- LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
- Contrary to conventional wisdom, Rudy Gay has been getting to the rim more often this season.
Much of the focus early this season has been on the return of small forward Rudy Gay from last spring’s season-ending shoulder surgery. And while some fans are disappointed that Gay hasn’t been more dynamic in the absence of Zach Randolph, he probably deserves a little more credit for maintaining his career norms while coming off his first major injury and a long layoff and into a lockout compressed season — in the context of which scoring and shooting are down league-wide.
Gay had a couple of noticeably bad games in January — including a deplorable one-point performance in a home game with the Spurs — but settled into a more consistent groove in February that had him trending up heading into the break.
Given his individual circumstances and the shooting decline across the league, Gay’s decline from 47% shooting last season to 45% so far this season isn’t that big a concern. His drop from 82% from the free-throw line to 72% is a little more troubling, but like other facets of his game seems to be correcting itself: He shot 68% from the line in January, 80% in February.
Though this isn’t the perception, Gay’s been going to the rim more (27% of his attempts at the rim last season, 35% this season) and taking few jumpers overall (56% of his attempts from the perimeter last season, 46% this season). That his shooting percentage has still declined despite taking fewer jumpers is because Gay’s shooting percentages are down from everywhere but non-corner threes (where he’s hit 43% this season). In particular, Gay has struggled on shots in the lane, where he’s hitting only 35% after connecting on 44% last season.
But to put Gay’s offensive performance — where it is and where it needs to be — into more context, let’s stack him up against other high-level small forwards. (I’m using what I think is pretty clearly the league’s dozen best starters at the position this season.)
