Game 48 : MEM @ MIA

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What was that?

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What a game from Brooks, have to love where his game is trending..

When he was putting up that 23pt 3rd he would have never done what he did at the end of that quarter before. After several consecutive made layups, Heats defense was playing him to drive & where he'd normally attack the teeth of the defense he faked driving & dished to Tyus for a wide open 3.

When Brooks plays like this. Memphis don't just have a proven record of winning, they win comfortably. It completely changes the dynamic of this team.

Props tp Dillon, Keep it up.

I'd talk about how badly Allen & Morant struggled as a pairing with the Heat focused on trying to contain the paint but it would probably fall on deaf ears

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I'd talk about how badly Allen & Morant struggled as a pairing with the Heat focused on trying to contain the paint but it would probably fall on deaf ears

I would be happy to know your thoughts on this, including your suggestions.

[Whole Truth]

I'd talk about how badly Allen & Morant struggled as a pairing with the Heat focused on trying to contain the paint but it would probably fall on deaf ears

I would be happy to know your thoughts on this, including your suggestions.

Morant struggled because teams don't respect his range & Heat sagged, cheated off of him to crowd, control the paint to keep Memphis big men in check, it closed his driving lanes, resulting in a 1-4 3pt shooting night Without that range in his arsenal, he's taking a lot of forced contact on his slim frame. Teams are also doing a better job of defending his pnr roll with Jonas because of that yr 2 regression, lack of threat from 3.

In comes the theory that Allen is a/threat to space the floor & he is, he's not a player you can leave open. Offensively, he posed a threat despite being 1-5 last night. He & Ja were a combined 2-9 from 3 with Jonas putting up a 15pt first Q, multiple defenders on him, Heat crowding the post.. There was no release valve from range from a backcourt that also had trouble containing their covers. Much like last game, Jonas was subbed out of tied game after putting up an efficient 15pts. Defense was the issue & he too was apart of that issue with Bam putting up a solid start himself.

IMO defense is the issue, when a sub par defender, offensive player is struggling offensively... they're negative value, it's not rocket science. With Allen starting, it's my opinion that Memphis have 3 sub defenders on court with Jonas, Allen & Ja.. Some will say Allen's defense is solid... I'd say Hero had his way with 19pts on 10 shots. Forget that Allen was 1-5 from 3. He was another weak link defensively last night, so was Ja & so was Jonas.. but of the 3, only one was having an efficient game & with a lack of spacing.

My suggestion is when 3J returns Memphis should revisit Anderson at the 3. A lineup of Jonas, 3J, Anderson, Dillon, Ja. Considering Anderson's improvements from range all came with 3J out, it changes last years data.. My issue with Allen starting is the lineup has 3 sub par defenders, this lineup has 3 plus defenders around Jonas & Ja, while not the threat Allen or Melton are from range, all the defenders in this rotation have the ability to hit an open 3. Anderson being the secondary ball handler, effective pnr option with Jonas rolling & 3J popping.

If Anderson still proves a bad fit at SF.. My next suggestion would be Jonas, 3J, Dillon, Melton, Ja. It loses Anderson's IQ/playmaking but Melton like Dillon does a good job of pressuring the ball, which with his 50% shooting from range, doesn't remove the threat Allen posses but his defensive aggression I think will be a better match next to Ja, His deflections/steals should in theory help Memphis/Ja get out in transition more..

Last suggestion would be to drop Jonas to the bench. However, note, the Allen & Morant pairing struggled last night with & without Jonas on both ends of the court.

Side note, I know Memphis are in the playoff mix but Jenkins needs to encourage Morant to get comfortable shooting that 3 ball even if the results are negative.

[E S V L]

I'd talk about how badly Allen & Morant struggled as a pairing with the Heat focused on trying to contain the paint but it would probably fall on deaf ears

I would be happy to know your thoughts on this, including your suggestions.

Morant struggled because teams don't respect his range & Heat sagged, cheated off of him to crowd, control the paint to keep Memphis big men in check, it closed his driving lanes, resulting in a 1-4 3pt shooting night Without that range in his arsenal, he's taking a lot of forced contact on his slim frame. Teams are also doing a better job of defending his pnr roll with Jonas because of that yr 2 regression, lack of threat from 3.

In comes the theory that Allen is a/threat to space the floor & he is, he's not a player you can leave open. Offensively, he posed a threat despite being 1-5 last night. He & Ja were a combined 2-9 from 3 with Jonas putting up a 15pt first Q, multiple defenders on him, Heat crowding the post.. There was no release valve from range from a backcourt that also had trouble containing their covers. Much like last game, Jonas was subbed out of tied game after putting up an efficient 15pts. Defense was the issue & he too was apart of that issue with Bam putting up a solid start himself.

IMO defense is the issue, when a sub par defender, offensive player is struggling offensively... they're negative value, it's not rocket science. With Allen starting, it's my opinion that Memphis have 3 sub defenders on court with Jonas, Allen & Ja.. Some will say Allen's defense is solid... I'd say Hero had his way with 19pts on 10 shots. Forget that Allen was 1-5 from 3. He was another weak link defensively last night, so was Ja & so was Jonas.. but of the 3, only one was having an efficient game & with a lack of spacing.

My suggestion is when 3J returns Memphis should revisit Anderson at the 3. A lineup of Jonas, 3J, Anderson, Dillon, Ja. Considering Anderson's improvements from range all came with 3J out, it changes last years data.. My issue with Allen starting is the lineup has 3 sub par defenders, this lineup has 3 plus defenders around Jonas & Ja, while not the threat Allen or Melton are from range, all the defenders in this rotation have the ability to hit an open 3. Anderson being the secondary ball handler, effective pnr option with Jonas rolling & 3J popping.

If Anderson still proves a bad fit at SF.. My next suggestion would be Jonas, 3J, Dillon, Melton, Ja. It loses Anderson's IQ/playmaking but Melton like Dillon does a good job of pressuring the ball, which with his 50% shooting from range, doesn't remove the threat Allen posses but his defensive aggression I think will be a better match next to Ja, His deflections/steals should in theory help Memphis/Ja get out in transition more..

Last suggestion would be to drop Jonas to the bench. However, note, the Allen & Morant pairing struggled last night with & without Jonas on both ends of the court.

Side note, I know Memphis are in the playoff mix but Jenkins needs to encourage Morant to get comfortable shooting that 3 ball even if the results are negative.

Thank you for your insight - thoughtful and interesting, as always. We still disagree on Allen, Brooks, and Anderson as SF. The good news - I am tending to less agree with the negative role of JV analysis I have expressed on a few occasions.