Post by Portland on Aug 11, 2015 21:37:10 GMT -6
I'd like to make this an occasional series, spotlighting ACBA players who are very good but perhaps not getting the media attention they deserve. I'm going to start with the Celtics starting small forward - Toni Kukoc.
Toni Kukoc doesn’t exactly fly under the ABCA radar. He’s well-regarded around the league and gets attention when the game’s best small forwards are being discussed. Playing for the media-starved Boston franchise (and not being trade-blocked every 15 minutes) keeps him from being on the tip of everyone’s tongue like the Michael Jordans, the Ron Harpers, The Julius Ervings, and the Magic Johnsons of the league. And his real-life charisma was pretty low for a man not wearing a toe-tag, so that probably dilutes his cachet around the ABCA to some extent. Thus you may know Kukoc as a star in the league but probably don’t think of him as a beast. But now that I’ve been digging into the player ratings at small forward I think I’m prepared to say… Toni Kukoc is a unique and dangerous offensive basketball player.
When looking at his statistics he doesn’t come across as an accumulator. He’s 18th among small forwards in minutes per game, five minutes less than Harper and Grant Hill, and that certainly restricts some of Toni’s numbers. His 18.8 ppg is his career best to date and it’s still just 11th at his position this season. On a Per 36 basis he’s 8th… nothing to write home about. But his intriguing skill set makes him so well-rounded, so superb at aspects of the game that elude other SF’s, that it’s only when viewed in that light do we understand the total-package that is Kukoc.
Consider his rebounding. His 8.4 boards is second only to Clark Kellogg in the ABCA at small forward; that’s understandable since Kukoc is very tall for the position, but again in the context of everything else he’s doing on the court, the boards are impressive. He’s third to Harper and Magic in assists per game, and remember Harper plays about 5.5 more minutes a game and Johnson is out there two minutes longer every night. Toni has the best assist-to-turnover rating among ABCA small forwards, and only Kiki has better turnover efficiency in the league at SF (probably because no one wants to feed Kiki and not see the ball for the rest of the night.) Among regulars he’s second only to Jordan in TS%, VA, and EWA. His 3p% is better than everybody… even Bird.
Toni isn’t going to light anyone up out there. He’s only made 30 points three times this season, with a high of 32. But he’s posted two triple doubles this year against elite opponents, San Miguel and Mexico City, and he’s been the player of the game 46 times in his five-year career. Kukoc primarily thrives as a complimentary player on a lot of evenings, satisfied to let teammate Chris Webber shine now that he’s really coming into his own for the franchise.
You have to love Toni’s toolset*: He’s one of only six ABCA small forwards with “B” or better hands and none of the others can touch his passing ability; his combined ORB/DRB ratings are only bettered by rebounding freak Dennis Rodman; He’s one of only three small forwards in the league who are “A” or better-rated in both JPS and 3PS (along with Steve Smith and Rimas Kurtinaitis.) In terms of tools I have Toni rated the 4th-best SF in the league behind Jordan, Harper, and Magic... all of whom are at least two years older than Kukoc.
There are a few holes in the guy’s game, admittedly. For his height he doesn’t block many shots and isn’t going to rack up impressive steals totals. He’s not even the best defensive SF on his own team. But what he can do on the offensive end more than out-weighs these shortcomings. He has guard skills in a 6’10, 240 lb body and rebounds like a power forward. That’s a rare combination of attributes. The next time the Celtics are in town, get a ticket and watch what this guy can do on a basketball court.
*According to my scout.
Toni Kukoc doesn’t exactly fly under the ABCA radar. He’s well-regarded around the league and gets attention when the game’s best small forwards are being discussed. Playing for the media-starved Boston franchise (and not being trade-blocked every 15 minutes) keeps him from being on the tip of everyone’s tongue like the Michael Jordans, the Ron Harpers, The Julius Ervings, and the Magic Johnsons of the league. And his real-life charisma was pretty low for a man not wearing a toe-tag, so that probably dilutes his cachet around the ABCA to some extent. Thus you may know Kukoc as a star in the league but probably don’t think of him as a beast. But now that I’ve been digging into the player ratings at small forward I think I’m prepared to say… Toni Kukoc is a unique and dangerous offensive basketball player.
When looking at his statistics he doesn’t come across as an accumulator. He’s 18th among small forwards in minutes per game, five minutes less than Harper and Grant Hill, and that certainly restricts some of Toni’s numbers. His 18.8 ppg is his career best to date and it’s still just 11th at his position this season. On a Per 36 basis he’s 8th… nothing to write home about. But his intriguing skill set makes him so well-rounded, so superb at aspects of the game that elude other SF’s, that it’s only when viewed in that light do we understand the total-package that is Kukoc.
Consider his rebounding. His 8.4 boards is second only to Clark Kellogg in the ABCA at small forward; that’s understandable since Kukoc is very tall for the position, but again in the context of everything else he’s doing on the court, the boards are impressive. He’s third to Harper and Magic in assists per game, and remember Harper plays about 5.5 more minutes a game and Johnson is out there two minutes longer every night. Toni has the best assist-to-turnover rating among ABCA small forwards, and only Kiki has better turnover efficiency in the league at SF (probably because no one wants to feed Kiki and not see the ball for the rest of the night.) Among regulars he’s second only to Jordan in TS%, VA, and EWA. His 3p% is better than everybody… even Bird.
Toni isn’t going to light anyone up out there. He’s only made 30 points three times this season, with a high of 32. But he’s posted two triple doubles this year against elite opponents, San Miguel and Mexico City, and he’s been the player of the game 46 times in his five-year career. Kukoc primarily thrives as a complimentary player on a lot of evenings, satisfied to let teammate Chris Webber shine now that he’s really coming into his own for the franchise.
You have to love Toni’s toolset*: He’s one of only six ABCA small forwards with “B” or better hands and none of the others can touch his passing ability; his combined ORB/DRB ratings are only bettered by rebounding freak Dennis Rodman; He’s one of only three small forwards in the league who are “A” or better-rated in both JPS and 3PS (along with Steve Smith and Rimas Kurtinaitis.) In terms of tools I have Toni rated the 4th-best SF in the league behind Jordan, Harper, and Magic... all of whom are at least two years older than Kukoc.
There are a few holes in the guy’s game, admittedly. For his height he doesn’t block many shots and isn’t going to rack up impressive steals totals. He’s not even the best defensive SF on his own team. But what he can do on the offensive end more than out-weighs these shortcomings. He has guard skills in a 6’10, 240 lb body and rebounds like a power forward. That’s a rare combination of attributes. The next time the Celtics are in town, get a ticket and watch what this guy can do on a basketball court.
*According to my scout.
