catmandoo
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Member # 1284
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posted 10-24-2017 06:38 PM
I know it’s several days in the rear-view mirror, but I want to offer a few observations on the Blue-White game last Friday. Since this is only a weekly column, I guess I’ll just have to settle for being a little behind the times on occasion.
Okay, what I liked:
•It’s trite by now, but I like our length. Length is useful in a number of ways, but mostly defensively and for rebounding. It’s one of those things that can only be leveraged with additional skill, though, and right now, a lot of that skill is not evident in this group.
•Perimeter shooting. It was better than I expected, although I’d hesitate to call it a strength at this point. We also saw several midrange shots go in, which is a vanishing skill.
•I liked our speed. No, this is no De’Aaron Fox/John Wall type speed, but we have some fast guys who can really run the floor.
•Flexibility. Yes, I know everybody and his brother has pointed this out, but I liked the ability to move pieces around to leverage matchups. That could turn out to be the most dangerous part of this team.
What I didn’t like:
•Ballhandling. It was generally poor. Yes, I know — that’s exactly what we’d expect to see at this point, but it’s never too early to emphasize the easy pass, avoid the home-run pass and avoid trying to dribble around everybody.
•Defensive intensity. Again, no surprise, young team, but it has to turn around fast.
•Point guard play. The point guards have to do a better job of getting the ball to people in good spots. That was a rare occurrence Friday.
Individually, I really liked Wenyen Gabriel’s energy, Kevin Knox’s offensive skill, and Nick Richards’ shot blocking. PJ Washington also impressed with his motor and fearlessness. Tai Wynyard and Sacha Killeya-Jones are both improved, but I wonder if they are improved enough to see significant minutes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a lot better than I thought, and I wasn’t aware he could run the point.
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