With summer league play over (job well done Shelden and Acie,
nabbing All-RMR
honors - and Al Horford might have if he hadn't hurt his ankle), and
nothing else really going on until the start of training camp in October, I
thought this would be a good time to take a look at the Hawks roster and check
out everyone's status on the team. It should be a good way to kill some time
over the next few weeks and help bridge the gap until the season starts!
Today we continue the series
with sharpshooter Salim
Stoudamire. How do you
think these players will do?
Leave your answers in the
comments!
Salim
Stoudamire
2007 Stats: 7.7 ppg, 36% 3-pt FG, 90% FT
2007 Highlights: Salim's minutes yo-yoed throughout the year, seeing a
lot at the beginning, less towards the middle, and pitching back upwards towards
the end of the season when the injuries began to pile up. Still, Stoudamire
managed to put up some impressive numbers, including a career-high (and second
best effort on the team all-season) 37 points in a
102-100 loss to
Portland on March 23. Stoudamire was an incredible 14-20 from the field
in that game, including 6-9 from downtown. He was similarly hot in a
115-102 win
over Milwaukee on April 6, nailing seven 3's accounting for all of his
21 points, and
dropped 26 on
Sacramento in a rough 117-92 loss on Dec. 10.
What he needs to work on this summer: Salim's playing time seems to
fluctuate with his defensive effort and his ability to limit mistakes.
Stoudamire plays with such white-hot intensity, it sometimes gets the better of
him and he gets down on himself when things take a turn for the worse.
Therefore, he needs to continue to work on controlling his emotions during
games.
In strictly basketball terms though, Salim will have to prove he can
distribute the ball more effectively if he wants to get minutes in the Hawks'
crowded backcourt. And, I never thought I'd say this, but he actually needs to
improve his shooting. Though most consider Stoudamire to be one of the best
shooters in the game, a 41% FG mark a year ago doesn't back it up. I blame a lot
of that on a lack of consistent minutes, and the fact that he tends to force a
few shots early on to get himself in rhythm. But a guy with his ability should
rarely be below 50%, even considering how many 3-pointers he takes.
Outlook for 2007-08: The team wants to play more up-tempo this season,
which is good news for a guy like Salim, whose
game translates much better to that than the slow-it-down pace of the past.
Stoudamire has been working extremely hard this off-season to improve
himself. Because of his lack of size he will probably never be the defensive
player the coaches would like him to be, but if he focuses on what he needs to
improve on (fighting through screens, learning to defend the pick and roll, and pressuring
the dribbler's ball hand) he won't force them to keep him out of the
lineup in late-game situations.
With the addition of Acie Law (Anthony Johnson is relatively new as well, but
it's unlikely Royal Ivey will return), there are fewer minutes to go around this
year as stated previously. However, Salim provides something that really only
Joe Johnson has proven himself capable of on this team - the ability to score
points in bunches. Like JJ, when Salim is on, it is a sight to behold.
If he can get off to a good start and get his confidence going, he could really
solidify his spot in the rotation and make a significant contribution.
Do you agree?
