Phish Tank wrote:ibraheim718 wrote:j4remi wrote:
I think the challenge on this play is that it's nuanced for sure. If I'm not mistaken, the play before was with RJ guarding him not Bullock but that's besides the point. Whoever it was gave up the baseline and Edwards reversed. So Bullock jumps the baseline and that forces Edwards to spin middle.
Check Taj on the play, he's trying to keep a hand on KAT and get between the play. If Edwards has to rise and take that fade away shot, Taj can make the play.
RJ did make a mistake there too, for sure (also ball watching imo). As he's watching the play, Beasley is in the corner and then switches with Rubio. I'm guessing he mixed the two up and was planning to deny the pass to the corner because he thought the better shooter was there. He looks like he wants to jump the passing lane but winds up in no-man's land instead with no chance to reach the shooter.
I wouldn't hate on Payton cheating off Rubio, but he's got too much time to end up at such a crap angle. He points out that he's cheating middle pretty early but sorta just floats. Then he's not in a position to trap the ball handler or cheat the passing lane. Edwards has too many damned options after Payton left RJ on an island for that long.
It is a tricky play in how it played out.
I just feel like you have to commit to the rotations. Barrett has to trust that one of his teammates will rotate over (in this case it was Bullock). Once Edwards gets into the lane the Knicks are at a disadvantage because of Towns ability to shoot the 3 he pulls the natural help defender and rim protection away from the bucket.
Ideally, Gibson helps.. Payton rotates over to Towns because that's where the ball would've went if Payton stays at home on Beasley and that still leaves you with Barrett having to rotate over to Beasley because Towns probably skips the ball to him or Rubio if RJ gets to Beasley in time.. and Bullock rotates from defending the Edwards drive onto Rubio and contests. If the rotations were quick enough who knows where that last shot comes from.
I saw the play again. I get Payton helping Edwards, but Barrett had to know Rubio can't shoot and needed to rotate faster onto Beasley... even being closer to the nail would have allowed him to potentially deflect a pass.
Barrett had a quite a few blunders in the last minute or so yesterday he's got to fix. Granted, he's only 20 years old, but when we're winning games, you have no choice but to learn quick.
He is still young. His season has been a lot like the perspective of Knicks fans. He wants to be great so bad that he's jumping the gun a little on how good he really is.. he's getting caught up in trash talk with older better players and gaining adversaries like Butler and Simmons much in the same way that Knick fans want to be good so bad they are jumping the gun propping a team up that is .500 in a weird pandemic year to a level that it hasn't really reached.
The excitement from fans and the media also give the franchise no incentive to do what it really takes to build a champion which is to find that number 1 guy that actually gives the team a chance to win it all. I honestly believe they think Julius Randle is that guy and that's crazy if you think about how easy it is to spot his achilles heels which all undermine the team at the end of games.