The "Archetype" That The NBA Despises

Andy Hoops

Use my code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order*: https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/ANDYHOOPS10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount Let's take a look at the NBA archetype that's slowly being phased out of the league. contact@tablerock.com  I make all kinds of long-form NBA content which include player stories, analysis, breakdowns, and historical topics. Make sure to leave a like and subscribe if you enjoyed this video! ► X: https://www.x.com/@andyhoopsyt ► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andyhoopsyt ► Music:  Black Vortex by Kevin MacLeod Movement Proposition by Kevin MacLeod Inspired by Kevin MacLeod Sardana by Kevin MacLeod Floating Cities by Kevin MacLeod Basic Implosion by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 (incompetech.com) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ► Sources: Stats and box-scores from Basketball-Reference.com, NBA.com, Statmuse.com, PBPstats.com #nba

Transcript

00:01Benedict Mathurin, Gary Trent Jr., Shaden Sharp, Anfernee Simons, post-Golden State Jordan Poole, and to an extent, you can

00:09throw Jalen Green in here as well.

00:11What do all these shooting guards have in common?

00:13They're all incredibly talented yet flawed shooting guards with a few debilitating weaknesses.

00:19And some would say if they don't fix them in a few years, they're in danger of falling out of

00:23the NBA just like Cam Thomas.

00:26How is it possible that a player like Christian Brown can get $125 million, while players like Mathurin and Simons

00:34could only muster up small contracts worth like $6-8 million a year?

00:38Despite showing a much more prominent scoring ability, with them having years of close to 20 points per game or

00:43over it.

00:45It's because over the years, teams have started to realize that there is an archetype among NBA shooting guards that

00:50have slowly become less valuable.

00:52And that was first recognized when Cam Thomas, a player once known as a young 20-point-per-game scorer,

00:58got cut by the Milwaukee Bucks.

01:00Because he literally had no other positive qualities besides putting the ball in the basket.

01:05And even then, he was highly susceptible to bad nights.

01:08A negative defender, an absolute horrid passer, and a selfish player who made his team worse in every year of

01:14his career.

01:21In four seasons in Brooklyn, his team was substantially worse in the 5,000 minutes he was on the court,

01:26compared to the 10,000 minutes he was off the court.

01:29And if you're wondering why he got cut from the Bucks, here's the easiest data to show you.

01:42Obviously, the other shooting guards I mentioned earlier are not yet at this point where the league is ready to

01:47move on.

01:48But for some, they're getting terrifyingly close.

01:51So, let's take a look at some of these guys, and how did their careers end up like this?

01:55You gotta understand about Ben Matherin is that, you know, at some point, he's gonna strike.

02:00He's gonna go on a run.

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02:58I figured it's best to start with Benedict Matherin, because he's actually one of my favorite players.

03:04A while back, I even made an entire video dedicated to him, how he excelled in the NBA with a

03:09unique playstyle for a young player.

03:11In that video, I talked about him being an inconsistent shooter, but maintained a high efficiency due to his free

03:17throw drawing prowess.

03:18Matherin gets his screen, gets the contact, and the bucket, count it, and a foul!

03:24But what I did not foresee was how low his value was on the open market.

03:29The Clippers had a logjam at the guard spot, and Matherin hoped for a long-term extension, but there wasn't

03:35much interest from many teams in free agency.

03:37Honestly, the whole 2026 offseason screwed over a lot of guys because there wasn't as much money to go around,

03:43and with Kawhi's impending investigation, which plenty of teams were waiting for.

03:48But two years, 16 million dollars is incredibly low for someone who had shown so many good moments and flashes

03:54of insane potential.

03:56Matherin played a big part in the Pacers' run to the finals in 2025, and you'd imagine a guy as

04:02young as talented as he is would get way more interest than this, but here's the problem.

04:07Matherin has very little qualities of what teams want out of a shooting guard these days.

04:12His playstyle revolves around being a ball-dominant scorer who doesn't actually play off the ball super well, because his

04:18catch-and-shoot and pull-up game are both very poor.

04:20And he loves to initiate the play, yet the longer he holds the ball, you can expect him to take

04:25a progressively worse shot.

04:28There's one part of his game that's actually very good though, even borderline elite, and that's his ability to cut

04:34to the rim.

04:34For example, in the 2025 playoffs, Matherin converted on over 70% of his cuts, scoring 1.57 points per

04:42possession.

04:43Among every player in that postseason, that was the 6th best efficiency.

04:48Defensively, he had shown the ability to lock in and play man-to-man if his mind is in it,

04:53but the effort isn't always there.

04:55And as a team defender, he's quite weak and gets lost very often.

04:59On paper, Matherin is not a bad player, but going back to his 2025 playoff run in Indiana, even with

05:06a handful of good games, he was still overall a massive net negative.

05:11That's insane, a 16 net differential when he's on the court vs. on the bench.

05:16The reason was pretty simple when you watched him, the offense just looks terrible whenever he plays.

05:21He's a shooting guard who cannot create a play for his teammates at all and can barely do it for

05:25himself when the pressure is high.

05:27Almost always, he falls back on his free throw ability to bail himself out.

05:33This isn't the worst thing, there's value in being a great foul baiter.

05:37But for teams around the league, they've started to realize that this is the only thing keeping him in the

05:41league.

05:42There are parts of his game that still make him valuable and he's young enough where there's room to grow.

05:47When the Pelicans signed him for 2 years, 16 million, it's very cheap, but he opted for this due to

05:52flexibility,

05:53as opposed to signing a long-term deal that was probably not as much as he hoped for.

05:57According to a report, he had meetings with three teams, the Bucks, the Bulls, and the Pelicans,

06:02as the Clippers were no longer an option.

06:05So when they agreed to the trade a while back, which sent them Avica Zubats,

06:09Mathren was one of the driving factors of this deal.

06:11Him and the fifth pick that eventually turned into Keaton Wagler.

06:15These were the two main assets the Clips got back,

06:18so to not put much effort to keep Mathren made this deal worse than it seemed.

06:23Anfernee Simons is another player in a similar boat.

06:25He had shown great potential as a 20-point-per-game score for the Blazers in the past,

06:30but his reported interest in the 2026 free agency wasn't much to write home about.

06:35Before signing a two-year, $12 million deal with Philly, he had several suitors.

06:39The Miami Heat wanted to sign him for a minimum deal, which he rejected.

06:43But the fact that he was getting such low offers for a player in the middle of his prime with

06:48his resume,

06:49it all seemed like a huge underpay.

06:51But when you really observe his weaknesses, it tells a different story.

06:55In the 2025-26 season, he had a short stint in Boston before getting traded to Chicago,

07:01and that was the first time of his career he had consistent minutes on a winning team.

07:05So at a glance, he seemed fine, especially with how good of a three-point shooter he is.

07:10But he was also among the NBA's worst defenders.

07:14According to the Darko defensive DPM advanced stat,

07:17Simons registered as the ninth-worst defender in the entire league.

07:21Of course, you can't base an entire player's reputation on a single metric,

07:25but from the eye test and even back in Portland, he's a cone on defense.

07:30He's not a selfish player, though.

07:32I think sometimes we misconstrue somebody who's score first as selfish,

07:36but he was never like that.

07:38Simons was simply a product of his circumstance.

07:41Here he comes, drives into the lane, Adam.

07:43Get out of here!

07:45Back in Portland, as the Blazers attempted to do a quick rebuild

07:48around Damian Lillard's final years of its prime,

07:51Simons emerged as the best young player of the bunch,

07:54and he did so by being a multi-dimensional scorer.

07:57He wasn't the best playmaker, but he was young.

08:00He was learning the ropes during a time when the Blazers didn't know

08:02who could be their new franchise player.

08:04The whole playmaking aspect was not the issue.

08:07He was decent enough of a passer for a two-guard,

08:09but his size at 6'3 was the problem that exacerbated his weakness on defense.

08:15While Matherin had his free throws as one of the few things keeping him in the league,

08:19Simons has his three-point shot, which is still elite,

08:22and he's pretty decent as a catch-and-shoot player, too.

08:26This is honestly the only thing keeping him relevant

08:28because being such a debilitating defender

08:30means there's no way he'll ever make a positive impact as a starter.

08:35When Gary Trent Jr. signed a contract worth four years,

08:3864 million dollars after having the worst year of his career?

08:42It was so sketchy that the NBA had to jump in to investigate.

08:46It is crazy, though.

08:48For Trent to sign a contract worth multitudes more than both Matherin and Simons,

08:53yet it's obvious Trent is the far inferior player at this point.

08:57Even back in Toronto, they noticed that.

09:00Despite his explosive scoring output you'd see once every five games,

09:04Trent provided nothing else.

09:05His non-existent defense, his lack of hustle, and lack of playmaking

09:09made them move on from him fairly quickly.

09:18The best way to describe Trent is he's essentially the modern-day version of Nick Young.

09:23But at least Young was doing it with a smile on his face.

09:26Trent has nothing going on besides occasionally having the hot hand

09:29and hitting a million jumpers in a row.

09:32But the next game, he regresses back to form.

09:35You can reference his 2025 playoff series against Indiana

09:38and how he played game to game.

09:4814 points, 4 points, 37 points, 6 points, and then 33 points.

09:53Dude exhibits the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

09:57But the problem is, even during his highs when he explodes and doesn't miss,

10:01he's still such a liability everywhere else.

10:03And he's so tunnel-visioned that nobody else in the offense is even involved.

10:08It still hurts his team throughout the game

10:10because he rarely ever scores within the flow of the offense

10:13and continues forcing up shots even when his hot hand goes cold.

10:17It doesn't help that his handles are miserable for a player who wants the ball so much.

10:23As horrendous as Gary Trent became,

10:26it wasn't too long ago when the Raptors viewed him

10:28as having the potential to be the next Clay Thompson.

10:31They desperately wanted to develop Trent into a dynamic 3 and D player

10:35to pair alongside the undersized Fred Van Vliet.

10:38Back in 2021, Trent said,

10:46The three-point catch-and-shoot explosions were there that was reminiscent of Clay.

10:51And Trent was big, sturdy enough to become a good defender if he actually cared.

10:55But he never did.

10:57Blazers reporter Jack Winter once stated,

11:19Now, here's a guy that might be a bit surprising for a video like this.

11:22You might be asking,

11:26Andy, how is a guy who won 6th man of the year on a team that reached the finals

11:30considered a bad archetype for his position?

11:32Well, if you recall,

11:34Keldon Johnson was completely useless in that playoff run.

11:42His minutes got reduced drastically and he didn't do a single memorable thing.

11:46Some Spurs fans have claimed Keldon did not have a good matchup

11:50against the teams he was facing.

11:52But four teams in a row?

11:54And he couldn't find a way to contribute against any of them?

11:57Here's the thing,

11:58do you remember when Keldon Johnson used to lead the team in scoring?

12:01He was a 22-point-per-game scorer on the Spurs prior to them drafting Wemby.

12:05But as the years progressed,

12:07his game slowly revealed to not be suited for a starter.

12:10Even off the bench,

12:11he was unplayable in the playoffs against any team with a competent defense.

12:15Which is, you know, most of them.

12:18Johnson is not a jump shooter.

12:20His strength is penetrating to the hole and finishing inside.

12:23Yet his handles are not good enough to get him there

12:26against the insane pressure of the NBA's most elite defenses.

12:29In that playoff run,

12:31he had more turnovers than assists

12:32and more fouls than steals and blocks combined.

12:36That's another issue.

12:37On paper,

12:38he's the biggest shooting guard in this video.

12:406'6", 220 pounds.

12:42A big body that's unstoppable when he's close to the basket.

12:46In theory,

12:47he should be a versatile defender due to his strength.

12:50But he's a bit slow at guarding the perimeter

12:52and too inexperienced to defend bigger guys.

12:55Hence why he has so many stupid fouls.

12:58A lot of times,

12:59the Spurs don't want him to initiate the offense

13:01because he struggles to do that.

13:03So he stands to the side waiting to shoot a three,

13:06which he isn't good at either.

13:08Essentially,

13:09there's too many limitations in Keldin's game.

13:11On the bright side,

13:13he might be the best defender in this video,

13:15which isn't saying much

13:16if you look at the other guys here.

13:19Shaden Sharp.

13:21Not too long ago,

13:22he was considered one of Portland's bright young stars.

13:25He was the seventh overall pick in 2022

13:27and his development into the team's starting shooting guard

13:30came very quick.

13:32Perhaps a bit too quick.

13:34Sharp accidentally became one of the team's primary scorers

13:37out of necessity.

13:38But an injury towards the latter half of 2026 set him back

13:42and he fell out of the rotation

13:44in favor of other guards on the roster.

13:46Then another injury.

13:48A torn meniscus in a workout in August

13:50might have been the final nail in the coffin for him.

13:53Sharp is a player who suffers a lot of the same issues

13:56mentioned in this video.

13:57He's a shooting guard with poor court vision,

13:59bad defense,

14:00and below average efficiency.

14:01He fits the exact archetype

14:03that I've criticized all this time.

14:05And it sucks

14:06because he probably won't ever get the opportunity

14:08to shed this label.

14:10He's low-key very injury prone.

14:12So when his contract is up,

14:14he's very much in danger of falling out of the NBA.

14:18Jalen Green might be the most prominent version

14:20of the worst archetype in basketball

14:22because his potential is higher

14:24than everyone else in this video.

14:27Yet five years into his NBA career,

14:29the conclusion of him as a player

14:31is leaning more towards being

14:32the Michael Jordan of Cam Thomases.

14:35Green was the number two pick of the 21 draft.

14:38Coming straight from the G League Ignite

14:40was a major red flag

14:42because while that league had intentions

14:44to be an alternate path to college,

14:46it was just a way for players

14:47to get paid right out of high school.

14:49And Green did not learn much.

14:51In four years in Houston,

14:53the team managed to return to the playoffs

14:54with Green as the team's leading scorer.

14:57And in any other situation,

14:59this would be seen as a great sign

15:01for things to come.

15:02And he should for sure be a cornerstone

15:04of his team for years to come.

15:06Yet even Rockets fans knew

15:08that he wasn't as good as advertised.

15:10There were just as many moments of excitement

15:12as there was frustration.

15:14Because Jalen Green is as frustrating as it comes

15:17with his erratic playstyle.

15:25The Rockets front office knew it too.

15:27That's why they only gave him

15:28a three-year extension

15:29during a time when most promising young players

15:31got four or five years.

15:33The instant where the team knew

15:35they wanted him gone

15:36was the 2025 playoffs.

15:38The Rockets,

15:39in desperate need of their leading scorer

15:41to step up,

15:42Green had just one good game

15:43at a seven.

15:48It might have been premature

15:49for the Rockets to trade him away

15:51after this,

15:51but all the red flags were there.

15:53His lack of scoring

15:55wasn't due to his passiveness,

15:56but his inability to make

15:58that split-second decision

15:59whenever he has the ball.

16:01There were so many moments

16:02where he'd get past

16:03the initial defender

16:04only to be confused on what to do

16:05and end up tossing up a bad shot.

16:08The Warriors were a terrible matchup for him

16:11because they're a very experienced

16:13roster of vets

16:14who know how to attack

16:15and exploit every weakness.

16:17So for Green,

16:18they put him in the most

16:19uncomfortable spots imaginable.

16:22Over a four-year span in Houston,

16:24he was still very young,

16:25but the issues he struggled with

16:27were the exact same ones

16:28as his rookie season,

16:29so the team didn't see enough improvement

16:31to fully invest in him.

16:32I think the coaching

16:34is partly to blame too.

16:36There was a moment

16:37between a Rockets reporter

16:38and coach Ime Udoka

16:39that rubbed some folks the wrong way,

16:41When he was asked about

16:42his team's lack of offensive cohesion,

16:44he simply responded with

16:52It was kind of a cop-out answer.

16:54To say his game plan on offense was bad,

16:57it's underselling it

16:58because he didn't have a game plan.

17:00He basically relied on

17:01heavy isolation and pick-and-rolls

17:03along with mismatch hunting

17:04and post-ups with Alperan Chengun.

17:06More or less,

17:07it was a very basic scheme

17:09that didn't work well

17:10when they faced a team

17:10who they didn't have

17:11a physical advantage over.

17:13Combine that

17:14with the Rockets' horrendous spacing,

17:16led by Green's shoddy jump shot,

17:18this was impossible to overcome.

17:20However,

17:21those issues persisted

17:22even after they traded away Green

17:24and got Kevin Durant in return.

17:26Durant,

17:27being a much more polished,

17:28highly efficient scorer,

17:29gave a boost to the offense

17:30simply because he can score

17:31in any circumstance.

17:33Yet,

17:34their actual game plan

17:34didn't change much.

17:37For Green,

17:38his arrival to Phoenix

17:39put him at a crossroads

17:40of his career.

17:41There is a very thin line

17:42that separates him

17:43from being a starter

17:44versus a sixth man,

17:45and an even thinner line

17:46separating him

17:47from falling out of the league

17:48sooner than you might think.

17:50I think if he wants

17:51to prolong his career,

17:52he'll have to accept

17:53a role off the bench

17:54because if he remains

17:55a starting shooting guard,

17:56taking 15 to 20 shots a game,

17:58his team will never be

18:00a real playoff contender.

18:03Anyway,

18:04that's all folks.

18:05Let me know your thoughts

18:06on this archetype.

18:07The one-dimensional shooting guard

18:09that's slowly fading away

18:10from existence.

18:11For the guys I mentioned,

18:13where do you see

18:13their careers headed towards?

18:15Let me know your thoughts

18:16in the comments.

18:17Thank you all so much for watching.

18:18I hope you all enjoyed the video.

18:20And of course,

18:20as always,

18:21I'll see you next time.

18:23Peace.

18:30Peace.

18:31Peace.

18:33Peace.

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