Cotton Making Life Difficult for Trey Burke
- Thread starter Red
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seattlejazzfan
Well-Known Member
That's actually what I meant to say. Bottom line, the case to be made for Cotton - and it's an optimistic one at that - is that he's basically a Trey Burke clone, but you get that clone for cheaper price. He's a short, scoring, shoot first, PG who doesn't shoot it very efficiently. Even at that, again, it's an optimistic view if he can't do better in summer league than Burke does in real NBA games.
seattlejazzfan
Well-Known Member
That is true, but if you can't translate that into finishing or making plays for teammates, you might as well sign up Usain Bolt. There are a lot of ridiculously fast and quick PGs out there who aren't NBA players.
True but if he shoots and passes roughly the same as Burke but is an upgrade in speed then why not?
GVC
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I realized I misread your post, and was just about to delete my reply.
People love Cotton because he had a couple good games to end last season (recency bias) and because he's not Trey (reaction to reminder of latent homosexuality after viewing dick pics).
seattlejazzfan
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I think the biggest thing is you get him for cheaper and his speed and overall athleticism probably gives him more upside.
That's what I am thinking. That and how palyers like Favors, Burks and Gobert will benefit from increased pace by having a PG that pushes the tempo with his speed.
If I was Snyder I'd drill Cotton into the ground on that.
Miggs
Well-Known Member
Add in better efficiency, less chucking and moping, and a bigger chip on his shoulder.
I lol'ed. I know everyone is entitled to an opinion, but when that opinion is 100% wrong... well you shouldn't have it. Cotton literally looks to pass first every time he touches it. Only reason he is shooting more right now is because its summer league.
Stifle Tower
Punch Bowl Re-Filler
Agree. He sure didn't look like a shoot first PG after the Jazz signed him last season. Maybe I'm misremembering, but I recall a player pushing the pace and getting the ball to his teammates, unlike Burke.
seattlejazzfan
Well-Known Member
Summer league and Providence. 22 ppg, but looks to pass first every time. Lol. That's cute.
Miggs
Well-Known Member
Chris Paul led the league in assists this past season and still scored 19.1 per game despite being surrounded by Blake Griffin, Jamal Crawford, JJ Redick, and Deandre Jordan, among others.
Cotton's been surrounded by pretty much no one both at Providence and SL. Now, I'm not saying that he's in fact a pass-first point guard but I think it's unfair to dismiss his desire to dish by simply looking at his scoring stats. Someone has to score and he's had little around him to do so.
Red
Well-Known Member
But in the San Antonio game thread, you stated:
"Cotton is a pure pass first PG. He struggles creating his own offense but its too early based on 2 summer league games to say whether or not he deserves a spot."
Cotton is not Kris Dunn. He doesn't have the gift of court awareness/court vision that Dunn has. For which reason I have a hard time thinking of him as a "pure" point guard. Dunn, on the other hand, may yet be a double digit assist guy in this League some day.
That said, yes, he looks to distribute the ball. He knows he's a point guard out there and has a job to do. I just consider the "pure" point guards to be those whose vision and awareness makes them born to pass, so to speak.
I also have to disagree with the opinion that he struggles to create his own shot. I think the opposite is true. He doesn't struggle there at all, it's one of his strengths in fact.
Like any serious player, he's always working on his game. Right now, I'd put shooting the ball well on a consistent basis at the top of his list of things he HAS to get better at. He gets to the basket and the charity stripe and converts his foul shots. That helps. I don't know how much he can improve his stroke, but he's going to have to. The guy will attack his weaknesses relentlessly. I never really thought of shooting as a big negative with Bryce Cotton. But he cannot be pleased with 21-60.
AlaskanAssassin
Well-Known Member
It's hard to find a good comp for him. Who are we hoping he will become? Patty Mills? Nate Robinson? Aaron Brooks? He might be smaller than all of them. I realize that it's vogue to be down on Trey Burke right now, but people here need to chill a little on Cotton. He played well for us at the tail end of a losing season. His ceiling is a back-up/change of pace point guard. Let's not pretend that we stumbled into Tiny Archibald here.
seattlejazzfan
Well-Known Member
I agree with this. To this point, in both his career at Providence and based on what we've seen in SL, when he's the main PG, his scoring numbers are high, and his assist numbers low. His junior season being the exception - but even with his junior season, let's keep in mind Burke also averaged high assist numbers his soph season.
Does he look to pass? Of course. As does Trey. But both seem to be more comfortable shooting and unfortunately, not making, very often.
That is exactly what I (and most other posters) want from him. We advocate him over a slower and less efficeint PG for the right to battle Neto for the back up role. Some may just be talking about giving him the back up PG role but let's not pretend the board is acting like he is Tiny Archibald.
Red
Well-Known Member
x2. I think most people here have been realistic in their expectations concerning Cotton. What developed is that Cotton is such a contrast to Burke in what he brings to the court. It's that contrast that makes Burke's shortcomings stand out more. If Cotton were running the offense as he is, and shooting really well every game out as well, that contrast would be even greater. And the clamor to trade Burke even louder. None of this can possibly be lost on Trey Burke. And it's confirmed the FO was looking for a trade that included him. So his job is to "become Bryce Cotton". If that's what they expect of their backup, he has to develop that game. Well, he's never going to be as quick, maybe, but at least it's clear what the FO expects.