Utah Jazz Players in the FIBA World Cup(in China)

[Catchall]

Ingles was lights out in the 2018 playoffs. Especially against the Rockets. Turns out that shooting can be pretty random.

Historically, he's been a good shooter when he gets lots of rest, doesn't have to play too many minutes, doesn't have to guard Lebron, and gets plenty of space to get off his relatively slow release. I guess we'll see if he's starting to slip this year.

[Crunch 99]

It's just about tipoff time for game two USA versus Australia. Go Mitchell and Ingles!

[KqWIN]

Middleton is the IDGAF vet this year. Every time he gets put into an action he quits and AUS gets a layup.

[Crunch 99]

Australia is bringing some early good energy. Ingles is passing well.

[KqWIN]

I would call that game embarrassing, but that's a disrespect to the Aussies who deserved that win. Mitchell was awful, he couldn't find his way into the game. It was a mix of being invisible, dumb frustration fouls, and shooting whenever he did touch it because he felt like he needed to do something.

Ingles was probably the best player on the court tonight. Patty's flurry was pretty amazing though.

[stitches]

Rudy played for France in their game vs New Zealand:
http://www.teamfrancebasket.com/game/414156

12/5/1/2 in 19 minutes of play

6/7 from the field

[El Hespiritu]

Spida was Pop's choice for hero-ballin' at the clutch.
Not Kemba, not Middleton, not Tatum...

Spida.

Normally, I'd take that as a pre-season essay of something different (kinda "C" plan, in case "A" and "B" fails).
But Pops is Pops and he doesn't do these sort of random things.

We'll see...


Ol'Man, Thug Delly and Bogut were remarkable but true key was the pressing full-court zone defense.
USA just showed no answer to that but hero ball, usually by Kemba and a bit of Barnes and Spida.

In China that will not suffice.

Some true point-forward would help a lot but Plumlee was awful and Myles simply lacks that kind of skill at all.
Not getting a single true playmaker at the roster might end up being a disgrace. Lowry is now desperately missed.

Still... USA is so talented that it's undisputed favourite no matter what.


Now I'll try to seek some replay of France full game: boxscores and highlights/resumes are so useful to me as an ashtray for a non-smoking zone (gratitude to @Stitches for sharing it tho... just a personal bias of mine)

[stitches]

What disappointed me most from Mitchell's game was not anything else but the fact that he waited until 2 minutes to go to start actively seeking the ball and the responsibility. To me it looked like he was content with staying in the corner and watching the rest of team USA have trouble dribbling the ball.. he wasn't fighting enough to get open off-ball when Australia was trying to deny him the ball earlier. I want him to realize that this team might not be much different than the Jazz... he is probably the second best offensive player on that roster(after Kemba) and he needs to act like it especially when Kemba is on the bench. This needs to be his team without him hesitating or trying to let the other mediocre ballhandlers have their try at running the offense.

[El Hespiritu]

Mmmh...
None of his call.

I think he's doing what Pops tells him to do.
Do you think he's not?

[goober]

Can we all accept Joe Ingles as our superstar?

[stitches]

4th game watching Mitchell... I don't think he's taken a step forward in his ability to create shots off the dribble. He pulls up from midrange WAY too much. It's like he's substituted his floaters with mid-range pullups. I think he has 2 layups in 4 games in half-court setting... and has shot something like... 20 mid-rangers. He needs to learn how to get to the rim and to the FT line.

BTW he played a great game today, he was everywhere and his presence was felt both on offense and defense. He did have several bad turnovers though...

[KqWIN]

I don't think he's even attempted a hard drive to the basket. Mitchell is in love with the mid range, it's the only shot he's looking for. You can tell when Donovan thinks it's time for him to make a play, and when he's in that mode he want's nothing but a mid range pullup. I'm getting less and less optimistic about his breakout potential because it is impossible to be efficient in the way he's playing.

Blame it on the instagram trainers I guess...somebody needs to get in his head and tell him that those shots are bad shots.

[stitches]

I don't think he's even attempted a hard drive to the basket. Mitchell is in love with the mid range, it's the only shot he's looking for. I'm getting less and less optimistic about his breakout potential because it is impossible to be efficient in the way he's playing.

Blame it on the instagram trainers I guess...somebody needs to get in his head and tell him that those shots are bad shots.

Quin won't stand for that. He's very analytically oriented and we've tended towards eliminating bad shots for a while now. The problem is that when Quin scolds him for it and he stops doing it he won't have the practice and workout hours put in the gym to successfully move onto rim finishing. So we will have to wait another year most probably.

[KqWIN]

I don't think he's even attempted a hard drive to the basket. Mitchell is in love with the mid range, it's the only shot he's looking for. I'm getting less and less optimistic about his breakout potential because it is impossible to be efficient in the way he's playing.

Blame it on the instagram trainers I guess...somebody needs to get in his head and tell him that those shots are bad shots.

Quin won't stand for that. He's very analytically oriented and we've tended towards eliminating bad shots for a while now. The problem is that when Quin scolds him for it and he stops doing it he won't have the practice and workout hours put in the gym to successfully move onto rim finishing. So we will have to wait another year most probably.

Yeah...what makes me worry is that he's only worked on mid range/floater stuff and that's why he's trying to use it. He needed to work on his pullup 3 and finishing around the basket instead.

During his rookie year, he didn't shoot that much in the mid range but I remember him talking about how he needs to add it at some point. Well...he's added it now and it's making him worse.

[El Hespiritu]

Bad shots...
Somebody should brainwash him...
Instagram trainers...

Gratitude for my first laugh today.

If you don't like Spida game, send it to Arizona in exchange for D-Book (and whatever asset needed to fit salaries) who is apparently more analytically oriented... (let's work on our game, bro!).

You'll be happier, I'll be happier, D-Book will be happier, Spida will be happier...

Win-win-win-win.

[Inigo Montoya]

I don't think he's even attempted a hard drive to the basket. Mitchell is in love with the mid range, it's the only shot he's looking for. You can tell when Donovan thinks it's time for him to make a play, and when he's in that mode he want's nothing but a mid range pullup. I'm getting less and less optimistic about his breakout potential because it is impossible to be efficient in the way he's playing.

Blame it on the instagram trainers I guess...somebody needs to get in his head and tell him that those shots are bad shots.

This is only my impression from what I'm seeing, but it feels like Team USA is either being forced into taking a lot of mid-range jumpers and long 2s by their opponents so far, or that their opponents are just baiting them to take that shot. I'll have to see a shot chart with how many mid-range and long 2s Team USA took so far, but it feels like this is an intentional tactic by the opposition, which is working even when Team USA wins. It might be less about DM and more about the shots the opposition is willing to give Team USA.

[KqWIN]

I don't think he's even attempted a hard drive to the basket. Mitchell is in love with the mid range, it's the only shot he's looking for. You can tell when Donovan thinks it's time for him to make a play, and when he's in that mode he want's nothing but a mid range pullup. I'm getting less and less optimistic about his breakout potential because it is impossible to be efficient in the way he's playing.

Blame it on the instagram trainers I guess...somebody needs to get in his head and tell him that those shots are bad shots.

This is only my impression from what I'm seeing, but it feels like Team USA is either being forced into taking a lot of mid-range jumpers and long 2s by their opponents so far, or that their opponents are just baiting them to take that shot. I'll have to see a shot chart with how many mid-range and long 2s Team USA took so far, but it feels like this is an intentional tactic by the opposition, which is working even when Team USA wins. It might be less about DM and more about the shots the opposition is willing to give Team USA.

It's definitely a tactic that teams are using. Most teams these days, the Jazz included, have really made it a point of emphasis to defend the rim and three point line. My concern with Mitchell is how actively he's seeking out these jumpers. He's forcing them up even when they're not there. I think he needs to get to a point where he's imposing his will on the defense and getting better looks regardless of what the defense is doing. Right now he has tunnel vision looking for a mid range shot or floater and not even remotely interested in taking it to the hoop.

[Catchall]

I think Mitchell is doing okay in FIBA. He and Kemba are really the only players who can break the paint off the dribble, and USA has to use him as a threat off the pick-and-roll. The big defender is dropping back more often than not and guarding the paint, giving up the mid-range jumper. Mitchell has to take those shots, since everything else is guarded.

He's also been really active defensively and may have improved his defense a bit from last year.

Kemba seems to be better at driving all the way to the rim, and also getting to the foul line, since he's a bit quicker and craftier off the dribble. You'd expect that from a guard that's 30 lbs lighter than Mitchell and who has more experience playing on the ball.

Here's the Canada game...

Watch on YouTube

;t=7s

[Crunch 99]

I tend to think that World Cup will be more Kemba Waker's moment than DM's moment, but Mitchell sounds confident and seems good with people having very high expectations for him. At the very least, we know he is getting great coaching and is working hard on his defense! Go Mitchell! Go USA, France and Australia!

This is Donovan Mitchell's moment
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27503115/this-donovan-mitchell-moment

[stitches]

Serbia are playing 2 centers all the time. It's like they've watched the Jazz the last 5 seasons.They are helped by the fact that Jokic can shoot and playmake though. They have 4 centers that are either in the NBA(Jokic and Boban) or have been in the NBA(Raduljica) or have been drafted in the NBA(Milutinov will play for the Spurs at some point).

Games of day 2 start in about 2 hours.
Canada vs Australia
Czech Republic vs USA
Fance vs Germany

are playing today...