03-02-2021, 01:12 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-02-2021, 01:39 PM by KillerLeft.)
(03-02-2021, 01:03 PM)Hypermav Wrote: The only thing Luka does sometimes is instead of swinging the ball around the court through KP, he skips him and sends it over to the next guy. Maybe that is to keep KP from launching more 3's, not sure.
I think this is a valid observation. I don't think it has anything to do with managing KP, I think it's just that Luka believes the unexpected pass is the best way to create a wide open look...a "wow" play. Sometimes it is, but other times it comes off as a young player's mistake. You're right that when the latter result happens KP might very well find it frustrating.
Another thing I've noticed, which is interesting: on the pick and pop, the pass BACK to the popper needs to happen pretty quickly. It needs to be premeditated, basically, and I think it's maybe not in Luka's nature not to probe the defense for an even better pass. We, Mavs fans, are used to seeing JET make that pass surgically to Dirk so often that we took it for granted. That didn't happen because JET had better court vision than Luka, obviously. I think it happened because the POINT of those plays was either A) to make that pass for a Dirk attempt or B) for Terry to shoot the pull-up jumper, depending on how the action was defended. It was machine-like. Routine. They had it down to a science, whereas Luka seems to prefer to keep the play going and use his creativity.
I really don't think it has anything to do with Luka wanting to avoid passing to KP. I think it's just a matter of both players and the coach not quite having gotten on the same page yet about just what, exactly, they're trying to accomplish out there in those situations. But, I believe they will in time. I respect all three of them too much not to believe that.