01-04-2021, 02:02 PM
Although the three-point shooting has been disappointing, I don't think that's the priority weakness at this point. For one, there is way too small a sample size to draw conclusions about shooters, and for another, they are still generating quality looks. Of course, quality looks don't matter if the shots don't fall, but you have to think at least some of them are going to start knocking those quality shots down (hopefully soon).
Much more concerning to me has been our big man platoon.
KP being out is huge, and even when he comes back, it may require a process before he reaches full effectiveness and the team gets its altered chemistry sorted out.
Powell offers little rim protection, isn't much of a rebounder, and so far, has not contributed a lot offensively, either. It may be that they are letting him play his way back into being productive, and I don't mind that concept, but in the meantime, he is too often a passenger on the court.
It's nice that Maxi has made some threes, but he isn't scoring in the paint, hasn't been a match for some of the opposing bigs, and has offered as much protection at the rim as one would hope.
I like Willie and the way he runs the floor, but his decision-making leaves something to be desired. For example, last night in the last few minutes, he had five fouls and fouled out trying to take a charge from the much shorter Coby White, with both of his feet solidly in the restricted area. Really? In the game before, there was a sequence where he caught a pass in great position for a dunk, and instead, passed back to a three-point shooter, who wasn't expecting the pass and bricked a rushed shot. He has previously thrown wild passes that he really had no business even taking. And he still doesn't appear to be totally familiar with the sets. Hopefully, he works out these kinks, but for now, he's pretty much a wild card.
Bobi is a good offensive option when opponents are clogging the paint, as he can score over everyone. He also helps with rebounding. However, on the other end, he's not mobile enough to guard bigs who can shoot, and he's a little too gentle to be as effective defensively as he might be in the paint. Additionally, rightly or wrongly, Carlisle appears to regard him as the emergency center.
Johnson offers a different option at the 4 position, with his passing ability and two-way play, but he is still fighting injury, and is likely in line to warm the bench once KP gets back.
Once KP returns and is re-integrated, some of these problems will sort themselves out. At that point, they probably have a big man rotation of KP, Maxi, and perhaps Powell or DFS, with the others appearing situationally. I think that means Maxi, Powell, and DFS are going to need to step it up, and that needed improvement is likely a more complicated matter than shooters coming out of their slumps.
I still maintain that the team will look entirely different with both KP and Luka up to snuff and the team in their groove, but I hope they can avoid digging themselves into too deep a hole before all that occurs.
Much more concerning to me has been our big man platoon.
KP being out is huge, and even when he comes back, it may require a process before he reaches full effectiveness and the team gets its altered chemistry sorted out.
Powell offers little rim protection, isn't much of a rebounder, and so far, has not contributed a lot offensively, either. It may be that they are letting him play his way back into being productive, and I don't mind that concept, but in the meantime, he is too often a passenger on the court.
It's nice that Maxi has made some threes, but he isn't scoring in the paint, hasn't been a match for some of the opposing bigs, and has offered as much protection at the rim as one would hope.
I like Willie and the way he runs the floor, but his decision-making leaves something to be desired. For example, last night in the last few minutes, he had five fouls and fouled out trying to take a charge from the much shorter Coby White, with both of his feet solidly in the restricted area. Really? In the game before, there was a sequence where he caught a pass in great position for a dunk, and instead, passed back to a three-point shooter, who wasn't expecting the pass and bricked a rushed shot. He has previously thrown wild passes that he really had no business even taking. And he still doesn't appear to be totally familiar with the sets. Hopefully, he works out these kinks, but for now, he's pretty much a wild card.
Bobi is a good offensive option when opponents are clogging the paint, as he can score over everyone. He also helps with rebounding. However, on the other end, he's not mobile enough to guard bigs who can shoot, and he's a little too gentle to be as effective defensively as he might be in the paint. Additionally, rightly or wrongly, Carlisle appears to regard him as the emergency center.
Johnson offers a different option at the 4 position, with his passing ability and two-way play, but he is still fighting injury, and is likely in line to warm the bench once KP gets back.
Once KP returns and is re-integrated, some of these problems will sort themselves out. At that point, they probably have a big man rotation of KP, Maxi, and perhaps Powell or DFS, with the others appearing situationally. I think that means Maxi, Powell, and DFS are going to need to step it up, and that needed improvement is likely a more complicated matter than shooters coming out of their slumps.
I still maintain that the team will look entirely different with both KP and Luka up to snuff and the team in their groove, but I hope they can avoid digging themselves into too deep a hole before all that occurs.