I've always seen him as a completely overrated role player who is the dictionary meaning of mediocre.
He's on the worst team in the NBA (they're worse than Milwakee because Milwaukee are injury bad)and he's their leading scorer.
Good complementary scorer piece like Jeff Green but his defense is average at best.
He's playing almost 38 minutes a game too and average less than 1 steal, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. He's not an All Star.
I will admit he has improved and taken on the challenge of leading that crappy team- but at the moment he's inflated trade piece and I'd stay well away from any bidding wars that begin for Afflalo.
He'd be a great piece on the Bulls next to D Rose but he'll command a lot of money.
I'll give him credit for working his butt off each season to improve.
It's an interesting perspective. I think a lot of people would side with you at first glance. But here's what we know about Afflalo:
#1 - He seems to improve every single season. Minutes are a factor, but also he's renowned for his animalistic work ethic. He's one of those major Pro's Pro high character guys. George Karl said he was one of his 3 favorite players ever to coach... along with Nate McMillan and Detlef Schrempf.
#2 - He's exceptionally efficient. The "big numbers on a bad team" thing only goes so far. Antoine Walker put up big numbers on a bad team, but shot 38% doing it. Iverson put up big numbers on a bad team, but shot 41% doing it. Afflalo is shooting an obscene 48%/44%/84% ... which is pretty crazy considering his team is 10-20. His career splits are 46%/39%/82%. Put him on a competent team with a floor general like Rondo, I see no reason to believe he would not remain super efficient.
#3 - I can't find anything that suggests he's actually a good defender. I dove into those "on/off" numbers that Asik fanboys love to bring up. It looks like the Magic allow significantly less points when Afflalo is on the bench. 95.3 per 100 possessions vs 104.7 when he's on the court. Starting to think that stat is BS more and more, though. As you'd expect, the offense is significantly better when he's on the court.
#4 - He may in fact be available. He's 28 and that team is deeply set in the long-view. Harkless is 20. Harris is 21. Oladipo is 21. Vucevic is 23. They currently are tied for the 4th worst record in the league with an epic draft looming. I don't see any point in keeping Afflalo on a developing team that likely is on a 3-5 year plan. Their fanbase seems to be aware of this. The most recent post on their blog is about how they need to trade Afflalo:
http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2014/1/1/5263890/arron-afflalo-trade-orlando-magic-nba-new-year-2014 #5 - His contract is very favorable. 7.5 mil per year for the next 3 years?... that's less than we pay Jeff Green for production that is far superior to Jeff Green.
#6 - If things continue like this, he should be a lock for the all-star team. He's statistically the 3rd best SG in the league behind Harden (Western Conference) and Wade. EFF of 19.6 is very good. Look it up... this is a league depleted of quality SG's. Name someone who has been better.
#7 - You might not have to break the bank to get him. Recent article suggests that Toronto may make a play for him and offer up 22 year old Terrence Ross... and that the Magic value Terrence Ross. Ross is a 6'6 SG. The 7th pick last year. Currently averaging 9 points, 3 rebounds in 23 minutes on an impressive 44%/41%/82%. That's a fine prospect. Likely a better prospect than Bradley. But my guess is that if you offered some package around Bradley and one of the 2014 picks, you might be able to start a discussion with the Magic.
Topic: Idea: Is Afflalo actually a star player who should be on the Celtics radar? (Read 10092 times)