Preseason Game 4: Minnesota vs. Guangzhou Loong-Lions, 7 pm

[KGdaBom]

I clicked some of those highlights Klomp posted and some of those just looked like bad basketball plays that succeeded against really bad competition.
2 spinning twisting layups in traffic and a 25 foot cross court pass to the corner from Rob.
Try those against OKC and get humiliated. Is Finch actually promoting those kinds of plays?

Yep he totally told Rob, "once you drive into the lane, do a couple of dipsy-doo twirls"....

No need to be a Klomp.
Honest question about what kind of coaching he is getting and how much of Rob's struggles have been him trying to do things he isn't capable of and how much is lack of structure and instruction given to him. Because dipsy-doo twirls are garbage time basketball, not rotation player basketball.

And dangerous cross court home run passes seem to be a feature not a bug of the Finch offense because we see them all the time from Ant, Julius, and Naz as well.

Spinning twisting layups can and will work if you do them with confidence and no hesitation. Same with a 25 foot cross court pass to the corner.

[younggunsmn]

I would not take a single thing from this game given the sub-G League level of competition.

I clicked some of those highlights Klomp posted and some of those just looked like bad basketball plays that succeeded against really bad competition.
2 spinning twisting layups in traffic and a 25 foot cross court pass to the corner from Rob.
Try those against OKC and get humiliated. Is Finch actually promoting those kinds of plays?

Well, IMO this is EXACTLY how you beat OKC, if you are Rob Dillingham. By being creative and aggressive.

I need to see some new and better sets and wrinkles from the offense this season before I believe this team can take the next step.
1. Ant needs more spce and movement before he gets the ball.
Even as great as Steph Curry is GS rarely asks him to just go out there and create a shot for himself.
They set endless screens and actions from all kinds of angles for him.

I think the trick here is that Curry is BY FAR the best screener among guards. I actually saw multiple stats highlighting his ability to free teammates. While Ant has physical tools to be a very effective screener he has not shown it yet.

Curry being a great screener is an interesting observation. And he's tiny.
Ant has the body to be an incredible screener maybe this is an untapped upside they should look into with Ant getting so much attention.
if he became adept at sealing off the weakside help it could open up a lot of wide open looks.

I'm saying those shots from Rob would have been swatted or missed ugly against non YMCA level defense.
Maybe thats part of the problem is that stuff like that has worked for him in the past but wont against NBA level talent.
He needs to be more of a Jalen Brunson with a lot of craftiness and stop/start quickness and develop a robust paint game in the 8-12 foot range because at his size those shots are going to be much more efficient than contested layups for him.

[younggunsmn]

Yep he totally told Rob, "once you drive into the lane, do a couple of dipsy-doo twirls"....

No need to be a Klomp.
Honest question about what kind of coaching he is getting and how much of Rob's struggles have been him trying to do things he isn't capable of and how much is lack of structure and instruction given to him. Because dipsy-doo twirls are garbage time basketball, not rotation player basketball.

And dangerous cross court home run passes seem to be a feature not a bug of the Finch offense because we see them all the time from Ant, Julius, and Naz as well.

Spinning twisting layups can and will work if you do them with confidence and no hesitation. Same with a 25 foot cross court pass to the corner.

Yep at the YMCA. Not consistently against the best athletes in the world when you are maybe the smallest guy in the league.

[KGdaBom]

No need to be a Klomp.
Honest question about what kind of coaching he is getting and how much of Rob's struggles have been him trying to do things he isn't capable of and how much is lack of structure and instruction given to him. Because dipsy-doo twirls are garbage time basketball, not rotation player basketball.

And dangerous cross court home run passes seem to be a feature not a bug of the Finch offense because we see them all the time from Ant, Julius, and Naz as well.

Spinning twisting layups can and will work if you do them with confidence and no hesitation. Same with a 25 foot cross court pass to the corner.

Yep at the YMCA. Not consistently against the best athletes in the world when you are maybe the smallest guy in the league.

Of course they won't work consistently as in all the time. It's up to the player to instinctively know when it will work and when it won't. It all gets back to the If you think you're dead thing. If you do things quickly without hesitation you can make things happen. If there is any doubt or lack of confidence it won't work. Alan Iverson may have been the smallest guy in the league and of course Dilly isn't Iverson, but Dilly's game is using all that shiftiness and handles and it won't work if he's out there thinking can I do a spin move or not. As soon as he thinks about it the opportunity is gone.

[Klomp]

I would not take a single thing from this game given the sub-G League level of competition.

I clicked some of those highlights Klomp posted and some of those just looked like bad basketball plays that succeeded against really bad competition.
2 spinning twisting layups in traffic and a 25 foot cross court pass to the corner from Rob.
Try those against OKC and get humiliated. Is Finch actually promoting those kinds of plays?

20 seconds in....

Watch on YouTube

[KGdaBom]

I would not take a single thing from this game given the sub-G League level of competition.

I clicked some of those highlights Klomp posted and some of those just looked like bad basketball plays that succeeded against really bad competition.
2 spinning twisting layups in traffic and a 25 foot cross court pass to the corner from Rob.
Try those against OKC and get humiliated. Is Finch actually promoting those kinds of plays?

20 seconds in....

Watch on YouTube

Terrence Shannon. OKC Kryptonite. Nice cross court pass. I didn't think those could work against NBA level competition.

[minimus]

Curry being a great screener is an interesting observation. And he's tiny.
Ant has the body to be an incredible screener maybe this is an untapped upside they should look into with Ant getting so much attention.
if he became adept at sealing off the weakside help it could open up a lot of wide open looks.

Yeah, although GSW always had two elite shooters in Klay and Steph, which allowed GSW to install such unique offense. KAT and Edwards are elite shooters, but have kind of different skillset and timeline and neither KAT nor Edwards is a movement shooter like Klay and Steph. But I am curious to see whether MIN can repeat last season success from 3PT. I like Juzang signing a lot, maybe he can be our version of Sam Hauser in BOS. So make Edwards more screener and cutter, implement strong transition game with TJ, let Reid, DDV, Juzang shoot from 3PT line.

I'm saying those shots from Rob would have been swatted or missed ugly against non YMCA level defense.
Maybe thats part of the problem is that stuff like that has worked for him in the past but wont against NBA level talent.
He needs to be more of a Jalen Brunson with a lot of craftiness and stop/start quickness and develop a robust paint game in the 8-12 foot range because at his size those shots are going to be much more efficient than contested layups for him.

Well, Brunson is probably the best guard in the league in terms of postup, fancy footwork and low body strength, while he has not been an elite shooter. I would not mind if Rob learn some of Brunson tricks, but they look to me as completely different archetypes at this stage of their careers. I still think Garland game should be something Rob should emulate, which heavily relies on ability to shoot 3s.

[BlacJacMac]

Curry being a great screener is an interesting observation. And he's tiny.

I don't think he gets enough credit for the work he did to strengthen his lower body and core.

After getting hurt frequently, and pushed around even more, he really dedicated himself to getting a crazy strong base.

https://www.businessinsider.com/stephen-currys-intense-core-and-leg-exercises-2016-2