Jack McVeigh
Jack McVeigh is averaging a healthy 18 points per 36 minutes on an outstanding 43% clip from behind the arc. This hot shooting bolsters his True Shooting percentage to an impressive 60.3%. This combination of excellent shooting and scoring lifts Adelaide's offensive rating to a well above league average Offensive rating of 120 when he is on the court.
McVeigh however only plays 18 minutes per game, leading many fans asking "why?"
Using the highly useful and excellent services of Spatial Jams luck adjusted ON/OFF metrics it doesn't take long to discover that 1. McVeigh's individual statistics compared to his on/off statistics tell a vastly different story. 2. McVeigh's production once adjusted to remove garbage time and luck adjusted becomes a not so outstanding batch of evidence worthy of more minutes.
Some examples include a -2.7 Net Rating while forcing 2.5% less turnovers. The surprising statistic being that the athletic, long and hyper active McVeigh does not force the turnovers you assume he would. This matches up with his lowly 1% steal rate.
Moving into NBL22 the Adelaide 36ers will need some serious internal improvement to propel themselves into the upper echelon of teams. McVeigh as presented above has a strong case to enter next season as a starter in this league, he isn't there yet.
Improvements must be made on the defensive end and a concerted effort put into bringing a more consistent and stable skill set to the team.
An exciting player who when given a green light has potential to burn, the chances for McVeigh to evolve into a truly impactful starter are certainly high.
To predict whether or not Jack McVeigh will be starting is a difficult task, if McVeigh lands on a new team, who believes in the shooting and has confidence the defense will improve to match his activity and physical build then yes, it's easy to see that path.
If Adelaide hold onto him does he want to spend another season backing up whichever Import/Next star they bring in?
NBL22 Starter? Not all the way sold.
The epitome of what it means to have a green light, Jo Lual-Acuil has been possibly the most intriguing player to evaluate in the whole competition, Lual-Acuil is possibly the best back-up big on the best team.
Is he good because Melbourne are playing well? or are Melbourne good because he is playing well? Serious questions, this team is stacked. Lual-Acuil does currently have the teams second highest Net Rating, Melbourne United sitting a comfortable 9.7 points better when he is on the court, second only to Chris Goulding who has a 9.8 NetRAT.
A lot is said about Lual-Acuil's shot-happy nature, a lot more than his defensive presence that is. once again per Spatial Jams ON/OFF metrics, opposition teams register a -5.2% drop in effective field goal percentage when he is on the court. Certainly a key indicator of his presence on the court.
With a Player Efficiency Rating of 25 to go along with some of the strong individual performances he has had throughout the season, Jo Lual-Acuil being a solid starting option for Melbourne or another team next season is not a surprising thought.
Staying with Melbourne is certainly an inviting option, the problem being, there is a strong chance the Victorian powerhouse could easily bring in a Shawn Long/Jock Landale type talent that could overtake him immediately in NBL22.
He will however have some quality options and impressive offers to choose from, that fresh looking Tasmanian squad could certainly use an instant offense type of player that can also protect the paint. Not to mention the bevy of other teams looking for the exact same thing.
The odds are in Jo Lual-Acuil's favor, NBL22 could be a massive year for the big man.
NBL22 Starter? YES.
Two guys who could be next in line to join the world of elite NBL players. One player who has all the talent but requires some refinement, experience and the trust from the coaching staff to go out and truly explore the studio space. One player who has just been apart and is still apart of possibly the best "internship" imaginable, playing behind an NBA talent on the best team in the league, not to mention getting plenty of reps with a green light some players would only dream of.
Time will tell whether these incredibly talented players will take the next step in their constantly evolving careers as they conclude this season and move into a pivotal stretch of their sporting lives.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and as always, hit me up on social media to discuss anything and everything NBL or Aussie Hoops.
Comments
Post a Comment