lipoli390 wrote:D-Mac wrote:lipoli390 wrote:Overall, the Wolves looked slow and unathletic. They look very different from last season's Wolves team with Beverle and Vando. That doesn't mean this team can't be better than last season, but it means they'll have to play a different brand of basketball that will require far more precision and execution.
Edwards looked terrible on the offensive end. I might now worry if this were just one game, but he's looked ineffective and sluggish offensively throughout the preseason. Going into tonight's game he was hitting only 40% of his FG attempts and around 29% of his threes. He's been better on the defensive side of the ball, but I don't think he was as good defensively tonight as Q suggests. He got caught a lot in screens and was late on close outs a number of times. Draymond Green and others got it right when they said the Gobert deal made sense if Edwards takes a significant step forward. There's no evidence yet of Edwards taking a significant step forward. To the contrary, he's regressed. His last couple performances will light a fire under him. But perhaps he needs to lose the 10 pounds he put on. One of my concerns with the Gobert trade was that it was betting too much on the development of a player who just turned 21. It's way too early to panic, but Ant's preseason has given cause for concern.
Like Edwards, McDaniels has shown little sign of any major step forward. That's a problem for this team. But again, it's still too early to panic.
Gobert wasn't dominant defensively and that will have to change. But he was solid on the boards and offensively in the paint.
KAT and DLO were the bright spots tonight. I especially like the way KAT played. He's still getting his legs, but he looked quick and he showed he can guard the perimeter. I really liked his demeanor. He didn't whine or pout. He just went about his business. He was really active talking to and pumping up his teammates. He and Gobert conferred a lot on the court. I see some nice developing chemistry between the two. DLO was very solid tonight and has been solid throughout the preseason.
But tonight's game overall was troubling. The Wolves looked like a team that can't compete with the best teams in the League. The lack of ball movement on the offensive end was disgusting. It's something we saw the first half of last season. A lot of that was on Edwards tonight, but not all of it. What we saw tonight from the Wolves is totally unacceptable. If this sort of play continues, the Utah Jazz will have an extra lottery pick in the 2023 draft.
You know, I hate to say it, but I almost think Jaden needs to come off the bench. I think I would start the season with Prince at the 3. Something needs to change, but I can't put my finger on it. We can't have this much inconsistency from both starting wings. As much as I like Jaden I feel like we need a better outside shooting threat in the starting lineup now with Gobert. That's the jump that Jaden needed to make and so far he hasn't shown any improvement.
You might be right about that. I'd give McDaniels more time in the starting line up, but not a lot more time before having him come off the bench in favor of Prince. I just don't see the significant step forward in his game that we need to see from him.
I should that while I listed DLO as a bright spot, he had six turnovers and most of them were simply careless. That's not acceptable.
Thanks for that addendum, Lip. I was at the game last night and agree with a lot of what you reported, but not with your comment earlier that Russell was a bright spot. My big takeaway was the massive difference between the two teams' backcourts. Brooklyn played beautiful basketball. They moved the ball around and created open looks on a consistent basis...they were a joy to watch. The Wolves' starters in contrast, with Ant and DLo dribbling and 1-on-1ing all night, were really difficult to watch. Sure, Brooklyn is a terrific defensive team...everyone other than Irving in the starting lineup are excellent defenders. But how about just a little ball movement, Wolves backcourt...sheesh. Yes, Russell had 6 assists and shot the ball better than last season. But he also hogged the ball and had 6 stupid turnovers, and led an offense that was close to unwatchable while he was on the court...it was actually a relief when he and Ant sat down, and we got to see some better basketball by our very deep bench. Q has said it before, and I agree- DLo needs to be a facilitator and not have the second most shot attempts on the team, some of them horrible forced choices that on at least 2 occasions led to layups on the other end when he wasn't able to get back on defense. Poor ball movement, careless turnovers and uninspired defense led to DLo leading the team with a -17 in only 27 minutes...unacceptable.
And while the second unit played well, I thought the absence of JMac was a big factor last night. Finchie has shown us that he believes in JMac and won't be reluctant to turn to him when the offense stagnates like last night. I suspect that Finchie wouldn't have let our backcourt stay on the court for so long if he had a PG option he was more comfortable with. I'm confident that DLo will be better than he was last night once the regular season starts, and if not, that Finchie will not hesitate to give him the hook like he did in the final game of last season.
Some other thoughts:
1) Simmons didn't get many minutes due to fouls, but his 6 assists and lockdown defense led to an impressive +15 in his 13 minutes. He makes whomever he is guarding on defense irrelevant.
2) KAT, Forbes, Nowell and Ant didn't shoot well, but I know that won't happen often. KAT looked good and showed me he can play the PF position at both ends of the court (although admittedly he didn't have to worry too much about Simmons taking a shot).
3) I'm a big fan of Jaden...his length and footwork make him a very effective defender, and I'm never going to rip anyone for not being able to stop Durant. But I agree with D-loser...we should not consider him the certain starter at SF. If he continues to not hit the open 3 and foul too much, Finchie may have to consider Prince as a starter. I hope not, because I still see a lot of potential in Jaden.
4) Kyle Anderson might have been our best player tonight. His shot is never going to be reliable, but he was still able to score 11 points on only 6 shots, while also adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists with terrific defense.
All in all a very disappointing game after a 4-0 start. But the Nets are a very good team, and I'm confident DLo and Ant will have much improved games next Wednesday. Nothing...well, little to worry about here.
