Iowa Wolves

[Q-is-here]

Q, I'm also intrigued by Clark's potential. And I get the Josh Okogie comparison. But I question your conclusion that he would not fit as well here as Okogie does in Phoenix. You talk about Phoenix's Big Three and their shooting prowess, and I agree they are very good at 46%, 39% and 37% on threes. But KAT, Bite Bite, and Ant are currently 45%, 44% and 38% on threes. As a team the Wolves have a better 3-point percentage and overall percentage than the Suns...we are a very good shooting team this season. I agree that we can't expect much from Clark in terms of shooting (although it would be nice to be surprised), but his defense could be a nice late season addition. Perhaps he could be a nice back up to Conley with sharpshooters like KAT, Naz, and Ant on the court with him.

Well, one of the reasons the Suns don't do as well in the 3-point metrics is BECAUSE of Okogie. Otherwise, they can trot out Beal, Booker, Gordon, Allen, and Durant in various lineups. Sorry, but that group of shooters scares me way more than anything the Wolves field, mostly because KAT prefers to drive more than shoot and Ant isn't too much different. Even Conley is a low-ish volume 3-point shooter. He isn't a flame thrower that can just rise up in a defender's face.

And whose minutes would he take? JMac's? Do you really think Finch is going to put more trust in a rookie non-PG to play PG than JMac? And certainly not NAW which is who we hope Jaylen Clark becomes over the next couple of years.

Clark should be promptly sent to the G-League, where hopefully they don't ruin his development! Ultimately, I see him as growing into a 3rd string SG/SF that can eventually replace NAW as a 2nd stringer if he moves on to greener pastures.

[Q-is-here]

Watched the Iowa squad again tonight, woo-hoo!

Actually, this was a hell of a game where they stormed back from behind and won it late.

Leonard Miller - Had a big night with 31 points and 13 rebounds. I have to admit, he was probably the best player on the floor. He was an absolute train wreck defensively to start the game, but eventually Iowa went to more of a switching scheme and he seemed to do better in that. I think that he just doesn't understand pick and roll defensive schemes as the big and also gives up on plays at times. But if guarding a guy one on one, he does better. Offensively, he was really good, scoring in a bunch of different ways. His jumper is looking better and he got a lot of buckets crashing the offensive glass and in transition. I view him as more of a PF than a C even though he plays C for Iowa. Let's just say he'd make Naz Reid look like an All-NBA defender in comparison. And in fact, these two have quite a lot of overlap in that they are both better suited at the 4 than the 5 and are more offensively-oriented.

Josh Minott - had a good game of 20 points, 8 boards, and 3 assists. Once again not very good defensively and a little out of control at times on offense. He made a couple of 3s which was good to see.

Wendell Moore Jr. - He came off the bench for Iowa tonight. Ouch. However, he brought some welcomed defensive intensity after a terrible first stint by the starters. And in the second half he was part of the group that came from behind and closed the game out.

Tyrese Martin - Solid, solid player. Really good rebounder for his position - had 8 boards tonight to go along with 5 assists and 14 points. Lacks burst and athleticism, which makes it hard for him to create his own shot. He's just under the threshold of competent outside shooting that I think could earn him a spot on an NBA roster, including ours. His jumper looks smooth, but he just doesn't make it at a high enough rate.

DJ Carton - Like Martin, just a solid G-League player. Leads the team in minutes played, doesn't make many mistakes, and can score if he has to. He tends to get the ball to others in the first half before asserting himself more as the game progresses. He had 16 points tonight on only 8 shots to go along with 6 assists, 2 steals, and just 1 turnover.

[Lipoli390]

Watched the Iowa squad again tonight, woo-hoo!

Actually, this was a hell of a game where they stormed back from behind and won it late.

Leonard Miller - Had a big night with 31 points and 13 rebounds. I have to admit, he was probably the best player on the floor. He was an absolute train wreck defensively to start the game, but eventually Iowa went to more of a switching scheme and he seemed to do better in that. I think that he just doesn't understand pick and roll defensive schemes as the big and also gives up on plays at times. But if guarding a guy one on one, he does better. Offensively, he was really good, scoring in a bunch of different ways. His jumper is looking better and he got a lot of buckets crashing the offensive glass and in transition. I view him as more of a PF than a C even though he plays C for Iowa. Let's just say he'd make Naz Reid look like an All-NBA defender in comparison. And in fact, these two have quite a lot of overlap in that they are both better suited at the 4 than the 5 and are more offensively-oriented.

Josh Minott - had a good game of 20 points, 8 boards, and 3 assists. Once again not very good defensively and a little out of control at times on offense. He made a couple of 3s which was good to see.

Wendell Moore Jr. - He came off the bench for Iowa tonight. Ouch. However, he brought some welcomed defensive intensity after a terrible first stint by the starters. And in the second half he was part of the group that came from behind and closed the game out.

Tyrese Martin - Solid, solid player. Really good rebounder for his position - had 8 boards tonight to go along with 5 assists and 14 points. Lacks burst and athleticism, which makes it hard for him to create his own shot. He's just under the threshold of competent outside shooting that I think could earn him a spot on an NBA roster, including ours. His jumper looks smooth, but he just doesn't make it at a high enough rate.

DJ Carton - Like Martin, just a solid G-League player. Leads the team in minutes played, doesn't make many mistakes, and can score if he has to. He tends to get the ball to others in the first half before asserting himself more as the game progresses. He had 16 points tonight on only 8 shots to go along with 6 assists, 2 steals, and just 1 turnover.

Love these reports you’re providing, Q. Thanks! After watching Carton again, do you think he’d be an upgrade over JMac at PG?

[Q-is-here]

Lip, Hard to say if Carton would be an upgrade over McLaughlin. Their G-League stats aren't all that different from each other actually. I think McLaughlin is a bit more of a sneaky steals guy defensively, with Carton having a slight edge as a scorer. But both are more "game manager" type PGs.

Miller truly does seem to have the most potential down there. I had forgotten the fact that he just turned 20 two months ago, so it's kind of crazy how young he is. It's just tough to see him getting minutes on the big league squad anytime in the near future because our defense would just implode with him on the floor.

[Q-is-here]

DJ Carton with a standout performance last night for the Iowa Wolves. 9-11 from the field, including 5-7 from 3 and ended up with 26 points. Also dealt out 7 assists and was a +3 on a night they lost.

He has quite the mid-range game to go along with solid 3-point shooting.

[Carlos Danger]

DJ Carton with a standout performance last night for the Iowa Wolves. 9-11 from the field, including 5-7 from 3 and ended up with 26 points. Also dealt out 7 assists and was a +3 on a night they lost.

He has quite the mid-range game to go along with solid 3-point shooting.

Leonard Miller had 17 rebounds that game too. Here is the box:
https://gleague.nba.com/game/iwa-vs-tex ... =box-score

[kekgeek]

Wolves blow a huge lead and lose. Look at this bullshit effort from miller with the game on the line.

https://x.com/y0leo/status/175292615413 ... _u6IL2a9cQ

This was also against his former team who is winless on the year.

[Q-is-here]

Wolves blow a huge lead and lose. Look at this bullshit effort from miller with the game on the line.

https://x.com/y0leo/status/175292615413 ... _u6IL2a9cQ

This was also against his former team who is winless on the year.

It is just totally unacceptable. I've watched entire games recently and this is pretty typical of him on defensive possessions. He is a very highly skilled offensive player and athlete, albeit a little awkward at times. In this same game he scored 25 points and pulled down 19 rebounds, but none of that matters if you completely implode a defense with a lack of understanding and effort. He was a -10 in this game. Leave his ass in Iowa until he grows the eff up. My God, can you imagine the frustration by Gobert if he had to play next to this guy?

[kekgeek]

Wolves blow a huge lead and lose. Look at this bullshit effort from miller with the game on the line.

https://x.com/y0leo/status/175292615413 ... _u6IL2a9cQ

This was also against his former team who is winless on the year.

It is just totally unacceptable. I've watched entire games recently and this is pretty typical of him on defensive possessions. He is a very highly skilled offensive player and athlete, albeit a little awkward at times. In this same game he scored 25 points and pulled down 19 rebounds, but none of that matters if you completely implode a defense with a lack of understanding and effort. He was a -10 in this game. Leave his ass in Iowa until he grows the eff up. My God, can you imagine the frustration by Gobert if he had to play next to this guy?

He sort of reminds me of pre draft Ant. So much talent but does he actually want it. This is a terrible team for him also if he does want minutes long term if the effort does not improve. I’m ok with him being a sub par defender like Naz is, but effort on a team with this identity is not acceptable

[Lipoli390]

Wolves blow a huge lead and lose. Look at this bullshit effort from miller with the game on the line.

https://x.com/y0leo/status/175292615413 ... _u6IL2a9cQ

This was also against his former team who is winless on the year.

It is just totally unacceptable. I've watched entire games recently and this is pretty typical of him on defensive possessions. He is a very highly skilled offensive player and athlete, albeit a little awkward at times. In this same game he scored 25 points and pulled down 19 rebounds, but none of that matters if you completely implode a defense with a lack of understanding and effort. He was a -10 in this game. Leave his ass in Iowa until he grows the eff up. My God, can you imagine the frustration by Gobert if he had to play next to this guy?

He sort of reminds me of pre draft Ant. So much talent but does he actually want it. This is a terrible team for him also if he does want minutes long term if the effort does not improve. I’m ok with him being a sub par defender like Naz is, but effort on a team with this identity is not acceptable

Pre-draft Ant never looked nearly as disinterested in defense or as bereft of effort as Miller has looked. I think the better Miller comparisons are Wes Johnson and Derrick Williams. Miller’s talent is tremendous, but when you’re battling for attention in the G-League and you give the kind of effort we’ve seen from him multiple times, you can’t help but have profound doubts about his future. Effort isn’t something you learn; it’s something that comes from deep in your character.