12-19-2019, 12:34 PM
(12-19-2019, 09:37 AM)fifteenth Wrote: Learning how to close is one of the checklist items for a developing team. We had gotten pretty good at it with Luka. We keep seeing evidence that we don't know how to close without Luka, especially for JB. We could use JJB more with Luka out but maybe we're not using JJB for the sake of JB's growth.Very likely.
When Rick yanked Brunson after those back-to-back turnovers at 3:45 in the fourth, I wondered if he would throw on Barea in an attempt to salvage the game. Not that I necessarily wanted him to, just wondered if they might be starting to transition to prioritizing wins. But he put Delon Wright in, continuing the focus on development.
I would not have found it objectionable if he had used Barea, but I thought giving Wright the chance was also a good choice. I didn't necessarily get a sense that Rick was mad at JB. More like maybe he sensed JB wasn't ready for the moment, and didn't want to embarrass him and undermine his confidence by continuing to put him in situations he isn't prepared to handle. But I equally could be reading something into it -- it's not like Rick called me to discuss it, or anything, lol.