I just happened to be thinking about the hornets, in particular Julian Wright, and thought i should share my opinions with some other fans and see if the views differ from mine.
His progress since he has been in the league, actually scrap that. His regression since hes been in the league has really surprised me as he has all the athletic tools and skill to be amazing, he has also shown flashes of brilliance during games. I think a reason for this regression is that the Hornets as an organisation, im not sure if this is the coaches or how he believes he should be playing within the constraints of the system, are attempting to mould him into a player he isnt. Other reasons could be; that he isnt working hard, isnt intelligent enough to realise the potential or the variable playing time (due to not letting himm play through the mistakes). I for one hope playing time is the answer, as this season I think the playing time will go up. Im also hoping that by showing up for the summer league hes shown an improved work ethic that will transfer to an improvement on court.
The hornets seem to be playing him the same way they do Posey and Peja – ie using him to create space. This doesnt work as this season his shot hasnt been consistant, so opponents are sagging off and clogging the lane for our other players. This directly correlates with his attributes as a player, and what kind of player he isnt.
On offense, the hornets are looking at him in the same way as Peja and Posey – a three point threat. The best attributes of these two players are their shooting and IQ. As a SF i believe Julian is about as opposite a player as possible. His game is always best when hes running. In my mind his best attributes are his extraordinary athleticism and his energy. If the hornets started playing him like this then I believe his development would be astounding, then he could develop the 3 pt shot over the offseason so he can be utilised in different ways. I think thsi season with the abscence of Chandler we may see him on the receiving end of more CP3 alley oops when we get out in transition.
As a best case scenario I can see him being as good as Gerald Wallace, but only if he has the intelligence.
I also dont see how he cant be an extremely good one on one defender as he definitely has the physical attributes to do this, i see him in the Ariza vein here, long and pesky, with the ability to be fill the stat sheet if he works at his game. He just needs to work on his rotations and to use a cliche, get his head in the game.
This year I really hope his game works out and he plays well in the system, as what i dont want (sorry to bring the name up again) is him to be like Gerald Wallace and leave before he blossoms into an extremely good two way player.
(sorry if this is abit ramshackle as its my first attempt at a journal entry)