Matas Progress Tracker

[cocktailswith_2short]

Time to take the training wheels off . 25 minutes a night . I really hope we have a new coach next year I don't even care if he's good just play matas and our new rookie and relegate pat to the end of the bench .

[sco]

Yeah, it would be good to have something positive to focus on for this team going into next year.

[WesPeace]

I love the kid, I think he can be really good starting PF in future, because of IQ, blocks, rebounds.. he just needs to improve shooting, thats a must..

I dont see him as SF, he is just too tall, better to use him at 4.. but 100% not as freaking center lol

I like the Giddey/Matas pairing at the forward spots next season.

I forgot to mention Matas needs to gain some muscles heh, but not too much, he needs to stay agile..

Giddey, Matas at SF, PF could be potential bad combo because of bad shooting.. also with Giddey really depends on price, between 15-18M max..

I would still like some plan for PWill to get him back to leaner, faster SF body.. then next year try PWill at SF, Matas at PF!

[Jcool0]

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[Jcool0]

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[sco]

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I've said this all along that Billy is really focused on not entitling him minutes this season, and I totally agree. It's never worked well for prior rookies in terms of year 1 to year 2 development. They need to believe they have to earn their starting role (whether it's true or not) for them to attack the offseason the right way.

[Muzbar]

In 20+ minutes a game, Matas is averaging: 11ppg, 3.8rpg whilst shooting 47/41/87 (only 7 games including today's game)

[Jcool0]

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[Indomitable]

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Gordon deserved it trying to flop. He did not expect Mateas to change directions on him.

Aaron was going for the flop.

[drosestruts]

Liking Jalen Johnson lately as a comp for Matas.

Johnson really broke out in year 3.

Matas's 3-point shot is already better than Johnsons. Shooting from pretty much any other distance however needs a lot of work, as does finishing at the rim, 50% on shots from 0-3 feet is pretty bad and pretty surprising for a guy that seems to have so many dunks

[Stratmaster]

If they are all still here after the trade deadline, the lineup I want to see get the most minutes is Ball/Giddey, Ayo, Zach, Matas and Smith. That would be fun to watch. Ayo and Lonzo/Giddey pushing the pace. Zach and Matas finishing with pace. Decent defense at the Guard spots. Solid 3 point threats (or at least guys that have to be guarded) at all 5 positions.

But Billy doesn't think Matas tries hard enough lol. Because winning is all about the players trying harder. It's the only answer he has.

[Chi town]

If they are all still here after the trade deadline, the lineup I want to see get the most minutes is Ball/Giddey, Ayo, Zach, Matas and Smith. That would be fun to watch. Ayo and Lonzo/Giddey pushing the pace. Zach and Matas finishing with pace. Decent defense at the Guard spots. Solid 3 point threats (or at least guys that have to be guarded) at all 5 positions.

But Billy doesn't think Matas tries hard enough lol. Because winning is all about the players trying harder. It's the only answer he has.

So weak of an answer.

Some guys make it look so easy that it looks like they don’t play hard. That’s Buz. He puts up numbers and makes an impact.

I think he will come on strong after the deadline. I like him and Pat out there together defensively. Active.

[Jcool0]

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[Muzbar]

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[sco]

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I know we knock Billy, but I am willing to give him some credit for how he is bringing Matas along. To me it's smart to minize rookie minutes early in the season. It not only makes them hungry but it also keeps them from hitting the rookie wall early on. It's a very long season, and most rooks fall off toward the end of the season, but Matas may be fresh enough to have both the stamina and be on an upswing to end the season. For similar reasons, I really don't want him to be handed the starting gig this season, so that he is extra motivated in the offseason to "earn" the spot for next season. I didn't think he'd be ready to start next season, but I'm more confident that he will be. When you watch what he does well and what he doesn't now, most of the bad plays he makes look like they're due to his rushing plays, and many of those will go away as the game slows down for him. Now it's also true that nobody is gameplanning for him and he'll be more challenged next season, once they do.

In terms of his game, some things that I didn't expect to like about his game are:

His shot blocking knack without fouling is near elite. He has great timing and often blocks without jumping.

His quick feet and length also make him a better defender than I would have expected. He doen't need to bulk up much at all because he is quick enough to stay with guys and bother their shots.

His quickness and timing also makes him a surprisingly good rebounder in the paint.

His offensive game is still raw, but another surpise is the quality of his handle in the paint. You rarely see the ball getting poked away when he dribble drives, but again that may be a future issue as guys gameplan for him.

I want him to model his game after Tatum, because I see a similar skillset, but he needs to work on his 3 ball to ever have a shot at all star level play.

[Chi town]

Sco. Spot on.

Tatum is exactly how Buz should be developed. On ball. Wing.

[cocktailswith_2short]

Matas is huge compared to Tatum it would be amazing if he develops into that caliber of wing. Wed see a return of Gulliver's travels .

[sco]

Matas is huge compared to Tatum it would be amazing if he develops into that caliber of wing. Wed see a return of Gulliver's travels .

Now I sincerely doubt he gets to that level, but skillset-wise, I see similarities in skillsets, but 3pt shooting is something that will need a lot of development to close that gap.

[StephenAA]

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I know we knock Billy, but I am willing to give him some credit for how he is bringing Matas along. To me it's smart to minize rookie minutes early in the season. It not only makes them hungry but it also keeps them from hitting the rookie wall early on. It's a very long season, and most rooks fall off toward the end of the season, but Matas may be fresh enough to have both the stamina and be on an upswing to end the season. For similar reasons, I really don't want him to be handed the starting gig this season, so that he is extra motivated in the offseason to "earn" the spot for next season. I didn't think he'd be ready to start next season, but I'm more confident that he will be. When you watch what he does well and what he doesn't now, most of the bad plays he makes look like they're due to his rushing plays, and many of those will go away as the game slows down for him. Now it's also true that nobody is gameplanning for him and he'll be more challenged next season, once they do.

In terms of his game, some things that I didn't expect to like about his game are:

His shot blocking knack without fouling is near elite. He has great timing and often blocks without jumping.

His quick feet and length also make him a better defender than I would have expected. He doen't need to bulk up much at all because he is quick enough to stay with guys and bother their shots.

His quickness and timing also makes him a surprisingly good rebounder in the paint.

His offensive game is still raw, but another surpise is the quality of his handle in the paint. You rarely see the ball getting poked away when he dribble drives, but again that may be a future issue as guys gameplan for him.

I want him to model his game after Tatum, because I see a similar skillset, but he needs to work on his 3 ball to ever have a shot at all star level play.

*
While his substitution patterns and end game strategy can be questioned, BD's development of players has been very strong IMO.

Your analysis of Matas and comparison to Tatum is spot on! Very similar skill sets.
More so: Matas is 1-2 inches taller and I think even more athletic...

However, I'm not sure I understand your FG3% concern?

FG3% - Tatum (Career): 37% This year: 35%
FG3% - Matas (Rookie): 35%

AA

[sco]

Watch on YouTube

I know we knock Billy, but I am willing to give him some credit for how he is bringing Matas along. To me it's smart to minize rookie minutes early in the season. It not only makes them hungry but it also keeps them from hitting the rookie wall early on. It's a very long season, and most rooks fall off toward the end of the season, but Matas may be fresh enough to have both the stamina and be on an upswing to end the season. For similar reasons, I really don't want him to be handed the starting gig this season, so that he is extra motivated in the offseason to "earn" the spot for next season. I didn't think he'd be ready to start next season, but I'm more confident that he will be. When you watch what he does well and what he doesn't now, most of the bad plays he makes look like they're due to his rushing plays, and many of those will go away as the game slows down for him. Now it's also true that nobody is gameplanning for him and he'll be more challenged next season, once they do.

In terms of his game, some things that I didn't expect to like about his game are:

His shot blocking knack without fouling is near elite. He has great timing and often blocks without jumping.

His quick feet and length also make him a better defender than I would have expected. He doen't need to bulk up much at all because he is quick enough to stay with guys and bother their shots.

His quickness and timing also makes him a surprisingly good rebounder in the paint.

His offensive game is still raw, but another surpise is the quality of his handle in the paint. You rarely see the ball getting poked away when he dribble drives, but again that may be a future issue as guys gameplan for him.

I want him to model his game after Tatum, because I see a similar skillset, but he needs to work on his 3 ball to ever have a shot at all star level play.

*
While his substitution patterns and end game strategy can be questioned, BD's development of players has been very strong IMO.

Your analysis of Matas and comparison to Tatum is spot on! Very similar skill sets.
More so: Matas is 1-2 inches taller and I think even more athletic...

However, I'm not sure I understand your FG3% concern?

FG3% - Tatum (Career): 37%
FG3% - Matas (Rookie): 35%

AA

I didn't look, but just assumed the gap was wider. Now Tatum is taking 10 a game, while Matas is taking 2 wide-open 3's from the corner a game. Now if you want better news, Matas shot 39% on 3's in his last 16 games.