lipoli390 wrote:Interesting comments from Finch about DLO. Sounds like the communication between the two is good. And Finch is rightly positive about how Gobert's presence should enhance DLO's offensive game. But Finch is also rightly concerned about DLO defensively in what will likely be a significantly different defensive scheme with Gobert:
"What have your conversations been like with D'Angelo? Chris Finch: Incredibly positive, of course. He's very excited, as all of our guys are. He knows how important a rolling big is to his game. ... One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year. So those are all things that come to mind initially when I think about it. But he's very excited. We feel like this gives us a chance, gives him a chance to get the best version of him, which is what you want." - via Chris Hine @ Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Does these comments by Finch suggest the defensive is changing or is it because they no longer have Beverly here to guard whichever best player? They aren't gonna be rolling out Edwards as their wing stopper and they shouldn't. As Cool has mentioned McDaniels will likely get minutes guarding a variety of players at times including PGs but without Beverly even if they play the exact same way they did last year yes Russell is gonna have to guard his position more. Finch has said multiple times he still wants to play an aggressive defense. That makes sense as you have Gobert, to some extent Towns and even McDaniels behind you. McDaniels (and maybe Prince too) likely playing less PF that's more guys guarding their "natural position" and that's another defensive upgrade for the wolves.
I do think the Wolves will play defense differently or play mor looks this year which they really didn't have the personnel to do last year.
lipoli390 wrote:Interesting comments from Finch about DLO. Sounds like the communication between the two is good. And Finch is rightly positive about how Gobert's presence should enhance DLO's offensive game. But Finch is also rightly concerned about DLO defensively in what will likely be a significantly different defensive scheme with Gobert:
"What have your conversations been like with D'Angelo? Chris Finch: Incredibly positive, of course. He's very excited, as all of our guys are. He knows how important a rolling big is to his game. ... One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year. So those are all things that come to mind initially when I think about it. But he's very excited. We feel like this gives us a chance, gives him a chance to get the best version of him, which is what you want." - via Chris Hine @ Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Does these comments by Finch suggest the defensive is changing or is it because they no longer have Beverly here to guard whichever best player? They aren't gonna be rolling out Edwards as their wing stopper and they shouldn't. As Cool has mentioned McDaniels will likely get minutes guarding a variety of players at times including PGs but without Beverly even if they play the exact same way they did last year yes Russell is gonna have to guard his position more. Finch has said multiple times he still wants to play an aggressive defense. That makes sense as you have Gobert, to some extent Towns and even McDaniels behind you. McDaniels (and maybe Prince too) likely playing less PF that's more guys guarding their "natural position" and that's another defensive upgrade for the wolves.
I do think the Wolves will play defense differently or play mor looks this year which they really didn't have the personnel to do last year.
There's no doubt DLO's role in the defense will change. That's what Finch told us: "One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year."
DLO will have to play on-ball defense more. He can't play the free safety role as much as he did last season. In football parlance, DLO will need to be more of a cornerback and that will expose his defensive weaknesses, i.e., lack of quickness, toughness and defensive intensity. Will he fight through screens and do so successfully? Will he be able to keep the many quick PGs in front of him effectively? Beverley could do that. I don't know if we can count on McDaniels to do that.
I'm resigned to him staying even though it caps how far they can go.
I want the season that guys who want their money put up. Then when it's time to discuss free agency, figure out how to avoid having McLaughlin as the starting PG somehow.
lipoli390 wrote:Interesting comments from Finch about DLO. Sounds like the communication between the two is good. And Finch is rightly positive about how Gobert's presence should enhance DLO's offensive game. But Finch is also rightly concerned about DLO defensively in what will likely be a significantly different defensive scheme with Gobert:
"What have your conversations been like with D'Angelo? Chris Finch: Incredibly positive, of course. He's very excited, as all of our guys are. He knows how important a rolling big is to his game. ... One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year. So those are all things that come to mind initially when I think about it. But he's very excited. We feel like this gives us a chance, gives him a chance to get the best version of him, which is what you want." - via Chris Hine @ Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Does these comments by Finch suggest the defensive is changing or is it because they no longer have Beverly here to guard whichever best player? They aren't gonna be rolling out Edwards as their wing stopper and they shouldn't. As Cool has mentioned McDaniels will likely get minutes guarding a variety of players at times including PGs but without Beverly even if they play the exact same way they did last year yes Russell is gonna have to guard his position more. Finch has said multiple times he still wants to play an aggressive defense. That makes sense as you have Gobert, to some extent Towns and even McDaniels behind you. McDaniels (and maybe Prince too) likely playing less PF that's more guys guarding their "natural position" and that's another defensive upgrade for the wolves.
I do think the Wolves will play defense differently or play mor looks this year which they really didn't have the personnel to do last year.
There's no doubt DLO's role in the defense will change. That's what Finch told us: "One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that But now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year."
DLO will have to play on-ball defense more. He can't play the free safety role as much as he did last season. In football parlance, DLO will need to be more of a cornerback and that will expose his defensive weaknesses, i.e., lack of quickness, toughness and defensive intensity. Will he fight through screens and do so successfully? Will he be able to keep the many quick PGs in front of him effectively? Beverley could do that. I don't know if we can count on McDaniels to do that.
McDaniels with his length and quickness can do a good job of keeping quick PG's in front of him. No one is perfect at it, not even Jrue Holiday can guard everyone without help. But it's a strength of Jadens. That's why you see him guarding the premier players. I'm not going out of my way to pick on DLO here, but this isn't a strength of his. He will struggle more often than not getting over screens. DLO will guard the least dangerous 1-3 on the floor. If we're forced to switch, other teams are going to get the matchups they want. So we need DLO to beat these screens.
lipoli390 wrote:Interesting comments from Finch about DLO. Sounds like the communication between the two is good. And Finch is rightly positive about how Gobert's presence should enhance DLO's offensive game. But Finch is also rightly concerned about DLO defensively in what will likely be a significantly different defensive scheme with Gobert:
"What have your conversations been like with D'Angelo? Chris Finch: Incredibly positive, of course. He's very excited, as all of our guys are. He knows how important a rolling big is to his game. ... One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year. So those are all things that come to mind initially when I think about it. But he's very excited. We feel like this gives us a chance, gives him a chance to get the best version of him, which is what you want." - via Chris Hine @ Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Does these comments by Finch suggest the defensive is changing or is it because they no longer have Beverly here to guard whichever best player? They aren't gonna be rolling out Edwards as their wing stopper and they shouldn't. As Cool has mentioned McDaniels will likely get minutes guarding a variety of players at times including PGs but without Beverly even if they play the exact same way they did last year yes Russell is gonna have to guard his position more. Finch has said multiple times he still wants to play an aggressive defense. That makes sense as you have Gobert, to some extent Towns and even McDaniels behind you. McDaniels (and maybe Prince too) likely playing less PF that's more guys guarding their "natural position" and that's another defensive upgrade for the wolves.
I do think the Wolves will play defense differently or play mor looks this year which they really didn't have the personnel to do last year.
There's no doubt DLO's role in the defense will change. That's what Finch told us: "One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that But now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year."
DLO will have to play on-ball defense more. He can't play the free safety role as much as he did last season. In football parlance, DLO will need to be more of a cornerback and that will expose his defensive weaknesses, i.e., lack of quickness, toughness and defensive intensity. Will he fight through screens and do so successfully? Will he be able to keep the many quick PGs in front of him effectively? Beverley could do that. I don't know if we can count on McDaniels to do that.
McDaniels with his length and quickness can do a good job of keeping quick PG's in front of him. No one is perfect at it, not even Jrue Holiday can guard everyone without help. But it's a strength of Jadens. That's why you see him guarding the premier players. I'm not going out of my way to pick on DLO here, but this isn't a strength of his. He will struggle more often than not getting over screens. DLO will guard the least dangerous 1-3 on the floor. If we're forced to switch, other teams are going to get the matchups they want. So we need DLO to beat these screens.
Cool - You're definitely not going out of your way to pick on DLO with your comment. It's just a fact, which Finch tacitly acknowledged, that DLO is not good at fighting through screens or staying in front of guard with his on-ball defense. I agree that McDaniels will have to carry the defensive load that Beverley carried last season. But Finch is obviously thinking that the Wolves will rely more on DLO's on-ball defense next season than they did last. So brace yourself.
lipoli390 wrote:Interesting comments from Finch about DLO. Sounds like the communication between the two is good. And Finch is rightly positive about how Gobert's presence should enhance DLO's offensive game. But Finch is also rightly concerned about DLO defensively in what will likely be a significantly different defensive scheme with Gobert:
"What have your conversations been like with D'Angelo? Chris Finch: Incredibly positive, of course. He's very excited, as all of our guys are. He knows how important a rolling big is to his game. ... One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year. So those are all things that come to mind initially when I think about it. But he's very excited. We feel like this gives us a chance, gives him a chance to get the best version of him, which is what you want." - via Chris Hine @ Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Does these comments by Finch suggest the defensive is changing or is it because they no longer have Beverly here to guard whichever best player? They aren't gonna be rolling out Edwards as their wing stopper and they shouldn't. As Cool has mentioned McDaniels will likely get minutes guarding a variety of players at times including PGs but without Beverly even if they play the exact same way they did last year yes Russell is gonna have to guard his position more. Finch has said multiple times he still wants to play an aggressive defense. That makes sense as you have Gobert, to some extent Towns and even McDaniels behind you. McDaniels (and maybe Prince too) likely playing less PF that's more guys guarding their "natural position" and that's another defensive upgrade for the wolves.
I do think the Wolves will play defense differently or play mor looks this year which they really didn't have the personnel to do last year.
There's no doubt DLO's role in the defense will change. That's what Finch told us: "One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that But now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year."
DLO will have to play on-ball defense more. He can't play the free safety role as much as he did last season. In football parlance, DLO will need to be more of a cornerback and that will expose his defensive weaknesses, i.e., lack of quickness, toughness and defensive intensity. Will he fight through screens and do so successfully? Will he be able to keep the many quick PGs in front of him effectively? Beverley could do that. I don't know if we can count on McDaniels to do that.
McDaniels with his length and quickness can do a good job of keeping quick PG's in front of him. No one is perfect at it, not even Jrue Holiday can guard everyone without help. But it's a strength of Jadens. That's why you see him guarding the premier players. I'm not going out of my way to pick on DLO here, but this isn't a strength of his. He will struggle more often than not getting over screens. DLO will guard the least dangerous 1-3 on the floor. If we're forced to switch, other teams are going to get the matchups they want. So we need DLO to beat these screens.
Agree 100%. I get the coach speak and all, but we can hide Dlo, he will make up for it on offense in one way shape or form, he's in a contract year.
I think counting on Dlo to become significantly faster and more hungry on the defensive end of the floor is wishful thinking. But can he learn more of the X's and O's of the team defensive concepts to be average defender...maybe?
He'll earn it on offense
He'll keep his head enough above water to play most matchup unless teams go 5 out offensive players where you can't hide him....but how many of those teams are there really anyways? And they still have to deal with our space jam line up on the other end...
lipoli390 wrote:Interesting comments from Finch about DLO. Sounds like the communication between the two is good. And Finch is rightly positive about how Gobert's presence should enhance DLO's offensive game. But Finch is also rightly concerned about DLO defensively in what will likely be a significantly different defensive scheme with Gobert:
"What have your conversations been like with D'Angelo? Chris Finch: Incredibly positive, of course. He's very excited, as all of our guys are. He knows how important a rolling big is to his game. ... One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year. So those are all things that come to mind initially when I think about it. But he's very excited. We feel like this gives us a chance, gives him a chance to get the best version of him, which is what you want." - via Chris Hine @ Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Does these comments by Finch suggest the defensive is changing or is it because they no longer have Beverly here to guard whichever best player? They aren't gonna be rolling out Edwards as their wing stopper and they shouldn't. As Cool has mentioned McDaniels will likely get minutes guarding a variety of players at times including PGs but without Beverly even if they play the exact same way they did last year yes Russell is gonna have to guard his position more. Finch has said multiple times he still wants to play an aggressive defense. That makes sense as you have Gobert, to some extent Towns and even McDaniels behind you. McDaniels (and maybe Prince too) likely playing less PF that's more guys guarding their "natural position" and that's another defensive upgrade for the wolves.
I do think the Wolves will play defense differently or play mor looks this year which they really didn't have the personnel to do last year.
There's no doubt DLO's role in the defense will change. That's what Finch told us: "One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that But now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year."
DLO will have to play on-ball defense more. He can't play the free safety role as much as he did last season. In football parlance, DLO will need to be more of a cornerback and that will expose his defensive weaknesses, i.e., lack of quickness, toughness and defensive intensity. Will he fight through screens and do so successfully? Will he be able to keep the many quick PGs in front of him effectively? Beverley could do that. I don't know if we can count on McDaniels to do that.
McDaniels with his length and quickness can do a good job of keeping quick PG's in front of him. No one is perfect at it, not even Jrue Holiday can guard everyone without help. But it's a strength of Jadens. That's why you see him guarding the premier players. I'm not going out of my way to pick on DLO here, but this isn't a strength of his. He will struggle more often than not getting over screens. DLO will guard the least dangerous 1-3 on the floor. If we're forced to switch, other teams are going to get the matchups they want. So we need DLO to beat these screens.
Agree 100%. I get the coach speak and all, but we can hide Dlo, he will make up for it on offense in one way shape or form, he's in a contract year.
I think counting on Dlo to become significantly faster and more hungry on the defensive end of the floor is wishful thinking. But can he learn more of the X's and O's of the team defensive concepts to be average defender...maybe?
He'll earn it on offense
He'll keep his head enough above water to play most matchup unless teams go 5 out offensive players where you can't hide him....but how many of those teams are there really anyways? And they still have to deal with our space jam line up on the other end...
Wally - If you agree with Cool 100%, then you agree with his comment that "we need DLO to beat these screens." In other words, let's hope the idea of DLO being more hungry on the defensive end isn't just wishful thinking. I don't expect DLO to get quicker; that's not going to happen. But DLO will need to be more aggressive fighting through screens to make sure this team achieves its full potential. If he doesn't, Finchy will need to plant him on the bench - something that Finch has already shown he's willing to do. One reason I don't want the Wolves to give DLO an extension is that I want him as fully motivated as possible. A contract year can be a big motivator, which can give Finch additional leverage.
lipoli390 wrote:Interesting comments from Finch about DLO. Sounds like the communication between the two is good. And Finch is rightly positive about how Gobert's presence should enhance DLO's offensive game. But Finch is also rightly concerned about DLO defensively in what will likely be a significantly different defensive scheme with Gobert:
"What have your conversations been like with D'Angelo? Chris Finch: Incredibly positive, of course. He's very excited, as all of our guys are. He knows how important a rolling big is to his game. ... One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year. So those are all things that come to mind initially when I think about it. But he's very excited. We feel like this gives us a chance, gives him a chance to get the best version of him, which is what you want." - via Chris Hine @ Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Does these comments by Finch suggest the defensive is changing or is it because they no longer have Beverly here to guard whichever best player? They aren't gonna be rolling out Edwards as their wing stopper and they shouldn't. As Cool has mentioned McDaniels will likely get minutes guarding a variety of players at times including PGs but without Beverly even if they play the exact same way they did last year yes Russell is gonna have to guard his position more. Finch has said multiple times he still wants to play an aggressive defense. That makes sense as you have Gobert, to some extent Towns and even McDaniels behind you. McDaniels (and maybe Prince too) likely playing less PF that's more guys guarding their "natural position" and that's another defensive upgrade for the wolves.
I do think the Wolves will play defense differently or play mor looks this year which they really didn't have the personnel to do last year.
There's no doubt DLO's role in the defense will change. That's what Finch told us: "One thing we might not be able to do as much is kind of play him off the ball [on defense] as much as we had done as a roamer. We don't need that But now. He's got to be a little more locked in. ... That's going to be a little different for him. His competitiveness on the ball, everyone might have to guard their natural position a little bit more than we had done in the last year."
DLO will have to play on-ball defense more. He can't play the free safety role as much as he did last season. In football parlance, DLO will need to be more of a cornerback and that will expose his defensive weaknesses, i.e., lack of quickness, toughness and defensive intensity. Will he fight through screens and do so successfully? Will he be able to keep the many quick PGs in front of him effectively? Beverley could do that. I don't know if we can count on McDaniels to do that.
McDaniels with his length and quickness can do a good job of keeping quick PG's in front of him. No one is perfect at it, not even Jrue Holiday can guard everyone without help. But it's a strength of Jadens. That's why you see him guarding the premier players. I'm not going out of my way to pick on DLO here, but this isn't a strength of his. He will struggle more often than not getting over screens. DLO will guard the least dangerous 1-3 on the floor. If we're forced to switch, other teams are going to get the matchups they want. So we need DLO to beat these screens.
Agree 100%. I get the coach speak and all, but we can hide Dlo, he will make up for it on offense in one way shape or form, he's in a contract year.
I think counting on Dlo to become significantly faster and more hungry on the defensive end of the floor is wishful thinking. But can he learn more of the X's and O's of the team defensive concepts to be average defender...maybe?
He'll earn it on offense
He'll keep his head enough above water to play most matchup unless teams go 5 out offensive players where you can't hide him....but how many of those teams are there really anyways? And they still have to deal with our space jam line up on the other end...
But that's my biggest fear, Wally, that DLo will try to maximize his points per game to "earn" his next contract. I agree that DLo can be very helpful on offense (not so much on defense unfortunately) if he plays within himself, focuses on facilitating the offense, and avoids hero ball. But every shot he takes at his substandard career 53.2 TS% instead of getting the ball to better options makes our offense less efficient. DLo is a smart player, so I think he knows how he can best help this team at both ends of the court...and when he forgets and starts reverting to "Bad DLo", we know Finchy will hold him accountable. But let's hope he understands the best way to earn his next contract is not jacking up off-balance shots and playing lazy defense. If he concentrates on getting the ball to his teammates, plays at least average defense, and takes the wide open shot when it's there, he has the potential to be a plus player. I'm skeptical, but excited enough about the guys around him to be hopeful.
This board spends far too much time discussing what D'Angelo Russell can't do or struggles at versus what he can do and does really well. Just in the last few comments I've seen mentions of how he can become a plus player when the reality is that he's been a plus player. Or how Russell will hold the team back somehow when by most measures the team was better with him than without him last year, and that was obvious with the eye test too. And that was while playing in an offense that didn't seem to maximize his surgical abilities as a pick-and-roll ball-handler. Given the roster additions, there should be much more excitement concerning him than the routine pessimism and doubt that this thread has become.
Camden wrote:This board spends far too much time discussing what D'Angelo Russell can't do or struggles at versus what he can do and does really well. Just in the last few comments I've seen mentions of how he can become a plus player when the reality is that he's been a plus player. Or how Russell will hold the team back somehow when by most measures the team was better with him than without him last year, and that was obvious with the eye test too. And that was while playing in an offense that didn't seem to maximize his surgical abilities as a pick-and-roll ball-handler. Given the roster additions, there should be much more excitement concerning him than the routine pessimism and doubt that this thread has become.
I agree with this. The way I have been thinking about this team since the trade is that Gobert, Kat, and Dlo is hypothetically a playoff team without considering Ant and Jaden. DLo won games for us last season and undoubtedly we will need him to win games for us this year. Having Ant and McDaniels as x-factors (even though in reality they are more than that) for the season is a nice treat, especially with Ant on the cusp of playing at an All star level last season into the playoffs. I feel like this team will be really good in the regular season, and even deep enough to weather a moderate injury or two. Dlo is a big part of that, I think he will be motivated for a contract in an even bigger way than last season.
