• Scottie does look good, but I’m still waiting to see how good he actually is. If he’s gonna be that guy, he can’t make stupid/emotional plays like in Chicago. Needs to be cold blooded. Stat padding means nothing without wins. This will be year long (did like he took accountability). B+ at this time.

• Siakam is having some issues with the new system and is a bit cold out the gate Having said that, our coach should be running some plays through our best player. The argument for letting FVV leave was so everyone could get more touches, not just Barnes. Maybe once he warms up, him and Barnes could build a connection. C at this time.

Stop letting Precious take so many damn shots 😂… sorry I think he’d be a good Kenneth Faried type energy player (he’s probably the best effort guy on the team), but he shots should be at the rim.

Look for Trent to be dealt at the deadline if not earlier. Dick is basically his replacement and we have backup shooters. Probably as the months pass by, they’re going to want to see more from Dick as our season goes into lottery/fringe play-in team.

Schroeder has looked pretty decent so far this year well except his FG% 😂

Nurse overachieved with this team.

Including some of our other guys, I feel that Schroeder might be dangled at the deadline. He’s got a nice contract, and is quite serviceable as a fringe/spot starting PG. wouldn’t be shocked if a contending team might come calling.

The FO has done a great job if they’re trying to get fired. Wasting trade assets, drafting players who can’t shoot or dribble, and not addressing the guard depth issues are sinking this team.

Scottie is great but when he’s surrounded by players like Boucher, Precious, Jak…there’s not a lot to work with. None of them can score except on put backs and lobs. Having one of those guys is good. Having a whole team of those guys is idiotic.

Flynn looked…ok in the last game and hit some 3s. But he’s too easy to punish. I’m almost the same size as him. NBA sized people just toy with him out there.

Im ok with this year being a development year for Scottie and Gradey.

As long as I see improvements from both of them this year and find out the pieces around them which fits and don’t fit.

Players that I believe that fit with Scottie+Gradey are: Schroeder Gary Trent OG Anunoby

Players that don’t with Scottie+Gradey: Pascal Siakam Jakob Poeltl Precious Achiuwa

I’d look to trade these pieces this season or heading into the next off-season to fit the play style of Scottie+Gradey

I’d say I agree with all of yours with some minor changes. I think most of GTJ’s shots have been good, even if they are early in the shot clock. There’s the occasional one that he rushes but for the most part he gets off good shots. Boucher however, he’s always had this issue.

I think Precious will really benefit from a more steady consistent role and will be a key rotation piece by the end of the year. His struggles have mostly been when playing with bench units where he’s expected to do a lot more. When he’s in with 2-3 of the starters he looks much more comfortable.

My takeaway based on the 3 games so far: we need an actual backup point guard and centre because dear lord flynn and precious aren’t cutting it.

As a general rule, I try not to evaluate anything for at least 10 games. That’s even more so the case with a new coach.

However…

Based on the initial results, I am leaning a bit more towards trying to move Siakam, as long as we can retain OG. I’m not concerned about Siakam’s early struggles. It’s more that I feel like the sooner we can make Scottie the primary option, the better. Moving GTJ to the starting lineup will help with spacing. Try to get depth and draft picks for Siakam.

My other observation is something I was curious about, which is how Darko talks to the media after a loss. And unsurprisingly, I’m incredibly impressed. He has a way of defusing negativity and reinforcing positives that is extremely difficult for a lot of people. A key point is that when he talks about someone struggling, he reframes it to be about “we”. For example, he was asked about Siakam only getting 8 shots and his response was “we need to do a better job of creating better opportunities for him.” On the flip side, when offered a chance to give praise, he is effusive with it. He is also always thoughtful in his responses and seems to appreciate the opportunity to speak to the media.

Other things:

• Scottie is going to have a monster season
• Gradey has impressed me. Still needs a lot of seasoning
• Schroder’s YouTube channel is the new “How Hungry Are You?” but instead of gross food it’s wholesomeness.

Gradey is gonna earn more minutes very quickly.

Gary can pass, we should call some more p&r ball handler plays for him.

Siakam will find his new game. Every team is ready with a double team for his post game. He needs to develop a consistent pass. New cuts are going to help him.

Yak will get used to being more involved in the offence. It looks like he’s uncomfortable right now, but the guy is a pro he’ll get it. He has missed a few defensive rebounds. Clean that up.

I’m happy and ok with how the team looks.