Post#34 » by ImNotMcDiSwear » Mon Oct 7, 2024 7:00 pm
I agree with the consensus that there were a lot of positive signs last night. The difference between this year and last year was very evident, and great to see. Here were my takeaways:
1. Offense. Overall, our offense looked consistently better than at any point last season, which is a wonderfully positive sign. I particularly loved that there was so much backdoor action last night. Backdoor cuts and passes evaporated throughout last season, but they are a necessity if you want an elite, modern NBA offense. I think the focus on taking as many catch-and-shoot threes as possible is a very smart one.
2. Point Guards. It was nice to see point guards on the court for 44 minutes after suffering through a whole **** season of 0. Tyus made a huge difference just by making sure the ball got up the court quickly, and his quick trigger on catch-and-shoot 3. 3/3 3FGA, 6 AST, 1 TO in 19 minutes is brilliant. Morris also looked good - physically strong, quick and smart. But Gillespie shined. I think we'll have his RFA rights next summer. Perhaps Collin gets paid next summer the way Tyus should have been this offseason!
3. Big Man Stuff. I found it particualrly encouraging to see that we stayed about even on the boards, and that we contested so many shots in the paint. Entering this game I wondered who our back-up 4 would be. 6'4" Royce O'Neal had 5 boards and 3 blocks in 14 minutes. If Dunn can avoid turnovers on closeouts, he can help contest shots as well. I thought Bol was also good with 6 boards in 12 minutes on a strangely respectable 0/0 from the field.
Oso looked like he belonged out there. His passing was impressive. Gotta give that Oso selection an A if he looks like that during the regular season. Plumlee was also solid, pressuring the offensive glass and not embarrassing himself a la Drew Eubanks. Last year we looked kind of gross out there whenever Nurk was out, which wasn't the case last night. Hugely encouraging.
4. Wing Depth. Man, when Okogie's hitting his 3, he's practically a superstar. I don't recall any player whose shot was so fragile - he'll hit 'em for a couple games. Then he loses his shot, and his shot will stay lost: the more chances you give him, the farther from the basket it'll land. Then he gets benched, lives in the gym, comes back and you get another game or 0-3 games of all-world Okogie before it's back to brick city. If he could fix that shot for good, he'd be a starter in this league for many years.
Lee was great and clearly hasn't lost a step. Meanwhile, Grayson looked like David Roddy minus the athleticism. I bet he slims down some over the course of the season. Hopefully the weight makes him more and not less durable. But as good as the other guys looked, Grayson better hit his threes and avoid turnovers to avoid sliding down the depth chart and getting traded mid-season.
5. Youth. Oso and Dunn didn't hurt us in decent minutes. They looked very worthy our investment in their development. I am certainly glad to be reminded that the age-old proverb, "Summer League doesn't matter" is evergreen.
6. Beal and the Starters. I'm not worried, but in their short time matched up with the Lakers' starters, our starting unit looked outmatched. For what it's worth, I thought Beal looked better with our bench group, and he was mostly invisible amongst our starters. I liked that he was getting the ball in the open court and on the move more than he was in Vogel's half-court hell system.
7. Coaching, Scouting. Overall, I have to credit the coaching staff and the scouting department for so many positive signs on display last night - and by extension, Mat Ishbia. I'm warming up to this guy.
8. Lebron and the Lakers. The Lakers should make the playoffs if they're healthy. Am I the only one who thinks Lebron's longevity is a valid argument to nudge him ahead of Jordan in the GOAT conversation? What that man is doing at his age is ludicrous. He looked like the best player on the court last night!
