Bulls vs Pups GDT
Re: Bulls vs Pups GDT
kekgeek1 wrote:We are seeing what this offense could be
I agree, kek. KAT DLO and Edwards can provide a lot of offensive fire power. Naz can also put up points as can Beasley. And Finch is known as an offensive coach. There should be no doubt that coaching matters. And I like what we've seen from Finch so far.
Re: Bulls vs Pups GDT
lipoli390 wrote:kekgeek1 wrote:We are seeing what this offense could be
I agree, kek. KAT DLO and Edwards can provide a lot of offensive fire power. Naz can also put up points as can Beasley. And Finch is known as an offensive coach. There should be no doubt that coaching matters. And I like what we've seen from Finch so far.
I agree with what you have said. Wolves are now 4-4 in games that Dlo and Kat have played. In theory the combination of Dlo, Beasley. ANT, Kat and the improving mcdaniels or Naz should in theory should be really hard to stop offensively. The question will be can this team get consistent stops.
I will say I feel like Kat has taken a good step into becoming a solid defender this year what is huge. Dlo, Beasley and Ant all have potential to be solid defenders, hopefully that side of the ball clicks for those guys.
I did feel like they were more locked in on that end today. Even though the stats won't show it. Also Rubio said Finch got really mad at them for their slow starts this season. I love that Finch requires accountability. Hopefully wolves keep winning.
A-Rod and Lore in the building tomorrow
Re: Bulls vs Pups GDT
Kat and Dlo are 3rd and 4th in 4th quarter scoring in April...
Re: Bulls vs Pups GDT
I think it's also interesting Dlo continues to come off the bench. Will this continue to keep Rubio going strong. Will be interesting
Re: Bulls vs Pups GDT
D'Angelo Russell 4 games since returning from injury (missed 2 months)
26 mpg
24 ppg
48% FG
41% 3P
88% FT
The Timberwolves are 2-2 and own the highest offensive rating in the league when KAT and Dlo are on the court together https://t.co/4Q6eQTKsKD
26 mpg
24 ppg
48% FG
41% 3P
88% FT
The Timberwolves are 2-2 and own the highest offensive rating in the league when KAT and Dlo are on the court together https://t.co/4Q6eQTKsKD
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SameOldNudityDrew
- Posts: 3127
- Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2013 12:00 am
Re: Bulls vs Pups GDT
Just finished watching on League Pass. Nice win. We seemed to almost give it away there down the stretch with all those turnovers, but it's great to see us pull out a win from another one of these close games. Good to see a few different guys step up and play well tonight.
The guy I was watching a lot was Okogie. We always put him on the opposing team's best scorer and sometimes it doesn't work out so great, as that Tatum game proves. But he definitely did make Zach work for his points last night. It's just such a shame he can't hit 3 pointers at even a halfway decent clip. If he could do that, he could really be a valuable role player. But as it is, it's tough to see a role for him moving forward. What do you guys think?
The guy I was watching a lot was Okogie. We always put him on the opposing team's best scorer and sometimes it doesn't work out so great, as that Tatum game proves. But he definitely did make Zach work for his points last night. It's just such a shame he can't hit 3 pointers at even a halfway decent clip. If he could do that, he could really be a valuable role player. But as it is, it's tough to see a role for him moving forward. What do you guys think?
Re: Bulls vs Pups GDT
SameOldNudityDrew wrote:Just finished watching on League Pass. Nice win. We seemed to almost give it away there down the stretch with all those turnovers, but it's great to see us pull out a win from another one of these close games. Good to see a few different guys step up and play well tonight.
The guy I was watching a lot was Okogie. We always put him on the opposing team's best scorer and sometimes it doesn't work out so great, as that Tatum game proves. But he definitely did make Zach work for his points last night. It's just such a shame he can't hit 3 pointers at even a halfway decent clip. If he could do that, he could really be a valuable role player. But as it is, it's tough to see a role for him moving forward. What do you guys think?
There are no easy answers with Josh, Drew, because of his offensive limitations. But he clearly has Finch's confidence, so I expect we will continue to see him starting and guarding the opponent's best wing. I thought he was terrific on Zach last night. Zach had a great game (man is he fun to watch!), but very few of his points came when Josh was on him. The Bulls made a nice adjustment at halftime and forced Josh to switch off of Zach on most of their second half possessions, and whoever ended up on Zach was not nearly as successful as Josh.
Josh's offense has quietly improved in his last 10 games. He appears to not be forcing things, and his numbers reflect this...he's making 44% of his shots and 33% of his threes, along with 90% of his free throws. Not great offensive numbers, but acceptable considering his effective work on the defensive end. Is the improvement a mirage? We should have plenty of opportunity to evaluate, because it appears Finch wants him in the starting lineup.
Re: Bulls vs Pups GDT
kekgeek1 wrote:I think it's also interesting Dlo continues to come off the bench. Will this continue to keep Rubio going strong. Will be interesting
Yeah, that will be the interesting question. DLO has thrived coming off the bench since his return, but can he embrace this role? DLO and Rubio's offensive ratings as starters compared to coming off the bench are mirror images of each other, and quite revealing:
DLO as a starter: 104
Rubio as a starter: 116
DLO as a reserve: 124
Ricky as a reserve: 97
So DLO's offensive rating is 20 points better coming of the bench, and Ricky's is 19 better starting. Now, minutes played with Towns are always a factor (KAT was not playing when DLO was starting), but still Finch's current rotation seems to be working. I suspect DLO will return to starting once Finch removes his minutes limitation, and we have to hope his terrific offensive play continues when that happens.
Re: Bulls vs Pups GDT
Really fun game and a great win! It's a treat to watch Zach for 36 minutes. He's a much improved player from the guy we had in Minnesota...much more efficient scorer and better passer, and even (gasp!) more engaged on defense. Peterson commented that Zach's shot "sounds" different when it cleanly goes through the net, and I would add that even the way he moves on the court is more fluid than almost anyone else. He is such an extraordinary athlete and scorer, and still only 26 years old.
But the Wolves were the better team tonight, led by several outstanding performances:
Russell: Dlo was terrific tonight. I thought he played an almost perfect offensive game. He forced nothing from the outside, and showed again what an efficient scorer he can be when he lets the game come to him. Beyond the arc, mid-range, getting to the line, and passing were all great tonight. Defense is still a work in process, but he matches up better with the Bulls' Zach-oriented offense which doesn't exploit his poor rotation...the Bulls just don't move the ball around the perimeter well, but instead focus on getting Zach open. It was interesting to see Finch play Dlo at PG for almost all his minutes. That would not be my first choice, but it sure worked tonight. I rag on Dlo for consistently being a minus player on the court because of his horrible defense, so let me point out that he was a +2 tonight...keep it up, D'Angelo!
Towns: What can you say...27/12/8 with two blocks and totally outplaying Vukevic all game. Dlo and Rubio gave him easy looks all night, and helped him get his 27 points on just 15 shots. I think we'd all like to see KAT with more than 15 shots, but his 8 free throws tell us he actually had 19 shots...an adequate usage for him. Others have mentioned his improved defense, and it was clearly a factor in his +9 tonight.
Rubio: Rubio is on an incredible streak with 23 assists and NO turnovers in his past three games. Coaches say turnovers can be a 4-point swing, because they so often result in a fast break basket for the opponent in addition to a lost opportunity on offense, and Ricky's refusal to turn the ball over has a lot to do with his once again team-leading +17. I'm going to ignore his 5 for 6 3-point shooting because it's clearly an outlier for the shooting-impaired Ricky, but making those shots really opens up the passing lanes for him. 17/9/4 and another terrific game.
Reid: A mixed game for Naz. You gotta love his offensive game...already good but seemingly still getting better. This guy can score...accurate 3-point shooter, the ability to put the ball on the floor, and some veteran post moves. But you can't help but notice the overall drop off in other aspects when he subs in for Towns. He is horrible at blocking out and accordingly a terrible rebounder, only an average defender at best, and not very accomplished at passing. It's still a luxury to have such a potent scorer backing up your best player, but we can't expect him to be anything close to KAT.
All in all, a really fun win. We're still not winning regularly, but I like the direction Finch has us going.
But the Wolves were the better team tonight, led by several outstanding performances:
Russell: Dlo was terrific tonight. I thought he played an almost perfect offensive game. He forced nothing from the outside, and showed again what an efficient scorer he can be when he lets the game come to him. Beyond the arc, mid-range, getting to the line, and passing were all great tonight. Defense is still a work in process, but he matches up better with the Bulls' Zach-oriented offense which doesn't exploit his poor rotation...the Bulls just don't move the ball around the perimeter well, but instead focus on getting Zach open. It was interesting to see Finch play Dlo at PG for almost all his minutes. That would not be my first choice, but it sure worked tonight. I rag on Dlo for consistently being a minus player on the court because of his horrible defense, so let me point out that he was a +2 tonight...keep it up, D'Angelo!
Towns: What can you say...27/12/8 with two blocks and totally outplaying Vukevic all game. Dlo and Rubio gave him easy looks all night, and helped him get his 27 points on just 15 shots. I think we'd all like to see KAT with more than 15 shots, but his 8 free throws tell us he actually had 19 shots...an adequate usage for him. Others have mentioned his improved defense, and it was clearly a factor in his +9 tonight.
Rubio: Rubio is on an incredible streak with 23 assists and NO turnovers in his past three games. Coaches say turnovers can be a 4-point swing, because they so often result in a fast break basket for the opponent in addition to a lost opportunity on offense, and Ricky's refusal to turn the ball over has a lot to do with his once again team-leading +17. I'm going to ignore his 5 for 6 3-point shooting because it's clearly an outlier for the shooting-impaired Ricky, but making those shots really opens up the passing lanes for him. 17/9/4 and another terrific game.
Reid: A mixed game for Naz. You gotta love his offensive game...already good but seemingly still getting better. This guy can score...accurate 3-point shooter, the ability to put the ball on the floor, and some veteran post moves. But you can't help but notice the overall drop off in other aspects when he subs in for Towns. He is horrible at blocking out and accordingly a terrible rebounder, only an average defender at best, and not very accomplished at passing. It's still a luxury to have such a potent scorer backing up your best player, but we can't expect him to be anything close to KAT.
All in all, a really fun win. We're still not winning regularly, but I like the direction Finch has us going.