DeBlazerRiddem wrote:but its always the mental part of the game that separates the greats.
Might be my favorite part of his game. Calling defensive reads and telling teammates where to pass the ball, where to cut, gives them confidence to take their shots, and even during plays where the timing is off he pulls that player in to better get on the same page with them. I think before the year is over he'll have them working as well together as possible. Whether that means they have enough talent to do something special is yet to be seen. It does look like Ben will have them as well tied offensively as possible though before March comes around.
As much as I loathe his low hands on defense I do like the way he reads and disrupts movement during sets. You'll see him do something as small as recognize a set, see the cutter, and slide in the way to bump that cutter before getting back to his man just to disrupt the timing of the play. You don't get that level of awareness from kids his age. Most of the time you find kids just reacting because of what occurred not reading whats coming and reacting to that.
The IQ he's shown I think speaks to his day one impact potential in the league and I think its a HUGE reason why scouts and coaches in the league are so enamored with him. Every year there are a few genetic lottery winners in the draft. Rarely do you find one with an IQ this high. He'll need less teaching which leaves time for more skill development and should allow him to catch up to the game whilst giving whatever coach he lands with the comfort level to put Ben in the position to play his game.