Pacers Forever wrote:Scoot McGroot wrote:JMaster5K wrote:
He was listed as 'out illness' for the last game vs Boston. There was some guessing going on at NIFS that he was ill,... could play if he had to, but probably wasn't going to in the playoffs. Coaches wanted to keep him day to day, so that if they had the chance, he could get a chance to play in a playoff game, but he wasn't able to play serious minutes. How much of that is conjecture? wishful thinking? coping mechanism? idk? or it could just be that the matchups with Mil, NY & Boston were bad for him, and some of those trainers like to talk?
He played in 7 playoff games, but wasn’t really effective in any. His only big minute run was he first game against Milwaukee and he played poorly enough he probably convinced Carlisle to really shorten the rotation more.
He was mostly effective for short spurts in the regular season at only 2 skills. Shooting great from 3 point range on minimal attempts per game and scoring an average of 8-12 points. Secondly he was a good rebounder.
In the playoffs they had plenty of scoring so they needed defense which Stix has been lacking. Also he’s had back spasms and been less than effective towards the end of the year. I also got the feeling Carlisle wasn’t happy with Smith and I Jax was rising to the challenge.
Yeah,.. I agree. He wasn't effective when the game got more physical & we needed better defense, particularly on offensive 4's from the deep wing. I'm not saying he played well.
Just that there could be other reasons, as well as his play adding to his lack of playing time. At least, that was a rumor floating around.
I agree with everything mentioned. His matchups with the Bucks (Portis, Giannis, Lopez) were all bigger, stronger than he is. His likely 'best' matchups were against the Knicks, but without Randle & going small, he wasn't quick enough to defend the strong wing,.. not strong or long enough to match up with Hart. Against the Celts,....well,.. Tatum? Yeah?... no. He should have been able to matchup vs. Horford,.. but Al was way too strong for him.
I really like Stix, and his game. His play this season was important for us in the regular season. But, for where the Pacers are now,.. and where they appear to be going, his fit is not ideal,.. nor does it look like it is going to get any better. He's not long or strong enough to play 5 full time. Even the 'strong' PF's are generally stronger than he is. (though he did get stronger for this year.) Quick PF are generally quicker than he is. Both issues become more obvious in the playoffs.
IMO, It's likely his best role is a bench, 'stretch 5' or 'stretch 4', for a team that plays a bit slower, is more an execution offense/efficiency driven team, where he can be a secondary defender on the off side of the floor. His fit on a team like Philly (at least the way they played last year) is probably pretty good in that role? There are a few others that fit him as well.
I don't think the Stix we see now is the same Stix we see in 3 years? He is just 24. I don't think he's done growing his game. I do think it's likely that that growth happens somewhere else?