The Sophomore Slump - Fngb3's Blog

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The Sophomore Slump

Posted on February 11, 2012 at 05:11 PM.

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When Ion Falls came out of college in 2011 he was a guard in a big man's body. His array of shot abilities were the most complete, average proficiency in fadeaways, pull-ups, spin and stepback jumpers. His dunking and layup, and post abilities were poor, his dribling only barely better at mostly poor to average.

In his first offseason Falls decided if he wanted to prove his doubters wrong and earn a larger role on his team he would need to be more comfortable playing a larger part in the offense. He needed a go-to move. As still a mostly mid ranged shooter with the height to shoot over almost any matchup Ion decided to take a strength and turn it into a weapon.

While most of his post game remained weak his offseason left him good at his post fadeaway. At 7'0" this move was nearly unblockable and Ion could get it off for a quality mid ranged shot against all but the most elite defensive players.

He entered training camp having grown out his dread-tail long and also sported a new neck tattoo (#30).

With a year of experience and the beginnings of a reliable offensive game Ion Falls looked much more comfortable with his floor time as a sophomore. Still coming off the bench Ion averaged about 23 to 24 minutes a game.

He still played carefully but took more risks with 0.7 turnovers per game. The coaching staff were not so concerned about the increased turnovers so much as the complete lack of playmaking for his other teamates. Through his first two seasons Falls averaged just 0.4 and 0.3 assists per contest.

Making just 12 of 63 3 point attempts and still possessing poor ball handling skills most teams sagged far of Falls around the perimeter. For the season Falls field goal percentage in his second year dropped to .415 but his points per game increased due to greater shot attempts and a much improved free throw percentage (.610 his rookie year to .752 as a sophomore).

Physically Ion Falls had the length and strength to cover just about any position on the floor. Upon being drafted Indiana hoped he would be a lock down defender against all but true super stars of the NBA. Because of this many were very disapointed in his defensive prowess through his first two years.
The kind of risks his coaches wanted him to take on the offensive end Ion took defensively, often leaving his man to help, then loosing him, ultimately leading to wide open shots for the opposition.
Averaging 1.0 foul per game his first and second year indicated more of a fear of contact than smarts to avoid fouls. Getting just 6 steals in 82 games as a rookie and averaging .2 blocks per game through his first two years expressed to many an utter lack of commitment to the game on the defensive end.

Despite his still many shortcomings Ion Falls impressed enough on the one side of the court that matters for league awards, the offensive, that the league presented him with the 6th Man of the Year award. Averaging 14.3 ppg, 4.8 rebs, 0.4 asts, 0.2 stls, 0.2 blks in 23.6 minutes per game Ion contributed positively to his team through his sophomore year. However, the Pacers once again failed to make the playoffs in no small part due to a revolving door of personel as Indiana's management shipped players in and out of the city hoping to find a winning combination.

Falls once again entered an offseason with much work to do and many doubters to silence. Determined to fullfill his potential Falls hit the summer with even more focus to develop his game.

Ended the season as 73 overall.
2nd Season stats:
23.6 MPG - 14.3 PPG - 4.8 RPG - 0.4 APG - 0.2 APG - 0.2 BPG - .415 FG% - .190 3P% - .752 FT%

Next Entry

Ion Falls' sophomore season. Getting a jumper in his face

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