Well, we pulled another one out, this as we're still scratching the surface of what we could be.
(So that's what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a Davis 3... oof)
I understand the frustration with the rotations, but with two new starters, and Dejounte on minutes restriction (for about 10 games, Pop said), the plan looks to be a gradual weaning off the Patty-Beli backcourt.
So we've got Patty Thrills and Dejounte Blurry, but I can't find anything to rhyme with Beli and "make your **** shots." Glad that Lonnie got a few minutes. He had as many points on his first shot, leveled with getting blown by on a Beal drive, but few didn't. Beli got some assists, but as a vet with poor D, he has to step up to his strengths.
Reggae Trey *nickname groan*. He has a play-within-himself rhythm, and for a guy who averaged 4 rebounds a game previously, his board work has been a nice surprise. On O, though, when he's not fed directly on a cut or is not close to the basket, his drives tonight just stopped at a certain point, like he ran into an invisible wall and fell. Ok, he was fouled, but he's not driving through contact; it's too tentative right now. He's thrilled about being mentored by Timmy, but that even keel demeanour does not mean not having an extra gear of intensity. Timmy was consistent, not passive. I'd like to see another level of competitiveness on O from him in time.
As for the last play, Patty on Beal was a stealth smart move. It was crucial they did not put up a 3, or get an and-1. Patty hands up, feet moving, shadowed Beal long enough to force a drive and once Beal blew by him, we had Derrick and Dejounte collapsing in the paint, going vertical to contest the shot. Worst case scenario then was a tie, but Derrick got his hand on the ball. Beal driving into verticality was offense-generated contact, and that's game.
We started the game more outside-in, and created good chances, but the misses piled up and we then guided the shots in for a while. The second half was far more free flowing and attacking on multiple fronts - LMA two 3s in a row?? He had another low-key, high-impact game. DeMar was attacking more for some thunderous dunks - high percentage shot, that is. I think both are benefiting from and loving the extra help on defense and offense. LMA doesn't have to carry the team defensively as the final backstop as much because we've got guards who can take the load off, and DeMar doesn't have to ball handle and distribute as much which frees up his focus on scoring. He was assertive and in a far better rhythm, scoring in a variety of ways. He still got torched when giving up fighting through screens so that needs to be better, but he did well enough when contesting, and made up for it on the other end. Better not to trade those off, but credit where it's due nonetheless.
Defense was better - far fewer turnovers (and almost none of those mid-air errant passes), better rotations and close outs, deflecting passes, feet moving, and group rebounding effort, too. But when we got a ten-point lead, we got complacent and allowed them to get back in it. Growing pains. Not surprisingly, when Dejounte is subbed out, we tend to give up the leads. Yes, it does depend on who goes in for the back court. We have to be patient. I am confident Lonnie will get more minutes.
Carroll must be wondering about his, too. Last time I saw him play it was pre-season and he was too led-footed and over dribbled rather than passing out to guys already in the lanes. Still, seeing what our FA acquisition can do at some point will help solidify rotations. If only we knew all the plans going into every game, alas...
Nice to see Derrick's shot and O game return. He hit two clutch 3s, one on each corner, and then an elbow J and a layup, so really efficient, and with solid D, he quietly made key contributions. Consistency for him and Dejounte is a work in progress. What I do like is when one way isn't working, they find another. Dejoute missed all is outside shots, so he went to work driving to the rim. If you look at his shot chart and compare it to Bryn's who is lights out from distance and has a green light to take it, you'll see how they complement one another.
It looks as if we're adding some wrinkles to our O game. Not only are we getting more balanced scoring guards to bigs (with still balanced minutes, which is great), but our shot pace is noticeably higher. By half time we put up 63 to their 46 shots, and ended the game with a 108-95 advantage. I don't recall the number of times we had over 100 shots last season but they were not frequent, and even less so the season before. It can only help when more guys get more shots, and as they grow more comfortable with one another, this along with D to O transition points, our O will feature more opportunities, and still equitably distributed. Our 3s are not yet falling at a respectable rate (*cough* Davis *cough*) but our FT shooting returned. So even though we're working through efficiency, we are pushing through with some added elements to our O that works to the strengths of our personnel.
We have to do a better job staying in front of guys as help D comes. A lot of it also comes down to effort and communication. These will come in time. We gave up three 30+ point Qs, but had four of them ourselves. It was a gamble, but we found ways to get stops and make shots to win. It's nice to see a bit of the sum of our parts coming together.
NOTEWORTHY STAT OF THE NIGHT:
