"Boobie" Gibson, meet Delonte West. Delonte, Boobie. Both are combo guards that left college early for NBA success. Both players have skills and mentalities better suited for the shooting guard position, but both have the size of an NBA point guard. Thus, Gibson and West are working on becoming better point guards while not losing their shooting guard abilities. In light of this, the two would make good training partners throughout the playoffs, in the offseason, and for the road ahead.
Pairing the two together would greatly help each player to develop. Although they are similar players in similar situations, Gibson and West have different primary strengths and different professional basketball experiences. West has played mostly as a point guard since entering the league. On the other hand, Gibson has seen much time as a two-guard with another point guard in the game running the offense. While Gibson has the better ballhandling skills, West has a better understanding of how an offense works as a whole. Boobie is slightly better than Delonte from the perimeter, while Delonte is slightly better than Boobie at attacking the basket. When playing in the same lineup, they can take the pressure off each other by sharing the point guard responsibilities. In doing so, they each get time to run the offense while also getting to show their abilities from the wing. The two players are playmakers that can thrive when attacking from multiple spots on the court rather than simply holding down one spot. This greatly benefits the Cavalier offense, as players such as LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas also play better when filling multiple roles within the offense.
Game 4 was a great example of what the two can do. Combined, they finished the game with 33 points, including 9-15 from behind the 3-point arc, and 10 assists. Gibson and West both stayed in the game down the stretch, hitting key baskets and playing tight defense. Ultimately, West hit the game-winner. With a trip to the second round on the horizon, the duo of Gibson and West will continue to share the load and should prove to be a winning combination.
Pairing the two together would greatly help each player to develop. Although they are similar players in similar situations, Gibson and West have different primary strengths and different professional basketball experiences. West has played mostly as a point guard since entering the league. On the other hand, Gibson has seen much time as a two-guard with another point guard in the game running the offense. While Gibson has the better ballhandling skills, West has a better understanding of how an offense works as a whole. Boobie is slightly better than Delonte from the perimeter, while Delonte is slightly better than Boobie at attacking the basket. When playing in the same lineup, they can take the pressure off each other by sharing the point guard responsibilities. In doing so, they each get time to run the offense while also getting to show their abilities from the wing. The two players are playmakers that can thrive when attacking from multiple spots on the court rather than simply holding down one spot. This greatly benefits the Cavalier offense, as players such as LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas also play better when filling multiple roles within the offense.
Game 4 was a great example of what the two can do. Combined, they finished the game with 33 points, including 9-15 from behind the 3-point arc, and 10 assists. Gibson and West both stayed in the game down the stretch, hitting key baskets and playing tight defense. Ultimately, West hit the game-winner. With a trip to the second round on the horizon, the duo of Gibson and West will continue to share the load and should prove to be a winning combination.