HEZI wrote:spree8 wrote:HEZI wrote:
KP had Mikal completely sealed off calling for the lob and there was no defender between him and the rim. That’s an over the top lob for a dunk. How is that doing fine? Mikal was cooked in that situation. The only help defender was KAT who was stuck in no man’s land. You tell KAT to play up more and Mikal is cooked. That’s a dunk/layup no matter what. Whether it’s KP or Tatum
That didn’t happen tho. The whole time Mikal was watching White looking to get the ball to Kornet/Tatum to run a play while he was pushing KP out of the way. Do I love him fronting KP for a split second at any time during this battle for position? No, but his effort and ability to read the offense to know he’s not at risk of giving up that pass is fine enough that I’ll let it slide.
Perhaps if these guys were better prepared things like this wouldn’t happen. Isn’t that Thibs supposed specialty? Our guys should know not to front KP at any time since the guy can be effectively guarded and pushed around by a 6’0” guard in the post (like he was guarded by Jalen this game at one point). Just like they should know that Boston takes more 3’s than 2’s per game and we should prioritize guarding the 3 over playing drop and protecting the rim.
If we committed to a more switch heavy defense then Towns wouldn’t have been out of position there and would’ve been ready to take Tatum on 1 on 1 and lived with the results. I’ve already mentioned KAT isn’t a rim protector and shouldn’t be in drop coverage (just like everyone else on this forum all season)… he doesn’t possess the necessary skills, but man defense…he’s solid and that’s been proven time and again by him guarding guys 1 on 1 either in the post (against guys like Joker) or iso on the perimeter (against guys like Tatum or SGA). He just has to know wtf his role is and as it stands now, he’s asked to do too much and he’s just not mentally capable of covering the way he’s asked.
Not sure what you are seeing but Mikal was sealed off and was giving up the basket to a 7’4 athletic big who could have easily scored on an alley oop. The only reason Kornet hesitated was because KAT was sinking down to try to help. Mikal was cooked there
We actually held Boston to below their season average for 3s so that’s not where we got punished the most. It was on the interior. They were getting layups and dunks in half court and in transition. Not only is our half court defense bad but we have been getting murdered in transition.
We have tried multiple different coverage schemes but none are successful because we have two of the worst, if not the worst, defensive players at the 1 and 5. Certain players just have limitations that no coach can really fix. There needs to be a tweak to the roster for us to become a good defensive team again. For now we are not built to be a defensive team, we are an offensive team that still has weaknesses offensively when pressured by most good defenses.
I’m quite literally seeing everything… I watched the video like a dozen times and paused it 100 times to break it down from all perspectives. Kornet never looks to pass to KP… ever. Not once. In fact, before he even gets the ball, mid pass, he’s already looking at Tatum to dump it off to him. He told Jrue to get back to the corner right before that. That was the play the whole time.
I wouldn’t say we “held” them below their season average like it’s an accomplishment. They shot 44 attempts (only 4 below their average) on 39%. Same way I wouldn’t say we “held” them below their average the previous game when they beat the shyt out of us by 30 points. More like they chilled out on their 3pt attack during garbage time. And that massacre in the season opener… 61 attempts on 48% shooting. Yeah, guarding their 3 is a problem just like with every team. The only improvement I saw on a few occasions was running them off the 3pt line.
Our half court defense is bad because we force guys like Mikal who leads the league in minutes and going up against screens into the POA defender role and KAT into drop coverage.
Our transition defense is bad because Thibs thinks he has last years team and has undersized guys fighting for offensive rebounds while the opposing players leak out.
The majority of the board seems to know the basic things that will help the team out significantly. Thibs is just stubborn and set in his ways… he likes to force square pegs into round holes.
This is coming from someone who defended him last year especially during the playoffs when he showed some ability to make adjustments (like when Jalen was getting destroyed games 1 & 2). Coming into this year, knowing this roster didn’t fit him, and seeing it all unfold, I have to take the homer lenses off and try to be objective to really understand what the hell is going on with the team. Can’t be loyal to a player or coach over the team as a whole.
