GT#37 HAWKS @ RAPTORS Jan 5th @ 7:30 PM EST on TSN/590

[Spates]

We need one more element to be really solid. It's either downhill pressure with a live dribble or major 3 point prowess.

Of the two, I'd prefer the former.

That's where my instinct takes me too. But I'm wondering if we have the 3pt talent to capitalize on vacuuming a defensive interiorly. Whereas somehow I feel confident that elite 3pt space creation would unlock a plethora of driving lanes that we could take advantage of.

I watch some of Walter Clayton Jr's tape from Florida State's run last March and I think he's the guy. Prolific shot creation off quick twitch herky jerky moves.

[Boogie!]

Yes, this. We had guys passing well all over tonight, and IQ getting off-ball a fair amount. He's not Rajon Rondo, pounding the rock at the top of the circle waiting for guys to develop shots on their own around screens. He isn't going to be a 10 apg guy.

And we also shouldn’t be expecting him to do that. When they first brought him in it’s because I thought they wanted a gunner around Barnes playmaking. A combo guard that could handle in spurts but would primarily be used as a scorer. I was surprised when the narrative turned into iq needs to develop as a pg, and the media kept talking about his assists.

And to be fair, he’s actually played the PG role fairly well. He’s very good at protecting the ball, and he has some playmaking chops to.

He’s a perfect fit around Ingram/Barnes, and in a pinch where Barnes or Ingram missed games he also has the ability to scale up his usage a bit.

Right now it seems to be he’s a little hesitant to shoot. Darko needs to tell him to fire every somewhat open 3 he sees.

I have no problem with anything he’s done in his role, but it’s obvious he’s not a traditional pg and will never be that. And that’s fine, it’s just the expectations and discussion around him shouldn’t constantly be “omg he can’t run an offense, omg the pg only has 1 assist.” That’s not what makes him effective. He’s okay at it, but just like I’ve said about gradey dick when people keep talking about his defense and all this other nonsense, that’s not why he’s here. Dick was drafted as a shooter and needs to provide that shooting to maximize his value.

Similarly, my expectations for iq don’t include him turning into Chris Paul. I just want to see him coming off screens, jack up shots and have confidence in those shots, and also have the team emphasize that it’s what he’s there to do. I also think they should run more plays to get him shots instead of just using him as some initiator. If quickley is shooting 38-40% from 3 on the type of shots he takes, he’s a huge asset to the team.