93. Mason Plumlee, C, Trail Blazers
The eye test (9.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.8 APG) can lead to all sorts of conflicting conclusions about Mason Plumlee. In the first round of the playoffs against the Clippers, the 26-year-old Duke product was a force, grabbing rebounds by the dozens, dishing assists like a point guard, and going head-to-head with DeAndre Jordan. In the next round against the Warriors, though, Plumlee looked hapless as he struggled mightily to finish around the hoop and was regularly pushed out of the paint. So which is it? On balance, the advanced stats treat Plumlee’s all-around game kindly, as he ranked in the top 70 in Player Efficiency Rating, Win Shares and Real Plus-Minus last season. Terry Stotts deserves credit for playing to his center’s strengths, turning him loose as a high-post distributor and keeping him out of less efficient post-up isolations. Perhaps the biggest question about Plumlee concerns his ceiling: Can he get much better if he’s not a true one-on-one option, if he’s not a scoring threat outside five feet, and if he grades out as a shaky pick-and-roll defender? (Last year: Not ranked)
+ His 226 assists ranked third among centers behind PauGasol and Al Horford
+ His mobility makes him a target in pick-and-roll scenarios and secondary transition
– His 18.8 turnover % was the highest among centers who played at least 2,000 minutes
– Opponents regularly break out the “Hack-a-Shaq” to exploit his career 58.3 FT% shooting
