• In the first half, we didn’t run many plays and our offense was stagnant (44 pts). It was mostly drive and kick. Second half had a heavy dose of set plays and our offense thrived (60 pts).
  • So many turnovers at the top of the key before the play even started. Just lack of attention to detail.
  • Our defense was ok for the most part. We broke down a few times and gave up easy buckets but all those threes they hit in the first half were generally well contested. Our problem is on the offensive end.
  • We don’t really have any playmakers with Ja out and Tyus in DC now. Smart, Bane, and DRose can all do it a little bit but not at a high level for a whole game. Running plays will help that.
  • Jaren is so frustratingly weak around the basket. He relies on his length and strength but he doesn’t have any moves he can rely on. So last night Gafford and Kuzma just waited him out and challenged him at the rim and Jaren had no answers. He needs a mid-range game, some back to the basket moves, and a tougher mentality. One play he went for the offense rebound, fell down with minimal contact (I think he was searching for a foul), and then was late getting back and we gave up a three point play on the other end. He has all the tools he needs, but I’m not sure he will ever be the top 10-20 player that I think he is capable of.
  • Zaire is a legit starter. He can rebound, he can defend, he can hit open threes at a decent rate, and he can roll to the basket and finish. A typical 3&D guy. He can not pass or dribble in traffic though. And he hasn’t shown he can create his own shot, but I think that is a lack of aggressiveness. I’d like to see him develop a one or two dribble to a mid-range pull up. Until he can do that, his impact will be limited.
  • X had trouble last night. He didn’t have a dominate big to defend which is his strong suit.
  • DRose is a decent bench guy. He is the one guy besides Bane who was confident, attacking. He is a score first type of PG but that is ok off the bench.
  • Roddy was solid. Thought he was one of better players.
  • I didn’t see any thing out of Laravia that made me think he should be in the rotation.
  • Bane struggled early and had too many turnovers, but he figured it out and had a big impact in the second half. Definitely our best player last night.
  • WessonRenickBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    I think X was a little gassed on the second night of a B2B after playing a team-high 34 minutes against Denver (and high intensity minutes at that), and I imagine Laravia falls out of the rotation when Kennard and Santi are back.

    Ball-handling and play-making are huge issues, and I don’t think Jenkins has a solution for that yet. Z was playing point at the start of the game and his turnover on the first possession was a clear indicator that he’s not an answer there. Not sure who should be handling things until Ja returns, but hopefully Smart can rein it in after logging more minutes with the team.