Watching Cliff this year, I kept getting the feeling that he hasn't looked nearly as good as he did on offense as he did last season. Particularly around the rim and in the mid-range, as none of us really expected him to have developed a knockdown outside shot this offseason. I did a deep dive and here's what I found...
Stat comparison:
I'm hoping these numbers indicate that he's playing hurt and this injury hasn't been disclosed. If not, it's pretty clear he's regressed this year as an offensive player. All these numbers are courtesy of Bart Torvik.
In fairness to Cliff, I do think he's made some big strides in certain area (FT shooting, playing smarter/fouling less, rebounding). This isn't a thread to tear him down, just wanted to put some data behind what we've been seeing.
Stat comparison:
Category | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
Dunks | 93/107 (86.9%) | 60/67 (89.6%, up 2.7%) |
At the rim (dunks, tips and layups) | 131/177 (74.0%) | 115/178 (64.6%, down 9.4%) |
Other 2-PT attempts (jumpers, hook shots, floaters) | 29/75 (38.7%) | 22/80 (27.5%, down 11.2%) |
I'm hoping these numbers indicate that he's playing hurt and this injury hasn't been disclosed. If not, it's pretty clear he's regressed this year as an offensive player. All these numbers are courtesy of Bart Torvik.
In fairness to Cliff, I do think he's made some big strides in certain area (FT shooting, playing smarter/fouling less, rebounding). This isn't a thread to tear him down, just wanted to put some data behind what we've been seeing.