#player-evaluation

#player-evaluation

As always, these games are difficult to evaluate; played at the beginning of the hockey schedule, it's a group of young players who have never played together facing opposition who have also never played together, leading to some chaos and a lack of structure. With that caveat out of the way, here are some of my impressions from the weekend:

If you want to be confused about how good an NBA player is, send them to New Orleans. One of the most poorly-run franchises in the league has built rosters year after year that do not fit together. When you add in that the team has also dealt with a shocking number of injuries, you get an environment that obscures player evaluations like a full solar eclipse.

That's how much USC gained during its 59-20 victory over Georgia Southern on Saturday. One-hundred thirty-two points are a lot of points. (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times) That's how much USC has scored in its two games this season, including its blowout victory over Missouri State the week before. If you want to believe the Trojans are better than they were in their previous two seasons, there are developments that could further convince you that you're right.

The Cardinals have maintained this season is primarily about evaluating young players. It felt like a potential make-or-break year for Jordan Walker, in particular. Walker was viewed as an impact bat when he was a prospect. He impressed with a .276/.342/.445 showing with 16 homers as a 21-year-old rookie. That promising debut feels like an increasingly distant memory. Walker regressed to a .201/.253/.366 line in 51 major league games last year.

Though it's difficult to call a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee underrated, that label applies to the newest center in Springfield, Massachusetts. As of 2021, Howard was one of 26 players in NBA history with at least five first-team All-NBA nods. The other 25 were named to the league's 75th Anniversary Team that year. Howard was not.

Every year, after the NFL draft, everyone is talking about "steals" and "reaches." The "steals" are the players that the football-watching public thinks went way later than their talent warranted. And the "reaches" are the players we thought went way higher than they should've. It turns out: we're only half right. A 2021 study by Timo Riske of Pro Football Focus looked back at six years of draft data and identified the players who went significantly higher or lower than the consensus of publicly available draft rankings. What he found is that the players who were "reaches" did underperform, on average, compared to the other players drafted at the same pick in other years.

Stats experts contend there's no such thing as a consistent clutch player in any sport. Players who come up big at the buzzer or final whistle are typically the ones who do it at any time of the game. But anecdotes and memories stick with us. And in those make-or-break moments, we know who we want to take that shot.

It's hardly ideal that Elliott was playing on Saturday, but if you're a veteran being asked to play serious snaps in a third preseason game, you might as well make flash plays. Elliott was a game-wrecker in the middle against the Chargers' second and third-string offensive lines. If he was on the roster bubble, he should have played his way off it Saturday.

Running back Brian Robinson Jr. will add his name to the growing list of departures after things turned sour quickly. This is all part of Adam Peters' intent to rid the franchise of bad moves and replace them with players who can make a lasting contribution moving forward. That might sting, but it's had instant results. The fact that so many of Rivera's draft choices are failing to catch on elsewhere is a damning indictment of his personnel evaluation.

The art of transfers are not as cut and dry as your latest FIFA save might be. Not every flop signing is built the same as others and therefore we will not judge all the moves the same.

Both down the stretch of the regular season in the fight for seeding and then in the playoffs, Goodwin showed he could contribute - particularly on defense and the backboards.

Unfortunately, Milton didn't consistently meet those expectations. He wasn't trusted enough to be in the rotation come playoff time either except for garbage time minutes, which pretty much is an indication of his stature on the team.

Maxi Kleber joined the Lakers injured and has not yet made a significant impact on the team, but his potential remains a topic of discussion.

Kieff's impact was more off the court this season, providing leadership and mentorship, a crucial role the Lakers have lacked since Jared Dudley's retirement.

He has a "27-9 career record. You've got to give him credit for being tough and gutting it out when he's not 100 percent...