tdotrep2 wrote:HiJiNX wrote:Just rewatched the Portland game and man I’m glad the team let Barnes experiment last year. All those reps that looked ugly because the finish wasn’t there? They’re starting to pay off. We’ve always know he sees the floor well as a passer and defender, but now the game is slowing down for him as a scorer. He did nothing rushed against Portland. He was in rhythm. He decisively attacked space. He waited for space to appear. He saw the help and countered it rather than running into it. I believe him when he says he’s been watching a lot of film. You can definitely see it in his process.
You’re also starting to see the ability to get by his man with better footwork and angles (something I alluded to as an improvable skill the other day). The growth is coming rapidly. The fourth year leap that happens for most all-star players is happening in his fifth (well I’d argue it started last year before the injuries).
Also worth noting is that against Portland our clutch possessions yielded much better shots when Barnes touched the ball as opposed to when we tried to force an Ingram iso. He got Yak a couple layups and had a hockey assist to Shead which became the Shead assist to Ingram. He did miss a wide open midrange he created for himself after an aggressive dribble into space off the catch. Loved the move. He’s going to start cashing those next season (or maybe later in this one).
My original prediction for Barnes when he was a rookie is he would be a superstar and be an MVP candidate in his prime. If he continues on this growth trajectory I think that prediction becomes a reality. The process this year has been amazing and you can see him starting to believe.
it was tough reading the complaints about the way he was playing, both the staff and scottie knew what they were doing. He's unlocked a midrange game from last season which is showing.
It was only tough for me because…well I’m a damn good talent evaluator. Of course I can be wrong but… I know what I’m seeing. Other folks just weren’t seeing it because of their unwillingness to apply context to their analysis. And maybe they also just don’t understand how intangibles like processing speed and willpower/seizing the moment impact a player’s results.
What separates superstars from everyone else is their ability to process the game and make the right decisions as they align with their skills, abilities, and team needs. Scottie was definitely behind on the skills portion but the other stuff he had in spades from day one. And he gets better when his team needs momentum, something that was clear in college if you actually watched tape. He has the ability to will teams to another level. He can go out there and dominate a quarter in such a way that he can win you a game. This whole time I’ve been saying the same thing — he needs to improve at things that are highly improvable and have proven to be improvable by NBA players while they’re in the league. It was weird to expect that he wouldn’t improve on skills. Like…Scottie lacked very basic fundamentals. It was wild to think he wouldn’t be able to…lower his dribble or make an open 15 footer. Etc etc. His skill development was so far behind his mind and body, and he was already able to do so much with just instincts and physical gifts, that it was easy to see that any reasonable skill development would amplify his gifts toward stardom.
On the flip side, there are probably players in high school, college, and overseas who dribble and shoot better than Scottie, have height, and can jump out the gym…but they don’t process well enough to be anything more than an amateur or lower level pro. Scottie’s processing is top 10 in the NBA. All he’s needed were for his skills to catch up. And even that process isn’t even close to complete yet.
Anyway, I’m just glad he’s putting it together and people are finally seeing it.
not strong, only aggresive cuz the power ain't directed/ that's why, we are subjected to the will of the oppressive
