MrMiyagi wrote:lilfishi22 wrote:Yeah we talk about weaknesses of any player but I don't think we're doing it unfairly. A lot of people talked positively about Ayton's defense at least through the SL, preseason and the first game but against higher level competition he not only looks exposed, he also looks clueless and seemingly gave up on a lot of plays.
Do you think it's unfair to discuss the where Ayton's is particularly weak? Do you think it's unfair to point out that JJ has had nearly no positive impact on the game since game 1 of the season? We ALL discuss how weak our PG rotation is and I don't believe you're satisfied with who we're running there. Being the best rookie after 4 games doesn't make Ayton immune to criticism. Just like being the best player on this team and one of the best 21 year old's in the league in the past 10 years make Booker immune to criticism of his horrid defense and lack of focus with his passing.
I think that this message board as a whole has become an unreasonable pit of negativity and it's getting to the point that I no longer want to contribute because any attempt to look at the bright side is immediately shot down. And think about how you just used that fact that we're only 4 games into the season to essentially justify that it's not enough to determine if Ayton is good - let alone great - and yet it's more than enough to determine that Josh is a complete and total bust.
I watched the Lakers game without participating in the game thread and it was a much better experience than watching this game against the Warriors while checking the game thread.
JJ is good a cutting to the basket, passing off of those cuts, he's improving his 3 point shooting and he's a fair defender. I think he is currently not being put in the best situation to succeed, same with Canaan - which is why I made a post about our rotations. He needs someone to play off of, but he's being asked to be the primary facilitator of our second unit. And yes, I recognize that it is a small sample size, but I think there is enough to recognize that maybe we'd be better off starting Josh and bringing Canaan off the bench. But I'm sure it'll be bombarded with negativity because the only possible solution is to trade away everyone, which - ironically - was a huge complaint people had with McD - too much roster turnover. But whatever.
When we've been blown out in 3 of the past 4 games, there's undoubtedly going to be more negative than positives. THe difference between Ayton and JJ is that he's had a whole season in the NBA already to evaluate. Then he's had a whole off season to improve and not only did he not improve, he looks to have stayed stagnant which is at the very least, concerning for a guy with as high potential as him. He has the physicals attributes, the good enough abilities and the talent to at the very least, improve but not seeing that is nothing short of disappointing. It's only 4 games and I'm not calling for his head or anything close but I'm starting to consider the idea that JJ *may* not be as good a pick as we thought and hoped he would be. I'm not saying he's a bust like some people are calling him but I'm just starting to consider the possibility and if you're rational, balanced and open to the idea that not all top lotto picks turn out good, then you have to at least consider it too.
Whether you check the board or not while watching the game is your prerogative and if it helps with your viewing experience then stay off it until the game is over. Game threads in general are pretty much on the extremes in terms of content because so much emotion is involved but I'm sure you already knew that and that's never changed whether we're winning or losing.
Very few players are put in good positions to succeed. You can argue nobody on this team is right now because of a number of reasons but players find way to be productive and be a positive on the court. TJ has done that, Booker has done that, without a halfway decent entry pass Ayton has done it and even Bridges where virtually no plays are called for him has still found ways to impact the game. JJ in my opinion is the 3rd most talented player on this team, behind Booker and Ayton but just being talented doesn't make you productive.
