10 games in

Ingram - Better offensively than we could have hoped for. A likely all-star who we can pair with Zion for a championship run. Unfortunately, unable to guard opposing PFs, meaning that we can't effectively play small.

Hart - tough and plays really hard. Vies with Kenrich for hustle points.

Ball - Disappointing, but we need to see more of him with Zion before writing him off.

Hayes - Has all the potential in the world. Is as raw as we thought, but seems to be eager to learn. Will get better as the year goes on, but could be a potential starter next year, when he will really shine.

Favors - Tremendously disappointing so far, but has played better in the last couple of games, so maybe he's coming on and can be most of what we hoped he'd be.

Melli - Looks like a total loss at this point, but he is a rookie, after all. Maybe he can be coached up, but he has to be willing to shoot, or he's totally useless.

NAW - Has tremendous ability, much better than anyone thought. Has to be cut down on the turnovers, be more careful with the ball and not go for the crazy pass.

I agree with most of this. A big problem is that some of these players were brought in to conpliment Zion and his abilities. Lonzo should have more opportunities when Zion returns. More importantly I think Favor's ability is focused a lot on who is next to him at the 4/5. Obviously it was easier for him to play next to Rudy Gobert but he can't play the exact style and gameplay we brought him in for without Zion.

I'd like to see this lineup more. Defensively and offensively balanced while also playing big. I think this benefits Favors too.

Jackson
Hart
Ingram
Hayes/ Favors
Favors/ Hayes

quote:

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I think we should trade Jrue as much as I hate to say it

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For what?

It’s strange seeing so many down on Ball after just 8 games without Zion...

quote:

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It’s strange seeing so many down on Ball after just 8 games without Zion...

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Ball appears to have significantly improved multiple weaknesses, so I I'd say he's been better than expected. He just hasn't been able to show off his biggest strength because Zion is out. I think when Zion returns Lonzo and Jrue will both start looking a lot better.

Yea.. Ball is infinitely better with strong to elite finishers. I bet he would be absolutely loved by the very same people who are hating on him when both Zion and Hayes mans the front court with Ingram as the bailout option, and a 2 guard who can drive and finish with the best of them.

Whats funny about Ball is every stat he has has increased 6-10 percent to the good from last year. Scoring up, fg percentage up, 3 point fg percentage up so thats on track for improvement and you people still complaining. Like what did yall think he was going to be this season?

Hayes per 36: 17/8/2 1.5 STL 1.5 BLK 68% fg 55% ft
Rookie AD per 36: 17/10/1 1.5 STL 2 BLK 51% fg 75% ft

His defense is terrible but slowly getting better. And needs to work on rebounds. Ft% will go up, his mechanics are solid.

He’s going to be a very good player.

You know, i was about to start this exact thread yesterday, but my post was way too long so i decided not to figuring no one wants to read my ramblings, so i'll post my tldr thoughts here.

The Good.

Ingram - is about to get paid. THE OFFENSE HAS TO FLOW THROUGH HIS HANDS DOWN THE STRETCH OF GAMES. We've been needing a closer since the CP3 days, and Ingram can be that guy.

Hart - I'll eat some crow on Mr. Hart. I said we absolutely should have gotten a 1st round pick to send him out, assuming there was a deal out there. Glad we didn't do that. Love the way he plays, and absolutely want to keep him as part of our long term future.

Kenny Hustle - Has been shooting the ball really well from 3, and you know what you get from him on the glass and in the energy department. If he keeps it up, he's going to get a nice contract this offseason.

Jaxson Hayes - He's going to be good. I dont want him going to the G-League anymore. He needs to take his lumps and figure out how to play defense smart and efficiently, b/c when he does, he'll be a really good NBA player. Your'e only going to learn that by playing. I don't even care if he develops an outside shot. His rim running is elite and spaces the floor enough.

The OK.

Ball - Yeah he's shooting better, but the offense in the half court looks terrible with him. His inability, or lack of wanting to penetrate the defense makes him almost useless offensively in the half court. I think he is an excellent defensive rebounder, mainly b/c he knows when he grabs a rebound he's at his best starting the fast break. His defense can be great at times, but i think we also see very lazy defense from him. He has the Gentry mindset sometimes of who cares what just happened on defense just get the ball up the court as fast as possible.

Favors - started off terrible, but i think the last few games he's shown what he can do defensively. He's got zero offensive game, which is frustrating, but as long as we put him in the right position defensively, he's a plus for us out there on the court. That means the coaching needs to adjust when he's in the game, and we'll get to that later.

Redick - Everyone knows who JJ is. Our coaching staff doesn't seem to. I don't care about your freelance offense, you have to run set plays for JJ when he's in the game. There's plenty of tape on how to do that. What they are doing now with him, is stupid.

Frank - Started off scorching hot, but has simmered down a lot, shooting around 32% from 3. I still love the hustle and energy he plays with, as well as the aggressiveness on offense. Frank is a lot like Moore in that he's not a bad defender, but not good, but if you keep him as a bench guy, he'll do just fine for the most part.

Okafor - I think he's the best one on one post player in the NBA. His skillset should be used more when he's in the game, and be that off the bench scoring spark. He's a pretty bad rebounder. I think he can only jump like 8" off the floor, it's kind of baffling considering the shape he's gotten himself in and shedding weight. He's proven he can be a legit role player in the NBA.

NAW - I know his stats aren't pretty, but i'm not worried about him. The offense looks great when he's in the game, despite him missing open shots and taking bad shots. He'll learn how to take better shots, and i know his open shots will start falling.

Etwaun - I love Etwaun, but it's clear he's not going to be here much longer. Hopefully he can show those younger guys how to hit that floater.

The disappointing.

Jrue - he's been straight poo poo on offense. turnovers galore in crunch time and just looks bad. His defense has been great as always, but he can't be this bad on offense. I do'nt know if it's the personnel he's playing with, or his normal terrible start, or he's regressing, or what, but he needs to pick it up.
I personally do not think that Ball and Jrue can be on the court together with Ingram, and Ingram is the most important player for us right now. Everything we do for the future should be planned to maximize Ingram and Zion. That being said, one of Jrue/Ball needs to get traded. I prefer it be Ball, but if we can get a lot more assets for Jrue, then i'd do it.

Melli - i know some had expectations of him walking in here and being a contributor to this team. I wasn't one of those people. Obviously he's not a great defender, but i do'nt think that's his worst attribute right now. I think you can hide it with an elite rim protector. His problem is he's shooting 28% from 3. That continues and he'll never see the court again.

The bad.

Coaching - Everyone points to the defense as being horrid, and it is, and they say the offense isn't what's keeping us from winning. Maybe the defense is terrible b/c the offensive philosophy sets up the defense to fail.
We are dead last in fast break points given up per game.
We are second to last in points in the paint given up, despite having one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, and a supposed elite rim protector.
We are in the bottom 10 in turnovers per possession, as well as offensive rebounds given up.
Oddly enough, we are in the top 10 in opponents turnovers per possession.
We are also in the top 10 in offensive rebounds, which may be why we aren't getting back to play good defense.

What I deduce from that is all we care about is running above all else. Other team scores, oh well, hurry up and take it out so we can sprint up the floor. Open 3 for the other team, oh well, two guys take off down the court and don't worry about the defensive rebound.

You can say those stats can be attributed to personnel, and some of it is, but i'd say it's also attributed to the type of game we are wanting to play, and not having the personnel to play it efficiently.

And it's a given when we call a timeout, the likelihood of us actually attempting a decent shot out of it isn't good. Maybe our guys don't listen in timeouts, or in practice. Maybe we have a coach that doesn't hold them accountable b/c he's too much of a "players" coach.


I'm just looking for us to improve as the year goes on, maybe make a trade that nets us some assets, get a top 10 pick, get a new coach, and get ready for next year.