Discuss the review | The self-proclaimed "strongest projection inside" Downs is far worse than Nowitzki

From a dozen to five

2024-05-27 11:09Posted in Shandong Sports Creators

On May 27, Beijing time, in the Western Conference Finals G3, the Timberwolves lost 107-116 to the Mavericks on the road, falling behind 0-3 and only one step away from being out. Downs played a war criminal-level performance in this game, scoring 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting, including 0-of-8 three-pointers and 4-of-5 free throws. In the fourth quarter, when the Eastern European combination scored like chopping melons and vegetables, Downs shot three points and made no contribution at the critical moment.

Downs, who once touted himself as "the most capable interior shooter of all time," ignored Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki. However, Downs's current performance really doesn't deserve his self-styled name.

Downs may be more prolific in his three-point shooting than Dirk Nowitzki, but in terms of the all-round shot, Downs is far behind, and when he can't shoot threes, he lacks other effective means of scoring.

Downs was not known for his three-point shooting when he entered the industry, but as the league entered the small-ball era, Downs developed three-point shooting ability, shooting 42.1% from three-point range in the 2017-18 season, and his three-point shooting rate reached 41.6% this season, averaging 3.3 three-pointers per game at 41.2% at his peak.

"I'm the best interior player in NBA history, that's what happened." Downs said in an interview.

"Honestly dude, I'm not going to play like anybody, I'm who I am, I'm the greatest interior shooter of all time, that's a fact, you can see the stats, I don't have to play like everybody else. When I was the first version, everyone tried to find themselves as my second version, I didn't have to be someone else's second version, I was already an original, I didn't have to be someone else's copy. ”

Different people have different opinions about Downs' statement. Durant's retort is more direct: "Dirk Nowitzki is the best interior shooter in history, and while I respect Towns, it's obviously unreasonable for him to say that." ”

Kidd, who used to be a teammate of Nowitzki, retorted more subtly, saying: "Everyone has the right to express their opinions, especially now. He can shoot, he absolutely can, he's a very confident and young player, he's one of the best big men in this league. He can shoot threes at a high frequency. I think he's one of those people who can get into this discussion. But Dirk was one of the first big guys to do that, so I think Dirk will definitely have something to say, and in short, I think together they have opened the door for a lot of big guys to become goalscorers. ”

Judging from his performance in the playoffs, Downs really doesn't deserve the title of "the strongest projection inside". Starting from the Western Conference semifinals against the Thunder, in the last five games, Towns has made only 4 of 32 three-point shots.

Towns shot extremely low three-point shooting in two of his first three playoff appearances, with just 27.3 percent in 2017-18 and 25 percent in 2022-23. Such a crotch-pulling performance is obviously not comparable to Nowitzki.

The most critical point is that Downs' definition of "projection" is too superficial, and in his cognition, projection is a three-point shot. But in reality, it's not just about three-pointers, like the mid-range of Doncic and Irving and the mid-range of the peak Nowitzki, which Towns doesn't have.

Therefore, Towns can't score points efficiently and prolificly through mid-range and low-post offense when the three-point hand is cold, Nowitzki never relies on three-point shooting, and his super shooting ability is more reflected in mid-range shooting and back-to-back offense.

The so-called "strongest projection" is not just a three-point shot, and Downs should learn to understand this truth.

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