DrModesty wrote:I give Giddey a B- for the play-in game.
His defensive issues cropped up, but there are some caveats to this. First, almost no one on the team is a strong defender meaning he can't be protected. Second, specifically his center is a bad defender which amplifies everything on that end of the court. Third, many offensive star players are bad defensively. He is no worse than Luka for example and he is clearly better as a defender than players such as Trae, Lillard or Haliburton.
His 3 point shooting in this specific game was poor, but not troublesome. 2/7 is 29%, 3/7 is 43%. 1 more goes in and this game gets pointed to as proof of his improvement as a shooter.
I like that he was able to get to the line in a game that mattered. It makes me feel confident that this skill is going to be reliable. I expect him to be shooting 5 free throws per game next year.
Obviously the rebounding was good.
The 4 assists to 3 turnovers wasn't very nice to see, but again has some caveats. First, 3 turnovers is fine if you are getting 8, 9, 10 assists as has been regular for him in the past. Second, Coby's horror night with ball security made every turnover for the team feel like a hammer blow, while his horror night shooting let Miami play defense clear mindedly. Coby is a guy who is supposed to generate panic for defenses with scoring deluges. Third, and most importantly, the Bulls got shellshocked by Miami early and it killed their off ball movement. All of the off ball players seemed to be thinking and watching instead of doing. I think this didn't just hurt Giddey, but also Coby and even Vuc when he was looking for DHO's. I think you can put this down to the nerves and inexperience of a young team.
Ultimately I feel mildly encouraged by the performance. 25/10/4 on 53% true shooting at a minimum showed a level of effectiveness. He wasn't shut down which would have given reason to actually be concerned.
Good breakdown. He had Bam guarding him, too.