MEDIC wrote:
Agree with most of your assessment (although I didn't really notice Mullings). Murray was definitely holding back. There is a lot more to his game. He is the most overall skilled player on the roster by far.
Everytime I see Benett play, I understand why he isn't making it in the NBA. He just isn't assertive enough. He lacks aggression for a guy with his bulk & athleticism. I watch him moving on the court sometimes & he just kind of prances around. Doesn't move with purpose or aggression. A guy like him should be able to dominate in a game like this, but he just has no motor. I give the guy a 2/10 on the motor scale.
The good news is that he has the right people around him right now. People that care about his success as a basketball player. In Triano's interview with Tim & Sid he said that Benett is probably the player that could benefit most from playing on the National Team & I couldn't agree more. The guy has a ton of talent, but he needs to find his game, gain some confidence & find his inner beast.
Actually, what struck me most is the lack of explosiveness Bennett has. He's an athletic big man in terms of end to end speed and the like, but he doesn't have that first step or strong power move that the best bigs have. Whenever he tries a move near the basket he often gets stuck or finds himself needing to force it up. There are times when he goes in for a contested dunk that better big men would have powered through, but Bennett would lose the ball or get it knocked away. His touch around the basket is also mediocre for an NBA big. He'll definitely be a solid player for Team Canada for many years, but I really do see why he has a tough time in the NBA.
As for Heslip, I think he's a better shooter and better at using screens than English was. His shooting form is just a thing of beauty. He's too small and slow to make it in the NBA, but in the international game he's the ultimate zone breaker. He's definitely someone who can pile up huge point numbers on any given night when he gets hot.
