Ric Bucher has always liked nothing more than breaking down guards, whether it be on a
playground or on paper. Here he does it for ESPN.com. We call it "On Guards" for obvious reasons. Look for this feature each Monday. Better yet, be on guard for it.
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| Hughes |
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| Terry |
This week's feature guards: The Hawks' Jason Terry vs. the Warriors' Larry Hughes.
Being the 2-guard on a team lottery-bound by the All-Star break is dangerous
for any player's discipline, but up-and-comers are especially susceptible to
developing bad habits. Terry is seizing his chance to shape himself into one
of the Hawks' future cornerstones while Hughes has slid head-first into the
Warriors' malaise.
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RIC'S GUARD RANKINGS
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THE WEEK'S TOP 10
1. Allen Iverson - Grittiness earning players' admiration around the league
2. Kobe Bryant - Zenmaster has questioned defensive effort
3. Tracy McGrady - Three-game stretch: 61 FG pct., 30 ppg
4. Stephon Marbury - 50 vs. the Lakers on 17 of 29 from the floor
5. Steve Francis - Bombing (49 treys in last seven games) and hitting (making
25)
6. Jason Kidd - Triple-double keyed win over Timberwolves
7. Ray Allen - Quickest release in the league
8. Reggie Miller - Reasserting himself after rough patch
9. Nick Van Exel - 5:1 assist/turnover ratio in last three games
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10. Darrell Armstrong - Averaged 22 points, 9 assists, 5.7 rebounds over
last seven games
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On the rise: Jason Terry
(19.2 ppg, 5.1 apg, 3.2 rpg, 1.2 stls, .445 FG, .849 FT)
The Hawks dealt Mookie Blaylock to the
Warriors for the No. 10 pick two years ago with the idea of taking Terry and
making him Blaylock's heir presumptive at point guard. Presumptive, indeed.
The knowledge of angles, spacing and clock management necessary to run a pro
offense were beyond Terry's grasp and he was quickly labelled a bust.
Injuries and the hope of finding some way to utilize his scoring talent
prompted Atlanta to shift Terry to off-guard. Voila! What appeared to be a
stop-gap measure has worked so well the Hawks moved projected starting
two-guard Jim Jackson to the Cavs for pure point guard Brevin Knight. Terry
is small for an off-guard (6-2, 172) but slippery-quick with a tight handle
and fearlessly attacks the basket. Whether it's his off-the-dribble moves or
simply lack of renown, he's given a lot of good looks from the perimeter and
making the most of them as the Hawks' top three-point shooter (40.6), good
for 13th in the league. What I like about him is that both his shooting form
and shot selection are solid, reminiscent of Wesley Person in his early years
with the Suns. How he'll do once opposing defenses are geared to stop him is
the next step, but he's making the most of the single coverage he's seeing
now.
On the slide: Larry Hughes
(16.6 ppg, 4.6 apg, 5.7 rpg, 2.0 stls, .378 FG, .775 FT)
Hughes also was drafted to initiate the offense -- for the 76ers -- but
quickly proved his skills were only accessible as a scorer, prompting the
deal that sent him to the Warriors. Raw, undisciplined talent in loosely-run
organizations rarely works and Hughes' development in Oakland has been
proof-positive. Once viewed as a player so wildly athletic he need only
refine his stroke and shot selection to be star-caliber, Hughes has become
such a nightmare he has bounced in and out of the starting lineup and sees
limited fourth-quarter minutes in close games. He's on pace for a career-high
in attempted three-pointers despite shooting 19.2 percent from the arc, and
in 42 games he's only shot 50 percent or better four times. (Terry has four
50-percent-plus games in the last 11 games alone.) It would be easier to
attribute his problems to youthful indiscretions if he was working at his
game, but he doesn't shoot before games or stay after practice. Veteran
marksman Chris Mullin has offered to help him learn how to catch-and-shoot
off screens, excise the hitch in his form and lose his habit of shooting
off-balance, but Hughes hasn't taken him up on it.
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| Stith |
This week's guard to watch: The Celtics' Bryant Stith
Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce are getting most of the credit for the
Celtics' recent surge, but Stith's steady presence at 2-guard has helped. He
generally provides staunch defense but has added some scoring (double figures
in three of the last four games) and badly needed rebounding (5.3 over the
last three games).
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ALSO SEE
On Guards (S. Smith, R. Harper), Feb. 6
On Guards (Brandon and R. Strickland), Jan 29
On Guards (Hunter and E. Strickland), Jan .22
On Guards (Francis and Eisley), Jan. 16
On Guards (McKie and N. Anderson), Jan. 7
On Guards (Rose and McGrady), Dec. 28
On Guards (Bibby and Jackson), Dec. 18
On Guards (Stockton, Blaylock), Nov. 27
On Guards (Nash, A.Miller), Nov. 20
On Guards (Anderson, Billups), Nov. 13
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