For the last couple of years I’ve claimed Trae needs to evolve his game to become a more efficient player if he wants to win championship(s) or solidify his Hall of Fame trajectory. The only way that could happen is if he put himself in position to take better shots. The question THIS coaching staff has been faced with answering is “How?”
Trae’s previous strategy (and it was clearly his, and not the coaches) was to take shots in the midst of the team trying to get on a run.
A “Rich get Richer” strategy…
When they went? We build a huge lead. When he missed? The chemistry of the entire team suffered, which effected the on-court strategy so bad that everyone on the floor would watch Trae to anticipate what he would do and adjust accordingly. That is low-IQ, .500 basketball. It puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the team to play hard defense, which is not sustainable unless that’s the team’s M.O. (Surprise! It’s NOT)
That, my friends, is the foundation of “Black Hole” ball. Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, and Russell Westbrook played this kind of ball and although they were fun to watch, neither of them have championships! It’s one thing to be a star player and another to be a champion. Allen Iverson’s MVP year was the closest I’ve seen a “Black Hole” player get to winning a chip, winning game 1 against the Lakers with a spectacular performance.
But once Kobe committed to playing him tenaciously on defense, the Lakers immediately became the better team. Sound familiar?
Going back to Trae… If you want to be both? You have to tread that line between star and championship ball seamlessly, and Trae hasn’t figured out how to do so just yet. But, step one is trusting the process. He needs to develop a feel for when to attack and when to ease up. In last night’s game, I wished he would’ve attacked in the 4th QT, but hey, the rest of the team was hot and the Knicks had a very hard time putting them away although they made twenty 3’s! Trae’s selflessness contributed to that. Teams are not shooting like that every night. Deandre Hunter was able to get hot purely because of Trae! This team has a better chance to win titles when players like Deandre, JJ, and AJ are a part of the equation.
Trae is the only one who can make them matter. Trae’s strategy should be get everyone else hot in the 1st half, then let him get into a rhythm 3rd QT, and let him close in the 4th. Bam that’s it.
I think when he’s hot he needs to shoot early and often. When he’s not he’s got to dial it back and find other ways to be effective (e.g., passing). He’s struggled these 2 games because teams are backing off when his shot doesn’t fall. Part of the reason P&R hasn’t been very good.