11-08-2022, 10:51 AM
(11-08-2022, 10:39 AM)Kammrath Wrote: No it is more than that. You don't have a 10 assist game when you are NOT the PG if you are only "hustling."
He has always been a willing, thoughtful and effective passer, that's for sure. He just wasn't enough of an offensive threat to create passing opportunities, even as a secondary guy. I feel like he's turning a corner there, right before our eyes.
He's really the only player on the entire roster who qualifies as "fast" (and you should all know how I feel about that). What's more, he knows how to use his speed to put pressure on the other team, particularly without the ball, but hey...on a Luka team, that's fine.
His defense is a little overrated, but he's absolutely engaged on that end, which as we know is like 90% of the battle. I think he'll continue to cut down on some of the positioning mistakes he makes, especially because most of them are due to trying too hard, not being slow or lazy.
He's very obviously a team-first type of guy. I have a sense that he's developing into a good pro, not just a good player. That bodes well for the Mavericks, as Harper would say.
His finishing in the paint is 100x better than it was when he came into the league. Ridiculously improved.
His shooting is way better - GOOD, even. I think this is STILL the area that needs the most improvement. Harper said it on the broadcast last night. Teams are still sagging off of him because the word hasn't gotten around yet that he'll hurt you, despite his percentage leading the league. The solution for that is HIGHER VOLUME and a quicker trigger. I continue to feel this is the area of his game that's screaming for growth. He should be out there looking for shots.
All in all, this is starting to look like a decent pick, which the Mavs desperately needed. I was not a fan before the draft, didn't really like the pick, but I tried to be patient his first couple of years. I admit that I was starting to lose patience, so kudos to those who kept the faith.