Chanel Bomber wrote:RHODEY wrote:Chanel Bomber wrote:
Our defense didn't suffer that much against Atlanta if we look at the numbers, although it felt like every Trae PNR led to a bucket.
Tell that to Clint Capella who had a much easier go of it bercause Mitch wasnt there to check him. Its easier to look good against older s,aller less mobile center ....Chanel Bomber wrote:
The problem was that our centers couldn't make a play with the ball in their hands. That enabled McMillan to have Randle's primary defender take away his left hand, and funnel Randle to the help (Capela). We did not address that issue in the offseason. Mitch cannot make a play either, he's a rim finisher..
Ehh but with better defense on the floor its less of a "problem" I think the problem was that ATL has shooters from the swing positions up the wazoo.... Meanwhile we only had burnt out Randle and burnt out Rose..Chanel Bomber wrote:
More shot creation helps, but doesn't address the biggest issue, which was Randle being taken away because of our centers' lack of versatility. If we replay the series now, the Hawks could still double Randle and stay home on our perimeter players. Fournier is not dominant enough as an ISO scorer to tilt the balance in our favor.
Which is why Obi needs to see minutes at the 5 and be developed as a 4/5 rather than strictly a 4 imo. More versatility, better spacing, more playmaking, more speed.
Yeah that's where we disagree I do think it addresses the biggest issue. Mitch or Noel not being more offensively versatile isn't the biggest issue(to me) . I think its actually pretty minor when you consider what they bring defensively and all the scoring we have on the team this year.
I also think to you selliingn Fournier short. I believe dude is just what he need and when you consider all the other 20ppg options on this team he's a perfect fit. He's alpha enough to get his but he also plays well within the team framework with his heady play . Just watch the videos I left in this thread...
Noel's defensive contributions didn't matter much when Capela was doubling off of him to basically double Randle.
Even when Rose and IQ were sharing minutes at PG after Payton got benched, the Knicks were playing 4 shooters around our centers and it still didn't matter.
Watch this video:
Mitch doesn't solve this issue. He can't make plays with the ball either, and he actually has less range than Taj and Noel, and he's a worse free throw shooter than both of them. Yes, Mitch has better hands than Noel which helps with the catch, and he finishes around the rim better than Taj, but he's not putting fear into anyone's hearts offensively. The Hawks' gameplan would be the exact same with Mitch on the floor.
Fournier helps in that he can create his own shot - but that doesn't change anything about the fact that our best player (Randle) was rendered ineffective because of our lack of skill at center.
I know this is a Forny/Kemba thread -
But…Although Mitch and nerlins might fit within the same archetype as a rim runner, Mitch is significantly better at it. Mitch played half the games as nerlins last season but still finished with more dunks (84 to 76). He also completed at a higher % (.528 to .390). In your video at 5:05 in there a clip of nerlins being wide open with a lane to get to the rim for an dunk pass from randle but he just stands out in the wing. If you want you can verify stats if you want here:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2021_shooting.html
So yes Mitch might and nerlins are similar but i think Mitch puts a lot more pressure at the rim than nerlins and would losen rhe hawk def a bit more than your probably giving credit for. Then obviously the def effect Mitch brings to halting the hawks P/R which is an entire different conversation.