Well, a missed opportunity, for sure. We were within striking range throughout the game thanks to solid defense, but we couldn't match it consistently enough on O.
Good team help D, especially on their drives as we collapsed in the key, got deflections, blocks and steals. We generated plenty of good looks, but simply couldn't hit anything consistently outside of Bryn's first two 3s and DeMar's overall wonderful game. No doubt about it, he needed more help tonight, and had we just shot at our averages, we could have had a shot at this game.
But it's not about could haves, it's about what we need to do better going forward. To that end, though we shot 33 3s (once again exceeding the 30 attempt threshold), we only made ten of them. I think they made as many by half, and by the end of the game, two of their players alone matched our whole team's total. We've had games in which we didn't shoot the 3 well and won, but it takes doing several other things well to make up for the difference.
We protected the ball well enough, only 8 turnovers on which we gave up 13 points while getting 10 points on their ten TOs, and this small deficit was balanced by our 10-5 fast break points edge. We had 8-4 steals, and they had 5-4 blocks, so there were chances we created and those we left unfulfilled. Neither team could get much at the FT line, sometimes they just get called that way, but I thought we missed some chances to take the ball strong to the basket to force the issue. We had only three players get to the FT line (though they all look to have a nice soft round arc, very sweet strokes for makes) - Derrick (5-6) and Rudy (1-2) from the bench, and DeMar the only starter to do so (6-7). We missed several bunnies at the rim, and in a close game, these accumulate and matter all the more. We do all that work to get to the basket, we must be more mindful to finish strong. The corollary is more rebounds. We've won the rebound battles in several previous games, but we had a lot of misses and were on the wrong end of 49-41 on the boards, and 8-6 on O glass with only Trey and LMA getting on the O boards throughout the game (Beli had one in his 2 minutes of work) so we need to made more of an effort of it. Also, long shots, long rebounds on the D end, yes.
We had a big 44-32 points in the paint advantage so we made the most of our strength there, but they countered with a barrage of 3s, making 17 in total. That was a 21-point difference for a team that the commentators said averages 12 made 3s per game. While our rotations and paint protection were good, we collapsed so much that we did not cover the run outs to contest the 3s. They had a couple of players who were hot at the arc, and though we did a better job getting up on them, we kept getting caught on screens and giving up space for shots. I thought we could have doubled or worked to make sure neither got the ball or fouled before shots (we had several off-ball fouls that accumulated quickly for 13 overall in the second half, and 17 for the game), and hope we make a more concerted effort to run out harder to the arc.
The game progressed similarly to the previous one in that we had to come back from behind and also got a lead. Our 2nd Q was a good response to the anemic O of the first and we doubled our scoring for 34 points to tie the game at the half. Really good momentum going into the second half, the starts of which have at times been too lackadaisical for us. A too-open 3 to start the 3rd Q for them was the symbol of the game, but we nevertheless went on some good runs and managed a two-point lead heading into the final Q. However, whereas we finished the game strong with a best 4th Q the last game, a 1-8 glacial start to their 4-5 in this one was too much to overcome despite getting some good stops to bring it close.
Trey had a team-high 4 O boards and 3 assists but was only 2-7FGs. Bryn, our other starter who doesn't need the ball in his hands as much was serviceable on O, meaning better than last game but still below his average, but he was still flat footed and reaching for a pass that was stolen rather than coming to the ball, and on D was once again jab stepping and swiping at air in his help D attempt, as a result of which they back door cut on him and got an easy 2 in the 3rd Q. Just fundamental aspects of the game, these. I think my frustrations with his play are making me micro-analyze everything he's doing and that's not really fair. But with Trey, Bryn, and DJ we have three starters who are either learning or going through growing pains on the job around two more ball dominant players, and I thought Trey would be more assertive (it ebbs and flows), Bryn more consistent with his shot by now, and DJ more dynamic at this point.
While I don't agree with gump's assessment of DJ, I did think that he'd be further along in certain areas of his game by now. The D is largely there, though he gambles a bit on steals, he's very quick so you live with the occasional foul for the great play. He's clearly worked on his shot, and has better stats at better percentages across the board. They're not a big jump, but he's up to double digits on PPG, and hitting the 3 on his best percentage the last two months, so he needs to let those fly more than just over one attempt per game.
I do like that he's bounced back from the minutes restriction and subsequent bench role to better fit with the starters, but frankly, after his spending all that reported time with the coaching staff during his recovery last season, I thought his facilitating game would be farther along. I don't know what goes on in those coaching discussion sessions, but it's reasonable to assume that learning our playbook and the position within it were a part of it for him. So far he gets most of his assists from getting the ball to guys who have their pet spots from which they create. He's not a natural facilitator, and maybe it's a function of our sets, too, but I had hoped the court vision aspect of his craft would be a bigger feature of his game. Is that too much to expect of someone coming off an injury that came into the league with raw potential and has a lot to learn as a PG leader? Maybe. Recently he's been playing with a heavy heart as he lost someone close to him, so there are factors behind the scenes that we seldom see.
That said, comparing his game to that of Derrick in general, I'm not sure which I'd choose as a starting PG at this point. Their games complement one another well, both great defenders but in different ways (DJ more a gambling steal type, and Derrick more physical presence, great footwork, and sneaky hops for staying with his man and getting blocks). DJ is the more fearlessly aggressive, Derrick the more facilitating (especially better on P&R). What makes DJ more assertive also makes it more problematic to take him out of the starting unit (he did not take the bench role well at first), and what makes Derrick so accommodating, doing anything the team asks without complaint, also seems to factor in his being less assertive with his game. Combine these two together and we've got one terrific player. If their ages were reversed, at this point I might have chosen Derrick, but I can see why they both don't and could play together.
Anyway, I do hope we get more than 0-1 from the 3 effort from them in the future. This is also where Patty and his invaluable role on our team - somehow still underrated - comes in. Leading the bench with 21 on 8-15 (5-12 from 3) was a huge reason why we were still in this game, particularly when the ghost of Rudy's O shot 1-8 (with 6 boards, to his credit). He had a lot of missed shots where he could have taken it stronger and closer to the basket. Lonnie's up and down O showings remind us that he has as much to learn as he has natural athletic ability that brings hope.
DeMar has been on a historic efficiency and scoring run, but it feels as if at times we stand back too much and watch and/or expect him to do his thing and get out of the way. We do go on runs, but there isn't that team-wide tenacity we have when we're at our best. I think LMA has been neutralized a bit when he's spreading the floor, and could better balance his outside shot with some physical post-ups. He had only two buckets in the paint (the third was a left elbow J miss). While he spreads the floor well, it's actually more work for DeMar now, and I think there's something about energy plays down low when LMA mixes it up and goes after boards that we feed off of. Just in terms of generating that kind of force of grit and intensity that resonates through the team, we need more guys beside DeMar and Patty stepping up and contributing to it, and LMA needs to be a big part of that. Some alley oop plays which we've not seen in a while, cuts and drives for dunks like in the last game generate that energy.
A recent article reported Pop and the coaching staff are more or less comfortable and set with the rotations, so guys know their roles and minutes more or less by this point. We have played better of late, and hopefully the set positions takes some pressure off anyone fearing getting the hook from mistakes. That said, DeMar and Patty and LMA, who has done so by adjusting his game the most at this juncture, need more overall team help. More guys have to step up in their respective roles, and step into more assertive versions of themselves.
This is the most encouraging quote from post-game interviews. I like the urgency and not settling for the outcome. I think it bodes well for the upcoming stretch:
