Jonas Jerebko: Small Forward or Power Forward?

Great post, QD. I agree. It’s a tradeoff right now. I’d like to see him at SF long term, but that’s just me. For that position, he’s sufficiently long and strong, just has to penetrate better.

QD, you’ve got it nailed. He’s got pieces of both, but doesn’t fit into either position perfectly. IME, he’s more valuable because he can play either depending on the matchup.

Dumars had so many tweeners, he didn’t know what to do!

i want both these guys on the floor at the same time but what we need to make this happen is a solid center. Weight room all summer will help but i’d like the line-up a lot more with a strong big to anchor…

Jonas Jerebko: Awesome rookie, or most awesome rookie EVER?

I basically agree with your perceptions of Jerebko’s strengths and weaknesses on offense and defense, and in response I’d like to ask a question.

You wrote that you want to see Daye and Jerebko playing together as a pair of combo/tweener forwards. Given the way this season has played out, there’s a good chance that Daye and Jerebko will do just that, as full-time starters once Prince has been moved (during the off-season, or before next year’s trading deadline). Won’t the Pistons need a lot of scoring from the center position, if Daye and Jerebko are the starting forwards? Big Ben is not a scorer, and neither are his backups (Maxiell and Wilcox). Who should the Pistons target in the draft and in the off-season trade/free-agent market?

…that positions are meaningless for players like Jonas. If he can fit within a team’s playing personality, it does not matter if he’s play “the 3” or “the 4.” View Jonas’ situation, not from what his position is on paper, but from how he fits within a team’s offense and defense. Any self-respecting coach can make use of Jonas’ skillset, whether he’s listed as PF or SF.

I agree 100% with your analysis. Although, Jonas has been getting to the rim more frequently. Methinks he’s getting real comfortable in da NBA.

I prefer him at SF “full time” and PF “part time.” I agree wholeheatedly with QD’s assessment of where he’s at right now — he’s a tweener.

However, I do think that it’s more likely that he’ll improve at the SF skills than he will at the PF skills. I think we’ve all seen him grow immensely in those capacities already this season. His shot has improved, as has his ability to get to the rim even if it’s very unorthodox.

Over the long term, I just don’t see him competing in the paint against a lot of PF’s in this league. I think situationally, he could be a quality PF. He’s definitely a good enough rebounder, and his quickness and outside shooting could cause match up problems.

but he’s pretty much the same size as Josh Smith. I don’t think it has as much to do with size as it does his skill set. He’s not a natural wing player since he’s doesn’t have a strong perimeter offense. His lack of shot blocking and meager defensive rebounding cause problems on the defensive side at the 4. I’m concerned that the case with Jerebko isn’t so much a beneficial versatility, but a negative in not having a natural position in the way the game is currently played.

This likely won’t manifest roster problems if it is managed properly. Jerebko can work well at the 3 when paired with Gordon at the 2. He can work well at the 4 on offense, but may have issues on D when not paired with Wallace (or other shot blocking, D-reb player at the 5).

Jerebko’s skill set may be a positive in “versatility” as a sixth man. It could be a negative as “stuck between positions” if he starts at either the 3 or the 4, depending on who he is paired with.

I’m sorry, but any rotation that can’t find regular minutes for Jonas Jerebko is either ridiculously stacked or horribly mismanaged.

The kid can play, and he’s way more win than lose.

No reason to worry about whether he is a 3 or a 4 just yet. He seems comfortable playing at the 4 but he has the athleticism and shooting range to play on the perimeter as well. Personally I like him as a PF because of his ability to score in the paint and grab offensive rebounds, though he may need to bulk up a little for defensive purposes. Not too much though, he needs to keep that quickness.

Which is where he’ll probably be playing next year, hopefully alongside DLee. He will get stronger, and his outside game is developing. He’s done very well for himself this year, and he’s hardly a finished product, even spotting him the years played in the Italian league.

More like… AWESOME Forward!