Kekgeek grades G35 vs clippers

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kekgeek
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Kekgeek grades G35 vs clippers

Post by kekgeek »

Donte: A-
Ant: A+
Jaden: A
Randle: D+
Rudy: B+
Conley: B+
Naz: A-
Naw: B+
Minott: D-
Ingles: A+++++¥
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60WinTim
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Re: Kekgeek grades G35 vs clippers

Post by 60WinTim »

You didn't give yourself an A+!!!

And so the ASCENT begins! The Bulls beat the Spurs, and the Wolves move into 9th place with their win. Mike had a really good game coming off the bench, and even got crunch time minutes. It'll be nice if we start playing well enough that we are not always immersed in these tight games, starting in New Orleans.
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Q-is-here
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Re: Kekgeek grades G35 vs clippers

Post by Q-is-here »

Well deserved A by Jaden, who has now hit 8 out of 13 3's over his last three games. Him making those 3s is one of the reasons Ant got 8 assists tonight.
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60WinTim
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Re: Kekgeek grades G35 vs clippers

Post by 60WinTim »

NAZ 31 minutes, Randle 23 minutes. Hmmm....
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FNG
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Re: Kekgeek grades G35 vs clippers

Post by FNG »

Almost perfect grading, kek. Lots of well-deserved A's and B's. And well-deserved D's by Minott and Ju.

Curious about why you awarded NAW a B+. 1 for 5 shooting, 2 rebounds, assists and turnovers, and a -7. He's my favorite T-Wolf and was terrific on defense as usual, but he's in an offensive slump which continued tonight. I need to see more from NAW on the offensive end.
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60WinTim
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Re: Kekgeek grades G35 vs clippers

Post by 60WinTim »

Some interesting observations from post-game interviews on the starting lineup switch:

- It seems clear Finch is very sensitive to players' pedigrees and stature in the league. It sheds light on his reluctance to tinker with the starting lineup. He basically asked Mike's "permission" to bring him off the bench.

- The starting lineup switch is really a brilliant move. Randle is much more of a playmaker than KAT, and that bumped Mike down a spot in the playmaking role. So bringing Mike off the bench lets him play more like his normal self - a PG.

- DDV brings more pace to the starting lineup and is a bigger 3-point threat, at least in terms of volume, than Mike provides.

- DDV is very aggressive, which fits in well with ANT. He catches the ball and immediately either shoots, drives to make a play, or gets off the ball.

- Considering Mike is playing reduced minutes, and might sit out some back-to-backs. It is wise to contain those liabilities to the bench unit rather than the starting unit.

It's been frustrating it has take this long to get here. But the lack of results has forced Finchie to make the change. I am now convinced Randle is our starting PF as long as he is on the team. NAZ will just have to wait...
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Q-is-here
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Re: Kekgeek grades G35 vs clippers

Post by Q-is-here »

60WinTim wrote: Tue Jan 07, 2025 8:38 am Some interesting observations from post-game interviews on the starting lineup switch:

- It seems clear Finch is very sensitive to players' pedigrees and stature in the league. It sheds light on his reluctance to tinker with the starting lineup. He basically asked Mike's "permission" to bring him off the bench.

- The starting lineup switch is really a brilliant move. Randle is much more of a playmaker than KAT, and that bumped Mike down a spot in the playmaking role. So bringing Mike off the bench lets him play more like his normal self - a PG.

- DDV brings more pace to the starting lineup and is a bigger 3-point threat, at least in terms of volume, than Mike provides.

- DDV is very aggressive, which fits in well with ANT. He catches the ball and immediately either shoots, drives to make a play, or gets off the ball.

- Considering Mike is playing reduced minutes, and might sit out some back-to-backs. It is wise to contain those liabilities to the bench unit rather than the starting unit.

It's been frustrating it has take this long to get here. But the lack of results has forced Finchie to make the change. I am now convinced Randle is our starting PF as long as he is on the team. NAZ will just have to wait...
Tim, I agree this will be the only starting lineup change we'll see unless a trade happens and/or Finch gets fired. He's not going to bench Randle (and now it makes even less sense since you have just eliminated some of the overlap of he and Mike) and every time it seems like we should bench Jaden he re-discovers his shot just enough to give us hope and NAW cools off.
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FNG
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Re: Kekgeek grades G35 vs clippers

Post by FNG »

Some good comments here. In terms of lineup changes, I've been indifferent about whether to insert DiVo or Naz. My only goal was to get DiVo and Ju on the court together as much as possible since they work together well, and either shift gets this done.

Gobert is much maligned here for his bad hands and limited offensive game, but his offensive rebounds and tip backs to keep possessions going have been helpful. There is also a stat I found very telling: we are 4-12 this season when he has less than 7 shots, and 14-5 when he has 7 or more. He gets a lot of his shots on offensive rebounds, but as frustrating as lobs to him can sometimes be, we need to continue to try to connect. For one thing, Rudy is much more active on defense when he is involved in the offense, and his defense is still a key to our success.
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60WinTim
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Re: Kekgeek grades G35 vs clippers

Post by 60WinTim »

FNG wrote: Tue Jan 07, 2025 10:01 am Some good comments here. In terms of lineup changes, I've been indifferent about whether to insert DiVo or Naz. My only goal was to get DiVo and Ju on the court together as much as possible since they work together well, and either shift gets this done.

Gobert is much maligned here for his bad hands and limited offensive game, but his offensive rebounds and tip backs to keep possessions going have been helpful. There is also a stat I found very telling: we are 4-12 this season when he has less than 7 shots, and 14-5 when he has 7 or more. He gets a lot of his shots on offensive rebounds, but as frustrating as lobs to him can sometimes be, we need to continue to try to connect. For one thing, Rudy is much more active on defense when he is involved in the offense, and his defense is still a key to our success.
And I don't think enough can be said about Rudy's screens getting ANT and DDV open 3s.
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thedoper
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Re: Kekgeek grades G35 vs clippers

Post by thedoper »

60WinTim wrote: Tue Jan 07, 2025 10:18 am
FNG wrote: Tue Jan 07, 2025 10:01 am Some good comments here. In terms of lineup changes, I've been indifferent about whether to insert DiVo or Naz. My only goal was to get DiVo and Ju on the court together as much as possible since they work together well, and either shift gets this done.

Gobert is much maligned here for his bad hands and limited offensive game, but his offensive rebounds and tip backs to keep possessions going have been helpful. There is also a stat I found very telling: we are 4-12 this season when he has less than 7 shots, and 14-5 when he has 7 or more. He gets a lot of his shots on offensive rebounds, but as frustrating as lobs to him can sometimes be, we need to continue to try to connect. For one thing, Rudy is much more active on defense when he is involved in the offense, and his defense is still a key to our success.
And I don't think enough can be said about Rudy's screens getting ANT and DDV open 3s.
I had the same thought rewatching the highlights. I think the reality with this offense is if Jaden hits threes we are good. Ant has got to love the extra space he gets on the perimeter with Rudy's screens. We just cant afford 2 non shooters out there.
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