NBA Saturday: How Are New Guys Fitting in?

The NBA preseason serves different purposes for each team. For some teams, the preseason is primarily for evaluating players who are fighting for final roster spots. For young teams, it’s to get a chance to develop basic skills or schemes while trying to build confidence and chemistry. For other squads, the exhibition games are about implementing a new system or incorporating a star player with the team’s returning core of players.

Several big-time players changed teams this offseason and have now played in roughly three-to-five games with their respective new team. Some of these players are adjusting to significantly new roles, while some are picking up right where they left off with their former team.

Here is a look at how some of the best players to switch teams this offseason have performed so far.

LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs –

Aldridge had a shaky debut with the Spurs, posting just eight points and three rebounds on 3-10 shooting from the field against the Sacramento Kings. However, Aldridge bounced back with a 17-point, eight-rebound effort on 7-12 shooting against the Miami HEAT on Monday. Aldridge skipped Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks because of back spasms, so we only have two games to assess Aldridge so far.

What is apparent through two games is that Aldridge is trying to fit into the Spurs’ team-first approach. He has been less aggressive offensively than he was with the Portland Trail Blazers, but he will likely find a better balance in this regard as the season goes on. What is nice to see is his focus on descending on the rim for put-back opportunities.

Coach Gregg Popovich will figure out how to incorporate Aldridge’s skills into his offensive system, but so far the returns haven’t been great, which is to be expected. Though, it seems as though the Spurs will be shooting a lot more mid-range jumpers this season, as Dan Favale of Bleacher Report pointed out, which is a departure from the Spurs’ typical offensive philosophy and could lead to mixed results.

DeMarre Carroll, Toronto Raptors –

Carroll has come into Toronto and put together some nice performances. His best outing came against the Los Angeles Lakers when he posted 18 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal while shooting 60 percent from the field and 60 percent from distance. Carroll looks like he will be a natural fit in Toronto, and will give the Raptors exactly what he provided the Atlanta Hawks: top-notch perimeter defense and three-point shooting.

There will be nights when Carroll scores in single digits and doesn’t seem to be impacting the game. But even when Carroll’s offense is off, he will still be locking up his opponent on defense. Plugging him at small forward – along with the huge improvements in Kyle Lowry’s game – and the Raptors suddenly look like they could make some noise in the East. Yes, it is just the preseason, but the early returns look good here.

Through five games, Carroll is averaging 10.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists, while shooting 42.1 percent from three-point range in 22.9 minutes per game.

Greg Monroe, Milwaukee Bucks –

Most people in and around the NBA were caught off guard when Greg Monroe spurned teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks to join the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason. But the move made sense on paper for Monroe. The Bucks are a young, athletic team who were in desperate need of a scorer and solid passer at center.

So far, it looks like Monroe will fit in just fine with his new squad. Through three games, Monroe is averaging 14.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while shooting 51.7 percent from the field. As expected, Monroe still isn’t blocking many shots (0.3 per game), but he is giving the Bucks the low-post presence they sorely needed.

With so much length and defensive versatility, it looks as though the Bucks will be able to compensate for Monroe’s shortcomings on defense, while benefiting from his post moves and passing on offense. Milwaukee is somewhat of an awkward mix offensively, but with Jabari Parker coming back from an ACL tear and Monroe now in the fold (along with the addition of high-scoring rookie Rashad Vaughn), the Bucks could make some noise in the East this season.

Monta Ellis, Indiana Pacers –

Ellis has gotten off to a somewhat slow start with the Indiana Pacers, averaging 8.2 points, 2.4 assists and one rebound in 20.6 minutes per game. However, it’s clear that Ellis will be a significant difference-maker for the Pacers in their new, up-tempo offense. Ellis’ ability to score the ball will be crucial for the Pacers and he will share the bulk of this responsibility on offense with Paul George.

Furthermore, with more emphasis on spacing this season, Ellis’ ability to attack the basket should create easy scoring opportunities for big men like Ian Mahinmi, who is having a nice preseason and who has scored several times off of drives and dishes from Ellis. Ellis’ best performance so far came against the Orlando Magic, when he logged 12 points, seven assists, one rebound and two steals in 23 minutes of action.

Nicolas Batum, Charlotte Hornets –

Batum provided a little bit of everything for the Portland Trail Blazers in recent years and figures to do the same in Charlotte. Through three games, Batum is averaging 13 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and one steal while shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from beyond-the-arc. Batum has already shown some nice chemistry with Al Jefferson in the high pick-and-roll and he’s been assertive offensively. His three-point shot is off the mark so far, but that will likely even itself out over the course of the season (he shot 32.4 percent from long range last year and is a career 36.3 percent three-point shooter).

With the loss of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Batum will have to shoulder a big time role on both offense and defense for the Hornets in order for them to have a shot at making it past the first round this season (assuming they make the playoffs, which is not a given). This may be a double-edged sword for the Hornets, however, since a big year for Batum would certainly lead to big offers from other teams in free agency when he’s unrestricted next summer. Based on an obviously minuscule sample size, it looks like Batum is primed for a bounce-back season.

Ty Lawson, Houston Rockets –

In two games with the Houston Rockets, Lawson is averaging 10.5 points, two assists and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 57.1 percent from the field and 50 percent from distance. Lawson has looked active so far and seems to be focused. With Patrick Beverley and James Harden on the team, Lawson won’t be able to dominate the ball like he did in Denver (although Harden has said that he wants to play off the ball more this season). Because of this, Lawson’s per game statistics may drop a bit this season, but his efficiency may go up since he will likely get open looks from beyond-the-arc and more opportunities to attack the basket off of passes from Harden.

After a tumultuous offseason, it looks like Lawson is ready to contribute this season and help the Rockets make a deep postseason run. However, he is currently nursing a sore back, though the injury is not considered serious.

Rajon Rondo, Sacramento Kings –

Rondo has already played in five games so far and is averaging 6.2 points, 5.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals, while shooting 52 percent from the field in 22.3 minutes per game. He posted a very Rondo-like stat line against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, finishing with six points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Rondo looks engaged so far and ready to facilitate the Kings’ offense. He’s had some nice pick-and-roll sets with DeMarcus Cousins and is most effective when he is attacking the basket. However, he is still taking a few three-pointers a game and is still missing them (20 percent on two attempts per game). He is also leaving points at the free throw line, as he has hit just 3-8 from the charity stripe (37.5 percent) thus far after shooting a career-worst 39.7 percent from there last year.

The return on Rondo looks fairly solid so far, but like Batum in Charlotte, a bounce-back year for Rondo could lead to big offers in free agency since the veteran point guard is on a one-year deal. However, Rondo will turn 30 years old in February (whereas Batum is still just 26 years old), so that may scare some teams off.

It’s worth noting that Rondo will have some competition at point guard from Darren Collison, who has played well in the preseason (averaging 14.6 points, 5.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals while shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 42.9 percent distance). Rondo is the more established point guard, but Collison has been the more productive player for some time now. It will be interesting to see how these two manage to split floor general duties throughout the season.

Paul Pierce, Lance Stephenson, Josh Smith, Los Angeles Clippers –

Pierce, Stephenson and Smith all joined the Clippers this offseason as the team tried to add depth and make a title run. It was a coup for Doc Rivers, especially considering how little flexibility he had this summer. However, the talent isn’t a seamless fit with the pieces that were already on the roster and we have seen that play out so far in the preseason.

These three players join Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers as the primary backups. Pierce has gotten off to a slow start, but will likely pick up his play once the games start to matter (as he has often done throughout his career). Smith has been the best new addition so far, chipping in 10.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18.5 minutes of action. His presence off of the bench should be a big addition to the Clippers’ frontcourt rotation that already features Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

What is the biggest long-term concern is the fit of Stephenson, who must jell with fellow wings Crawford and Rivers. Each of these players needs the ball in their hands to be effective and so far the fit has been awkward at best. When the Clippers’ starters sit, the ball stops moving and it seems like each player is waiting for their turn to make a play rather than working off of what the ball-handler is doing. Based on the preseason thus far, finding a way to make these three fit together will likely be a season-long challenge for Coach Rivers (or he could decide to make a roster change, as trade rumors have surrounded the Clippers – and particularly Crawford – for some time).

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Of course, this is all based on a small sample size and any of these players could play much better or worse moving forward. The point here is to look at how these individuals are meshing with their new team and whether they look engaged and in shape (and somewhat comfortable in their new surroundings). For guys like Lawson and Rondo, who are both coming off less-than-stellar seasons, it is encouraging to see that they are focused and meshing fairly well so far with their new teams. For players like Aldridge and Stephenson, the adjustment might take some time considering their particular skill-sets and how they fit on their new team.