Alright well here we go. Number 40. You gotta start somewhere right? As I have been doing this, I have learned that it's hard to try to slot all these guys correctly. Especially these guys who are going to be 40-16. The top 15 I think I have under control. But then again who knows. So were going to start with D Lee, the GS Warriors new power forward.
So what's this guy got other than he's a good guy who fits into almost every locker room? That's a good question. His last two seasons he's averaged 16 and 12 and 20 and 12 respectively. Those are two good years. Not many 20 and 10 guys running around this league. Not many double-double guys in this league for that manner. That'll get you paid for sure. But even more than that, D Lee has improved every year since he's been in the league in almost every statistical category. He shoots a high percentage from the field. He's very efficient. He knocks down free throws at about 80 percent. He's a guy whose taken advantage of his time on the floor.
I like D Lee cause he's a blender. He doesn't take anything off the table. You never have to run a set for him. He screens and rolls hard. He's unselfish and competes night in and night out. He's never gonna be a first or second option. But he's durable guy whose gonna show up and get after it. And point blank, the kid just hunts rebounds. He's a rebound monster. That's gonna be a theme in this top 40. Rebound hunters are my favorite kind of player. So expect a lot of guys in this list to be guys who clean glass at a high rate. There hasn't been many 20 point and 20 rebound games in the NBA over the last couple years, but I would bet that he has the majority of them.
There's no question that Lee struggles defensively. You're preaching to the choir there. He'd have a tough time staying in front of guys in most rec leagues. And that's too bad. And that might change a little bit in GS. Keith Smart is going to hold these guys a little more accountable on defense, at least until the season starts to play out. Being in an uptempo system has also helped him offensively.
Also fair to say D Lee hasn't been a winner, or at least expressed that he wants to win. Because he hasn't. But I think the way he plays is evidence enough that he likes to compete and wants to win. He's in the trenches rebounding and playing against guys every night that are bigger and stronger. And he still gets the best of the majority of players. He out-hustles and out-smarts.
So there's David Lee our 40th best guy on the list. Rebounder. Efficient offensively. Good chemistry guy. Makes free throws. We'll continue to count down players as we move closer to NBA tip off.
Willing to work harder,
JC
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