The Impact of Earl Boykins 02/01/2008
Well, this should certainly take care of one of the Bobcat's biggest problems: Rebounding. Ok - not really. It should help get McInnis off the court some though, which will be a welcome change. And the drop-off in rebounding will be less than you might expect: For their careers, Jeff grabs 4.3% of available rebounds (offensive and defensive, combined), compared to 3.8% for the newly acquired Boykins - a difference of about 0.2 rebounds per 36 minutes over their careers (thanks basketball-reference.com).
How do the two compare in other ways? Well, Earl certainly scores more often (and effectively) than Jeff: 16.5 points per 36 minutes to 12.3, with a true shooting % of 52.0% to 49.2%. So, no more 4 on 5 offense (Sam Vincent's words, not mine - though I agree - I looked and could not find the quote within a couple of minutes, if someone finds it, let me know so I can link). And despite Boykin's proclivity for shooting first, passing second, he still has averaged 0.1 more assists per 36 minutes than McInnis, has a higher assist rate for his career, and turns the ball over less. A solid upgrade across the board...
Except for the fact that I am taller than him...and so is every single other player in the NBA. As you might have guessed, his diminutive stature can be a hindrance on defense. According to 82games.com, you have to go back to the 02-03 Warriors to find a club where the defense was better with him on the court than off it. The good news? The Bobcats defense this season has been so much worse with McInnis on the court (107.2 points per 100 possessions) than off it (102.5) that it is hard to imagine Boykins being any worse. For their careers, Boykins bests Jeff in steal rate (1.6% to 1.2%)...and amazingly, in block rate (0.2% to 0.1%).
It will be interesting to see how much Sam Vincent is willing to pair Raymond and Earl in the backcourt together - it would be a smaller squad, but I really hope the idea was to get McInnis off the court. If we start to see McInnis and Boykins paired regularly, I will be very disappointed. We will get our first glimpse at the newest Bobcat at Golden State tonight - a perfect opponent to introduce the high energy, high scoring guard against.
Click here to comment/view comments for this post.
| Jeremy Says: | |
I had the misfortune of watching Boykins play for the Nuggets for three and a half years in Denver. It is truly amazing when he goes off for 30 points, but the other 90% of the games he plays in are truly excruciating. He takes way too many shots, even when he is obviously off, and he dominates the ball.
The sad thing is, you cannot criticize him because everyone loves the guy due to his diminutive size. As if he does not need to alter his shot selection just because it is such an amazing feat that he is even on the floor. |
|
| Sat Feb 02, 2008 8:37 pm |
| Rufus on Fire (David) Says: | |
Amazingly, I think this is pointing to fewer minutes for Carroll, as Vincent, apparently, wants to split the point between McInnis and Boykins, indicated by his comments that moving McInnis to the "third guard" was only for the one game. I'm convinced that he's got a veteran fetish. How else to explain the minutes for Anderson, Harrington, McInnis, and Boykins at the expense of dudes 27 and younger? This is a losing team! Rebuilding means finding out what the new guys can do, not throwing out retreads! |
|
| Thu Feb 07, 2008 11:49 am |
Saving Your Comment
|
|
|
