2025-2026 Regular Season Game 2: Atlanta Hawks (0-1) at Orlando Magic (1-0) - 7pm ET

[basketballRob]

ESPN Net Points for the game

TDS +5.1
Suggs +2.4
Franz +1.5
Goga +0.9
Jett +0.5

Black -0.6
Carter -2.3
Bane -2.7
Jones -3.1
Paolo -6.0 (!!!)

Tells the story.

TDS is playing well, but he's a statue on defense.

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[basketballRob]

If Franz plays too well, Rhonda will need to straighten out Mosely. Their can only be one man and role players.

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[Indomitable]

You would think people thought we'd go 82-0 then. Some people wanted Mose fired when we were improving by 13 wins every year and our front office decided not to make any sort of trades at all.

I mean, do you follow professional sports and how these things go, or are you just blindly hoping he doesn't get fired if we fall short of expectations this year?

Job security does not exist for a coach like Mosley. Thibs just got fired for losing in 6 games in the conference finals. Mosleys fate will be no different this year if we once again end up in the bottom 1/3 of the league offensively.

Nobody is suggesting it happens by game 10 but this roster is loaded and the excuses (some valid some not) do not exist for a team with these salaries/players and we've not exactly gotten off to a roaring start by any means.

This got fired because he was overplaying his players.

[J-Mezzy]

Paolo goes through these terrible stretches

But overall, this organization isn’t serious about contending if they insist on WCJ being their starter center

[zaymon]

Watching WCJ and Paolo sucked the energy out of me even tough i am thousand of kilometers away.
WCJ tries only when teammates beg him to do it for 40 minutes.
Paolo looks like he always has adjusted with faster pace. Games like this are much more common than good games and even his good games are the ones when his midrangers hit which is not a good offense.
Black is another one who is overwhelmed with faster pace.
Franz, Bane, Suggs and TDS look good.
What will change faster players or system ? Maybe players adjust who knows.

[I Rasharted]

Not exactly getting "elite team" vibes.

Da Silva showing me something though.

[RookieStar]

Not that its a anything.... but losing a game kinda gets posters i havent seen a while posting...

[Bergmaniac]

The most frustrating thing is we got over the turnover fest early on, build a comfortable lead and then threw it away late with dumb play.

Paolo's body language was very negative from the start, maybe there is something going on offcourt, but for whatever reason he was really awful. Bane needs to shoot better, he did a lot of good things, but we need his 3s badly. Wendell is just not a smart player, the refs were calling screens tight from the start yet he never adapted.

You can't play this fast, demand playoff effort or very near it on most plays on D and only play 9 men rotation and your stars 35 MPG. Mosley needs to adapt, we have good depth and should use it. The Grizzlies, the fastest paced team last season, often had 11 men rotation and Ja and JJJr. averaged only 30 MPG.

[Fortune Teller]

Paolo is going to have to adjust his game to having an actual NBA backcourt with Bane and Suggs. It’s like we added two new guards because Suggs and Paolo barely played together last season. If he’s still playing like this after 10 games we should be concerned but it’s not like flipping a switch. Paolo is a high-volume player who will have to adapt to a situation where he’s a teammate rather than a one-man wrecking crew.

[Medford]

The most frustrating thing is we got over the turnover fest early on, build a comfortable lead and then threw it away late with dumb play.

Paolo's body language was very negative from the start, maybe there is something going on offcourt, but for whatever reason he was really awful. Bane needs to shoot better, he did a lot of good things, but we need his 3s badly. Wendell is just not a smart player, the refs were calling screens tight from the start yet he never adapted.

You can't play this fast, demand playoff effort or very near it on most plays on D and only play 9 men rotation and your stars 35 MPG. Mosley needs to adapt, we have good depth and should use it. The Grizzlies, the fastest paced team last season, often had 11 men rotation and Ja and JJJr. averaged only 30 MPG.

Right, game was partially lost because of questionable coaching decisions.
As you said, using ten or eleven guys could have solved the issues we had in this game. I guess slim JI would have been fine regarding the possible matchups, even five minutes Penda guarding Gueye were an option.
If you want to run up and down the court with 250-260 lbs guys and Atlantas biggest players are good athletes weighting 20-30 less, it will start to hurt you at some point automatically.

At the moment pretty much everyone playing major minutes looks tired. Can only hope coaches use these games for the team to adapt and getting comfortable with the rotation… and embrace the possibility of losing.
Years you took pride in having the biggest wings and suddenly switching from a very slow to a fast paced offense will cost it's price.

I can imagine Paolo being frustrated. Over the last seasons he put lots of work in creating from the post. Learning how to read the defense and react to what is thrown at him.
Wouldn't wonder if it takes him a while to change his game, but have no doubt he'll find a way.

[eyriq]

Paolo has a 7 PER and a -9.6 BPM

[CocoaFan]

Mosley is still a **** pussy when it comes to challenges!! Challenge a **** play!!

In 4+ years of coaching he still uses the Jumbotran to figure out if he's going to challenge as the other team inbounds the ball before he can decide. News Flash: get one of your assistants with an IPad assigned to checking out challenges. Clifford did it when he was here and it worked smoothly. It's been a pet peeve of mine since he's been here.

[CocoaFan]

The most frustrating thing is we got over the turnover fest early on, build a comfortable lead and then threw it away late with dumb play.

Paolo's body language was very negative from the start, maybe there is something going on offcourt, but for whatever reason he was really awful. Bane needs to shoot better, he did a lot of good things, but we need his 3s badly. Wendell is just not a smart player, the refs were calling screens tight from the start yet he never adapted.

You can't play this fast, demand playoff effort or very near it on most plays on D and only play 9 men rotation and your stars 35 MPG. Mosley needs to adapt, we have good depth and should use it. The Grizzlies, the fastest paced team last season, often had 11 men rotation and Ja and JJJr. averaged only 30 MPG.

Totally agree starters need to come down to 30 min/game, especially Franz and Paolo. Franz has looked all world in the first halves but gassed in the 2nd. JI needs to soak up the extra Franz and Paolo minutes and if he can't we need to get rid of him.

[doct3r dr3]

AB's lack of growth on offense is concerning.

so is Paolo's. They both are unreliable shooters in a shooters league

When it comes to Paolo, I just keep remembering this clip from the offseason and trusting it's going to translate to the season.

Read on Twitter

(0:48-1:05) and (2:11-2:57)

[pepe1991]

AB's lack of growth on offense is concerning.

so is Paolo's. They both are unreliable shooters in a shooters league

When it comes to Paolo, I just keep remembering this clip from the offseason and trusting it's going to translate to the season.

Read on Twitter

(0:48-1:05) and (2:11-2:57)

So staple of his workouts is working on by far the worst basketball shots possible

Next year he might implement blindfolded half court shots.

I don't really know what is there to say about Paolo.

Guy is mobile 6'10 guy with solid handles. Why his elected to build his game like he is RJ Barrett or Derozan is still beyond me. Those guys are 6'5-6'6 and they had to find impossible angles to score, as neither is reliable outside shooter.
Paolo often takes bad shots without even trying to position himself into better looks. Matter of fact he often dribbles himself into worst shots on purpose.

Mid range spin, fadeaway looks nice but that's pretty much where anything positive about such shot stops. Such shot is okey for Durant, sometimes. But Paolo isn't Durant.
Matter of fact, two games into a season and 32 shots later this is how his shooting looks like:
9-13 from point blank range
0-3 from 5-9 feet
0-5 from 10-14 feet
1-3 from 15-19 feet

1-8 for 3

His mid range will eventually start falling at bit more respectful way, but we still have issue with him taking so many bad shots. In past there was excuse of supporting cast. Suggs started smoking hot, Bane is 20 ppg guy for almost career, Franz took full advantage of better spacing, over 2 games having near 26 ppg on 65% TS, and yet Paolo's game still looks copy-past- same as he plays with Bol Bol and Gary Harris.

[Idiosyncratic]

I don't think it is a hot take to be worried about Paolo. He is a max player with a career 54 TS%. He has to improve or this whole thing is not going to work, so I don't think it is reactionary for people to scrutinize his play.

That being said he really doesn't look right to me, I do wonder if he has some kind of nagging injury or illness. We saw last year how well he played through those things. Willing to give him some time. But the complaining to refs and not getting back on D and falling asleep on help defense stuff is beyond annoying regardless.

[Idiosyncratic]

So staple of his workouts is working on by far the worst basketball shots possible

Next year he might implement blindfolded half court shots.

I don't really know what is there to say about Paolo.

Guy is mobile 6'10 guy with solid handles. Why his elected to build his game like he is RJ Barrett or Derozan is still beyond me. Those guys are 6'5-6'6 and they had to find impossible angles to score, as neither is reliable outside shooter.
Paolo often takes bad shots without even trying to position himself into better looks. Matter of fact he often dribbles himself into worst shots on purpose.

Mid range spin, fadeaway looks nice but that's pretty much where anything positive about such shot stops. Such shot is okey for Durant, sometimes. But Paolo isn't Durant.
Matter of fact, two games into a season and 32 shots later this is how his shooting looks like:
9-13 from point blank range
0-3 from 5-9 feet
0-5 from 10-14 feet
1-3 from 15-19 feet

1-8 for 3

His mid range will eventually start falling at bit more respectful way, but we still have issue with him taking so many bad shots. In past there was excuse of supporting cast. Suggs started smoking hot, Bane is 20 ppg guy for almost career, Franz took full advantage of better spacing, over 2 games having near 26 ppg on 65% TS, and yet Paolo's game still looks copy-past- same as he plays with Bol Bol and Gary Harris.

Excellent post. The thing is people romanticize scorers who make tough shots. Probably has caused him to be a bit overrated given his mediocre efficiency. He has the tools to improve though, but might take someone getting in his ear about the shot selection.

[ibraheim718]

Nah an NBA coach needs to earn his paycheck in the final 2 minutes the other 46 minutes the players largely coach themselves out there. Suggs could've played another minute and it would've made a difference. Instead he sat at the scorers table watching Jones do nothing. That's on Mosley.

And he's not playing the best players, he knows it and deep down inside you all know it. Richardson plays winning basketball.. he can make things happen in all facets of the game. But instead we have to watch this rookie/hierarchy/politics/salary crap. Booooo Guaranteed he'll be a better NBA player than Black and Jones if he isn't already. There I said it.

I get what you're saying, but at the same time you also know how these things work.

Tyus Jones signed a $7M deal this offseason. He's had two bad games, but they're certainly not going to pull the plug on him after two games.

I know. I would just like to fast forward. But we'll eventually get to the point where because they're paying Jones 7m and he has tenure they'll stick with him too long.

[basketballRob]

The pressure is on Mosely and Weltman to figure this out. If we have another 1st-round exit as a 6th seed, then I think they get fired.

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[dsg2021]

AB's lack of growth on offense is concerning.

so is Paolo's. They both are unreliable shooters in a shooters league

When it comes to Paolo, I just keep remembering this clip from the offseason and trusting it's going to translate to the season.

Read on Twitter

(0:48-1:05) and (2:11-2:57)

I love some of these shots. The Playoffs performances against CLE and BOS speak for themselves. The constant doubles Paolo got in these two games, more than Franz and Bane, speak for themselves.

The issue is that in here, he practices them at like 6 feet and then in game, he sometimes goes and takes them at 11 feet while being way more rushed.