Jordan Mickey Developing Beyond Expectations In Maine

http://www.celticsblog.com/2015/12/4/9850334/boston-celtics-rookie-jordan-mickey-developing-quintessential-center-maine-red-claws-nba-draft-2015



Celtics rookie Jordan Mickey is developing into the quintessential center with the Red Claws


By Kevin O'Connor  @KevinOConnorNBA on Dec 4, 2015, 4:51p 66




David Dow / Getty Images Contributor
Jordan Mickey is showing that he's more than just a rim protector.



Despite having the NBA's third-best defensive rating, the Boston Celtics' most promising development might be taking place in Portland, Maine. That's where Jordan Mickey is taking advantage of his opportunity with the Red Claws, as he's rapidly progressing into a two-way player seldom found in the NBA.

Mickey blocked over 100 shots in both of his seasons at LSU, and his potential as a versatile rim protector explains why Brad Stevens was "really surprised" he fell to the No. 33 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

But Mickey was still a project on offense as an inconsistent mid-range shooter. However, through 7 games with the Red Claws, Mickey is shooting 78.3% from the free throw line, and 41.7% from deep on 12 attempts. It's not about the stats though, because Mickey's shot mechanics have been overhauled, and that's the indicator of his progress.

"I went back and looked at my shot and I noticed that my elbow was a lot higher than it should be, and it caused me to not have enough lift on my shot," Mickey told CelticsBlog, citing Fess Irvin as his pre-draft trainer. "Through the draft process, it was just something I worked on to try and lower my elbow so I could have more lift, and not have to strain to shoot a three or anything like that."

Mickey first flashed his improved mechanics at the NBA Pre-Draft Combine in May, but it was questionable that he'd be able to extend his range to the three-point line. In any case, the hitch on his release was gone, and he wasn't shooting "on the way down" anymore, which were both issues at LSU.

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Here, Mickey hovers in the air for a moment before releasing his shot, which likely caused him to fling the ball too much with his arms, instead of generating power from his legs. Below is the new-and-improved Mickey, who is noticeably leaping forward, and releases the ball at the climax of his motion.

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Most great shooters with range sweep their legs forward, while their upper body sways back, as opposed to . This reduces "strain" on the shoulders, as Mickey alluded to when referencing his elbow positioning, and it increases range, since more power comes from the lower body.

Many of these mechanical changes came after arriving at training camp, where Celtics assistant coach Kenny Graves helped further Mickey's development. Playing in Maine, under the NBADL's 2014-15 Coach of the Year, Scott Morrison, has given him the opportunity to implement those changes on the floor.

"He has a good approach to his opportunity for development while in Maine and is making the most of it," Red Claws head coach Scott Morrison told CelticsBlog. "He is benefitting from extra reps and our confidence in him to stretch the floor when the situation presents itself. His results have been encouraging and we will keep trying to improve his consistency from range while he is with us."

Every player would prefer to receive minutes in the NBA as a rookie, but Mickey says he's looking at his chance with the Red Claws as a positive.

"Being able to go down there and work on some things that I might not get the chance to work on here is a good thing," Mickey said. "It's about making it through those mistakes and trying learning new things. Coaches and everyone else just said to take the opportunity to get better, and not look at it as a bad thing."

Morrison's Red Claws currently lead the D-League in tried threes per possession, which provides Mickey chances to spread the floor, especially in the screen game.

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As a sophomore at LSU, Mickey began to develop a mid-range face-up game. But being able to knockdown shots like the one above opens up new dimensions on the floor.

"It definitely helps [driving to the rim] when guys will have to respect that shot now, you know? They have to respect me from the three," Mickey explained. "Being able to knock a few down, guys have to be able to respect it, and that opens things up for myself, and being able to get the ball to my teammates in good positions."

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Here, Mickey pump fakes and hurries by the defender for a layup. At LSU, Mickey showed the ability to dunk through contact, so it shouldn't be an issue for him to finish or draw a foul when a rim protector is lurking.

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Mickey's fluidity is evident here, as it takes him only two dribbles and a spin to get into the teeth of the defense for a layup. That level of body control made him become a menace rolling to the rim off screens at LSU, and it could someday translate into driving closeouts as a floor stretching big with the Celtics.

"Coaches said they want me to extend my range to the three-point line, because that's the way the game is going. A lot of fours are able to shoot that ball now, so it's something I have to work on," Mickey said, adding that Boston's clearly defined expectations have helped him "know what I have to do to be on the floor and to be a good player."

If Mickey's sustains his success as a shooter, it completely changes his outlook as a pro; no longer is he just a defensive-oriented big who contributes in the screen game on offense, and scores scrappy buckets around the rim.

Perhaps, Mickey will evolve into than that. If he does, it makes him a rarity, because there are only so many players in the league that can protect the rim and shoot threes well. Other than Serge Ibaka, Al Horford, and Anthony Davis, and two rookies in Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis, there really isn't anyone.

But there's only one player in the NBA who's also capable of protecting the rim as a center, draining threes, and switching pick-and-rolls to lock down smaller players: Draymond Green.

Mickey is stoic, unlike the boisterous Green, and he hasn't displayed the type of passing ability as the Warriors superstar. But the rest of the ingredients are there for him to be a similarly rare player. Mickey says, "Coaches also want to see my switch off and guard threes, twos. They just don't want to see me guard guys in the paint," suggesting the Celtics want him to be more than just a rim protector.

Morrison adds, "One of the things that Coach Brad Stevens wanted us to work with Jordan on is guarding smaller forwards on the perimeter. Since Jordan is a great rim protector it is sometimes difficult to find situations for him to defend smaller players but we have been able to have him showcase those skills through periodic switches and in some cases, guarding smaller scoring threats. Like everyone, he has some work to do, but he has without question shown an ability to move his feet and stay solid against smaller players, thus enabling him to utilize his length and shot contesting ability to make it difficult for players of different positions to score against him."

LSU typically hedged on most pick-and-rolls, and Mickey did a great job in that style of defense. With Boston and Maine, he usually "ices," which means he drops to the paint. As Morrison alluded to, Mickey mostly protects the rim for the Red Claws, and he currently leads the D-League with 31 blocks, but throughout his career he's established that he can contain smaller players.

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Mickey isn't very tall, at just 6-foot-8. It's his massive 7-foot-3 wingspan and quick leaping ability that enable him to protect the rim, but he has the height and versatility of a forward. In the clip above, he switches onto a guard and does a good job of moving his feet while contesting the shot.

But even when Mickey's beat, he's capable of using his long wingspan to contest or block shots, like he does below.

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The Celtics like to switch as much as possible, especially with their superb "small ball" lineups. But rebounding and rim protection are usually sacrificed when teams go small. And three-point shooting is out of the equation for most shot blockers.

But already, Mickey's three-point shot looks promising.

And there's little doubt that Mickey's shot blocking will translate.

Maybe Mickey eventually covers all those bases, if he successfully develops the ability to switch on defense, as well as his fundamentals.

It's even possible that Jordan Mickey is being harvested in Maine as the quintessential small ball center in the modern NBA.



bob
MY NOTE: Ironically, Jordan Mickey's game might progress faster than Rozier's or Hunter's because he is getting these minutes and is getting all that personal attention from the Red Claws' coaching staff. Rozier and Hunter are getting NBA minutes against NBA competition, but they are few and irregular. Mickey is averaging 33.7 mpg in Maine. That's a lot of reps. We saw him in summer league and he blew us away, but that's summer league. We saw him in a few games with Boston, but that was garbage time. We're seeing him, in 7 games with Maine, average 17.9 pppg, 11.1 rpg and 4.4bpg but that's D-League. It's just a matter of time, either through trade or next season, that we'll see what he can do against the real deal. I'm betting, he's going to blow our minds.


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It sounds good that Mickey is getting better at the things that will allow him to eventually contribute to the Celtics, and his jump shot looks much smoother than it did during the summer league games. But, for anything and everything that he does this year his playing time in Boston is likely to only come about with either a trading of one of the team's power forwards or a couple of longer term injuries to these same power forwards.

As BobH and many others always mention, there is a large difference in performing well in Portland compared to being able to break into the rotation in Boston. James Young had some nice numbers last year in Portland, but is still hanging out in Portland as an example.

With all that said, I hope that Mickey continues to improve and eventually will help the Cs. He seems to be a hard working kid that has an "idea", and both factors should help him.