPG, 0.4 BLK, 0.2 STL

His defense against other bigs is why Tony Battie will get playing time down the road, since asking Marreese Speights to do it is both comical (because of the potential outcome) and detrimental to the team. Spencer Hawes will probably foul out in under 30 minutes and you can only ask Elton Brand to do so much. Battie has enough size to make a difference, and as Dwight Howard’s former teammate might be able to handle him better than most. We’ll probably need his 6 fouls at some point in the postseason.

Andres Nocioni

OFFENSE

Stats: 18.6 Mins, 6.5 PPG, 42.5% FG, 33.4% 3FG, 0.9 AST, 1.0 TO

Nocioni’s offensive abilities are of the role-player variety. Unfortunately, his style isn’t that of a role player. He can shoot much better from the perimeter than those numbers indicate, as in the last 5 years before this year he was an above average (though never above 40%) three-point shooter in every year. He always brings energy, but it’s sometimes misused offensively. For some reason, he must think it’s a good idea for him to drive, going to his right every time, into the lane despite his inability to pass or handle the ball well. And he’s not a good finisher. As Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) once said, know your role and shut your mouth. Nocioni is a corner shooter who can get some weak side rebounds and score that way. Whatever else he does hurts the offense.

DEFENSE

Stats: 3.5 RPG, 0.4 ORPG, 3.1 DRPG, 0.3 STL, 0.3 BLK

At this point in his career, Nocioni is an overrated defender. A few years ago, he was considered a defensive pest. While not a stopper, in his early NBA years*, he got in the heads of his opponents, picked up some offensive fouls, and generally helped his team out on that end. Unfortunately, he no longer has the lateral quickness to keep up with most perimeter players, so he would work best in a system which has a dominant shot blocker, so that he wouldn’t give up easy layups. That is, not this system.

*Did anyone else realize that Nocioni is 31? I thought he was 28 or 29. That would explain his defensive drop off.

For his size he’s a good rebounder and can defend perimeter guys who try to be physical inside, like a Corey Maggette or even maybe a Paul Pierce. And as I said earlier, he can shoot from 3, which only one of our other wings can do. He’s not useless, but shouldn’t play unless we have to play him.

Darius Songaila

OFFENSE

Stats: Well, their insignificant. In his career, averages 6.9 points on 49.9% from the floor, hasn’t shot many threes, and hits about 85% of his free throws in 18.6 minutes.

Songaila’s main offensive function is shooting mid-range jumpers. He’d be a lot more notable if he had range beyond the three-point line, but he doesn’t. He can hit from 20 feet out, so he’s got that going for him. With his ovHe doesn’t really do anything else though. He’d get more free throw attempts if he operated closer to the rim, but isn’t effective outside of the pick-and-pop game. He’s very limited.

DEFENSE

Stats: Career – 3.4 RPG, 1.1 ORPG, 2.3 DRPG, 0.7 STL, 0.2 BLK

So he’s not much of a rebounder for a big either. Yeah, he must be in there just for his ability to stretch the floor, which while good isn’t great, since he can’t really stretch the floor ‘that’ much. Also, defensively, he fights hard but is undersized. He’s not a shot-blocker, while his steal totals seem higher than a normal big’s. He can put up a fight against somebody, so he’s not worthless on that end, but he’s not good really.

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There’s a reason why none of these three are in the regular rotation: they aren’t always needed. Which isn’t a bad thing – they get paid for their specific talents, and when we need them we’ll use them. Unless you talk about contracts, of which Nocioni’s will actively hurt the team.