GT Wiz vs Raps, the TreJ era begins

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I feel like I am way too hyped for this preseason game.

Observation: Alex Sarr is way better than I thought. I have been judging by his inefficient interior offensive numbers. Not by watching live TV.

Seeing him today is to view a very fluid athlete.

He gets to spots on the floor quickly.

[Despy]

if the vets can hit the three it would help everything a lot

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I have been WRONG ALL ALONG.

Alex Sarr is not sorry.

Alex was not the wrong pick.

One thing I am right about: We are too talented to only win 18 to 21 games.

[Despy]

Grady dick would make a great villain

[nate33]

Sarr's screening is much improved too. He's not great at it or anything, but he is no longer terrible. He is getting the job done and forcing Toronto to make the switch. I look forward to a Tre/Sarr pick and roll in the future. I think Tre will be able to smoke opposing bigs if he gets the opportunity to score on them in isolation.

[tontoz]

In summer league Sarr looked like he got the memo that he needs to go to the basket more and we are seeing it again here. No fadeaways. Good half on both ends.

Kyshawn looks good on D but can't make a shot. He has actually been taking good shots instead of forcing it but still can't buy one.

[closg00]

Whitmore played 7 minutes in his first stint and only touched the ball once. Not his fault or anything, but the ball just never went to him. The Wizards were having too much trouble getting into their sets.

At what point can we blame Keefe? Although we only have one active PG on the roster, Bub stifles the offense IMO.

[nate33]

Toronto has 58 FGA's to Washington's 38. Toronto is crushing us in turnovers and offensive rebounding. We're going to have to live with the offensive rebounding to some extent, but we need to clean up the turnovers.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I couldn't be happier about Sarr's performance so far. He has been terrific on defense. He only has 1 block, but he has been a massive deterrent. He keeps cutting off Toronto's path to the basket and forcing them to kick it out. His positioning has been superb. Reminds a little of Nene in that he is always taking the right angle.

He looks improved on offense too, but still a little shaky finishing with force. I'll take it.

Roger all of this.

If he were finishing with force already, he would be on a Jaren Jackson, Kevin Garnett, Giannis Antetekuompo trajectory.

I think realistically that Alex is Pervis Ellison with handles and three-point range. That's a good player.

[nate33]

Whitmore played 7 minutes in his first stint and only touched the ball once. Not his fault or anything, but the ball just never went to him. The Wizards were having too much trouble getting into their sets.

At what point can we blame Keefe? Although we only have one active PG on the roster, Bub stifles the offense IMO.

I don't blame Keefe. I think the league is making a rapid transition to defensive ball pressure based on the success of OKC and Indiana. Our team isn't really built to handle it because our two point guards (CJ and Bub) are really converted shooting guards. The starting unit weathered the pressure pretty well because they had Kyshawn and Sarr as extra ball-handling options to help bail the guards out of traps. The second unit struggled a bit because Vukcevic and Whitmore don't handle the ball as well.

[nate33]

Whitmore played 7 minutes in his first stint and only touched the ball once. Not his fault or anything, but the ball just never went to him. The Wizards were having too much trouble getting into their sets.

At what point can we blame Keefe? Although we only have one active PG on the roster, Bub stifles the offense IMO.

I don't blame Keefe. I think the league is making a rapid transition to defensive ball pressure based on the success of OKC and Indiana. Our team isn't really built to handle it because our two point guards (CJ and Bub) are really converted shooting guards. The starting unit weathered the pressure pretty well because they had Kyshawn and Sarr as extra ball-handling options to help bail the guards out of traps. The second unit struggled a bit because Vukcevic and Whitmore don't handle the ball as well.

Kyshawn is going to help a lot in dealing with this type of pressure this year. (Avdija was great with this too. When they pressured, Avdija made them pay.)

I wonder if we will see a bit more of Will Riley earlier than expected this year because he has the ball handling chops to handle pressure more so than guys like Kispert, Champagnie and Bilal.

[DukeLecker]

Hope this is a sign of things to come from Sarr. He looks amazing on both sides.

Bub ain’t a lead guard. Can’t bend the defense. Too hard to get in sets with him as PG.

Tre looks small and just average athletically.

George great on defense. Total zero on offense.

This team be terrible. No concerns about being one of the very worst teams. Small and can’t rebound and no strong ball handlers. Will be a lot of turnovers.

[nate33]

I guess we're calling it a night for Sarr.

Isn't he coming off a minor injury from Eurobasket?

[BearlyBallin]

Yes, I think he had a calf injury and it wasn’t a sure thing if he’d play today until he was cleared to go yesterday.

[nate33]

Hope this is a sign of things to come from Sarr. He looks amazing on both sides.

Bub ain’t a lead guard. Can’t bend the defense. Too hard to get in sets with him as PG.

Tre looks small and just average athletically.

George great on defense. Total zero on offense.

This team be terrible. No concerns about being one of the very worst teams. Small and can’t rebound and no strong ball handlers. Will be a lot of turnovers.

Toronto is a high ball pressure team. I don't think they will have to deal with this type of pressure all the time.

I agree with you that Bub looks more like a 3rd guard/combo guard than a pure PG. But let's not forget that he just turned 20 in July. His ball handling will get better.

[nate33]

Kyshawn can't hit anything tonight, but I love that he is not afraid. That guy BELIEVES he belongs on the floor. Heck, he probably thinks he's the best player on the floor.

[nate33]

Bub with an absolute nightmare outing:

3 points
0/8 from the floor
4 turnovers
2 assists
0 rebounds

[tontoz]

Kyshawn can't hit anything tonight, but I love that he is not afraid. That guy BELIEVES he belongs on the floor. Heck, he probably thinks he's the best player on the floor.

Yeah he does so many things well. If he can be just an average shooter he will be a very effective player.

[smoothSeph]

Bub may be a good kid but this showing is not a good look for his progression this year. What did he work on this offseason? Sprinting with the ball?

[Frichuela]

Bub with an absolute nightmare outing:

3 points
0/8 from the floor
4 turnovers
2 assists
0 rebounds

Yep. Truly atrocious!

Cam should ask more for the ball!