I know I'm late with this, but thought I'd offer a few observations anyway. Here are my five top observations from last night:
First, it was the best crowed to date. Looked like attendance was at least as good as the home opener, but more active and louder. It was a fun vibe, helped by the lopsided nature of the Wolves win.
Second, the main story of the game was how terrible the Sixers are. Yes, there were some noteworthy performances by some individual Wolves players and the team combined for a blowout win. But the Sixers are a bad team playing poorly last night.
Third, Wiggins played like a superstar. If it were just last night's game, I wouldn't extrapolate much from his performance. But he's been playing like a budding star through the first 11 games of the season. He broke through in the rebounding department last night, but he had already shown substantially improved ball-handling and passing before last night. And he had even shown signs of stepping up as a rebounder. As for his scoring, he's remarkably gifted in his ability to score prolifically and in multiple ways. As Wiggins said in a recent interview, he feels like the game has slowed down for him. I'm now prepared to change my view and state that he might be the best player on this team and could be headed for superstardome.
Fourth, it looked like KAT found his mojo in the second half. He finally just looked pissed and found the focus we saw from his last season. I know it was against less than stella opposition, but I got the sense that what we saw from him second half last night will continue the rest of the season.
Fifth, it's almost to the point where we have to admit that Payne has broken through. He came into the League with excellent length and athleticism along with some nice skills and a terrific motor. What he has seemed to lack is anything approaching an adequate basketball IQ. But perhaps he just needed more time than most. Or maybe it's the coaching of Thibs. Regardless of the cause, Payne is looking like he knows what he's doing out there on the court. And his physical gifts are starting the show themselves in some very solid play. What a tremendous bonus if this continues.
Those are my big five observations from last night. Now let's see if we can steal one in Memphis.
Game Report - Wolves v. Sixers
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longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]
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Re: Game Report - Wolves v. Sixers
Excellent thoughts, Lip...I think you captured the essence of the game.
I have to admit I am stunned by Wig this year...I know players often take a big leap their third year, but his has been unbelievable! And although he clearly has improved his shot and handle, those changes pale compared to the change in his attitude...he is a true Alpha Dog now. Gorgui has noticed it, if you saw his quote in the paper yesterday. He joked that Wig is better now because he is "awake" on the court. Wig responded by agreeing there were times when he hid in the corner last year and wasn't a factor. Not this year. Now he clearly wants to be the man. It will be interesting to see how he and KAT can coexist, because I think both now want to be the man...I hope it works.
As disappointed as I have been with KAT this year, I have never doubted his motor...if anything, he is more active on the floor than he was as a rookie. And when he plays inside like he did Thursday, he is an unstoppable force...even against a potentially elite defender like Embiid. I don't want KAT to abandon his outside game because he is a terrific shooter, but I want him inside 75% of the time...he can be so dominant there.
Philly has so many promising pieces, but you're right...they are terrible. I actually thought our perimeter defense was about the worst I have seen all year (some credit to Philly for good ball movement). I think they could have put up 110 points against us if they just made a few wide open shots...Thibs won't be happy reviewing the defense...gotta tighten that up, because our next opponent wont shoot like the Sixers.
Finally, Payner. I think we are all happy, as is Thibs, with his last three games...but also holding our breath waiting for the Payne of the last two years to emerge. But we also know that he has the pieces to be a very good performer: length, athleticism, motor and the ability to shoot from the outside...no wonder Flip was intrigued by him. He'll clearly continue to play a role while Bazz is out, but who knows what happens after Bazz is back. It may turn out to be a situational thing, with Thibs playing one or the other depending if the matchup dictates a taller or shorter lineup. Regardless, it's heartening to see him contributing so much and looking like the MSU Payne.
I have to admit I am stunned by Wig this year...I know players often take a big leap their third year, but his has been unbelievable! And although he clearly has improved his shot and handle, those changes pale compared to the change in his attitude...he is a true Alpha Dog now. Gorgui has noticed it, if you saw his quote in the paper yesterday. He joked that Wig is better now because he is "awake" on the court. Wig responded by agreeing there were times when he hid in the corner last year and wasn't a factor. Not this year. Now he clearly wants to be the man. It will be interesting to see how he and KAT can coexist, because I think both now want to be the man...I hope it works.
As disappointed as I have been with KAT this year, I have never doubted his motor...if anything, he is more active on the floor than he was as a rookie. And when he plays inside like he did Thursday, he is an unstoppable force...even against a potentially elite defender like Embiid. I don't want KAT to abandon his outside game because he is a terrific shooter, but I want him inside 75% of the time...he can be so dominant there.
Philly has so many promising pieces, but you're right...they are terrible. I actually thought our perimeter defense was about the worst I have seen all year (some credit to Philly for good ball movement). I think they could have put up 110 points against us if they just made a few wide open shots...Thibs won't be happy reviewing the defense...gotta tighten that up, because our next opponent wont shoot like the Sixers.
Finally, Payner. I think we are all happy, as is Thibs, with his last three games...but also holding our breath waiting for the Payne of the last two years to emerge. But we also know that he has the pieces to be a very good performer: length, athleticism, motor and the ability to shoot from the outside...no wonder Flip was intrigued by him. He'll clearly continue to play a role while Bazz is out, but who knows what happens after Bazz is back. It may turn out to be a situational thing, with Thibs playing one or the other depending if the matchup dictates a taller or shorter lineup. Regardless, it's heartening to see him contributing so much and looking like the MSU Payne.
Re: Game Report - Wolves v. Sixers
Thanks, Lip! But Payne still makes me nervous... ;-)
So here is an observation, and a question as to what people think Thibs will do going forward. Thibs used a 10-man rotation to start the season. He then switched to a 9-man rotation beginning with the Brooklyn game (Rush is the one who lost a spot in the rotation, or was that when he hurt his toe?).
So, when Bazz and Rush are back and available, does Thibs stick with the 9-man rotation, or go back to 10? And who is going to fill out the bottom of the rotation? The top 8 seem pretty set, leaving Bazz, Rush and Payne to claim that last one or two spots in the rotation. A clear advantage of a 9-man rotation with Payne is Wiggins gets minutes at the 2 and Belly gets minutes at the 3.
Any thoughts on whether Thibs goes 9-man or 10-man on his rotation? And which of those 3 players will be part of that rotation?
So here is an observation, and a question as to what people think Thibs will do going forward. Thibs used a 10-man rotation to start the season. He then switched to a 9-man rotation beginning with the Brooklyn game (Rush is the one who lost a spot in the rotation, or was that when he hurt his toe?).
So, when Bazz and Rush are back and available, does Thibs stick with the 9-man rotation, or go back to 10? And who is going to fill out the bottom of the rotation? The top 8 seem pretty set, leaving Bazz, Rush and Payne to claim that last one or two spots in the rotation. A clear advantage of a 9-man rotation with Payne is Wiggins gets minutes at the 2 and Belly gets minutes at the 3.
Any thoughts on whether Thibs goes 9-man or 10-man on his rotation? And which of those 3 players will be part of that rotation?
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Q12543 [enjin:6621299]
- Posts: 13844
- Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2013 12:00 am
Re: Game Report - Wolves v. Sixers
Thanks for the report Lip.
On Wiggins - I agree that it appears he has taken another major step forward. Don't forget that he actually did take a big step forward starting at about the halfway mark of last season. That's when he started hitting his 3's more consistently. He's obviously built upon that success.
On Towns - Hopefully he realizes that if this team has any hope of contending some day, you need more than one go-to guy. It's so much easier when the scoring burden can be shared among two or more guys capable of creating their own shot. I much prefer this model versus the Harden/Westbrook "everything is on my shoulders" model. It's also clear that Thibs is adamant that these two figure out how to play pick and roll with each other. I've never seen Wiggins make as good of a pass out of the PnR as I did the other night on that ally-oop to KAT.
On Payne - Let's give it just a little bit more time before declaring this a break through season for him! We've played a soft schedule and he hasn't had a lot of minutes.
If you look at our team stats on paper, you've just got to shake your head in disbelief:
Team Offensive Rating Rank - #2
Team Defensive Rating Rank - #22
Team Net Rating - +3.8
Record - 4-7
There isn't a single other team with a positive team net rating that is below .500 in W-L. In fact, there are multiple teams with a negative net rating playing at or above .500, including the Grizzlies, our next opponent.
This is 2013-14 all over again.....
On Wiggins - I agree that it appears he has taken another major step forward. Don't forget that he actually did take a big step forward starting at about the halfway mark of last season. That's when he started hitting his 3's more consistently. He's obviously built upon that success.
On Towns - Hopefully he realizes that if this team has any hope of contending some day, you need more than one go-to guy. It's so much easier when the scoring burden can be shared among two or more guys capable of creating their own shot. I much prefer this model versus the Harden/Westbrook "everything is on my shoulders" model. It's also clear that Thibs is adamant that these two figure out how to play pick and roll with each other. I've never seen Wiggins make as good of a pass out of the PnR as I did the other night on that ally-oop to KAT.
On Payne - Let's give it just a little bit more time before declaring this a break through season for him! We've played a soft schedule and he hasn't had a lot of minutes.
If you look at our team stats on paper, you've just got to shake your head in disbelief:
Team Offensive Rating Rank - #2
Team Defensive Rating Rank - #22
Team Net Rating - +3.8
Record - 4-7
There isn't a single other team with a positive team net rating that is below .500 in W-L. In fact, there are multiple teams with a negative net rating playing at or above .500, including the Grizzlies, our next opponent.
This is 2013-14 all over again.....
Re: Game Report - Wolves v. Sixers
Thanks for the report Lip.
One thought I had about the talk we have had on this board about Thibs vocal coaching during the game. I wondered if Thibs yelling stuff like "Go to work" and "Take em" hypes Towns up more than he already is which is speeding him up at times and making him also have that tunnel vision. Generally speaking Towns isn't a guy you have to dial back I think you have to slow him down. From reports of Lip and others Towns dad is pretty vocal during games so ultimately I would think Towns will be fine but that might also be a trigger a bit now too amping him up.
Let's remember this isn't the first time Payne has had a good stretch of games. Last year early on when his number was called he looked pretty solid also. My theory has been since that time that Payne may be a guy that needs a system to be successful as a relatively young player. Last year early on the Wolves played a controlled game based on defense first. When Payne played he slotted into a role that was pretty clear. I wanna say he started for KG a couple times. As the season went on things started to fall apart for him. Once the Wolves basically scrapped the vet defensive thing and went with let everybody loose and play thing...I don't think that was good for Payne. He gets too wild. That's my theory. I don't think a light has gone on as much as he may be benifitting from clear expectations of what he is supposed to do from this coaching staff. We will see if he keeps this up most of the season obviously he will deserve credit along with the coaching staff. I need to see a longer stretch of useful play. I'm pleased with what he has done so far but I remain skeptical that he has broken through. The fact that he is playing over Jordan Hill is fairly positive and it's funny how Thibs has basically played every young player possible (Rush has been hurt though) when so many people figured he would go with vets. It's great to have Payne playing not because of massive injuries and we may not cringe when he steps on the court. I suppose that's a pretty stunning development. Lol
One thought I had about the talk we have had on this board about Thibs vocal coaching during the game. I wondered if Thibs yelling stuff like "Go to work" and "Take em" hypes Towns up more than he already is which is speeding him up at times and making him also have that tunnel vision. Generally speaking Towns isn't a guy you have to dial back I think you have to slow him down. From reports of Lip and others Towns dad is pretty vocal during games so ultimately I would think Towns will be fine but that might also be a trigger a bit now too amping him up.
Let's remember this isn't the first time Payne has had a good stretch of games. Last year early on when his number was called he looked pretty solid also. My theory has been since that time that Payne may be a guy that needs a system to be successful as a relatively young player. Last year early on the Wolves played a controlled game based on defense first. When Payne played he slotted into a role that was pretty clear. I wanna say he started for KG a couple times. As the season went on things started to fall apart for him. Once the Wolves basically scrapped the vet defensive thing and went with let everybody loose and play thing...I don't think that was good for Payne. He gets too wild. That's my theory. I don't think a light has gone on as much as he may be benifitting from clear expectations of what he is supposed to do from this coaching staff. We will see if he keeps this up most of the season obviously he will deserve credit along with the coaching staff. I need to see a longer stretch of useful play. I'm pleased with what he has done so far but I remain skeptical that he has broken through. The fact that he is playing over Jordan Hill is fairly positive and it's funny how Thibs has basically played every young player possible (Rush has been hurt though) when so many people figured he would go with vets. It's great to have Payne playing not because of massive injuries and we may not cringe when he steps on the court. I suppose that's a pretty stunning development. Lol
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BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]
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Re: Game Report - Wolves v. Sixers
I know it was mentioned in the game thread but the two dunks by Zach (after the free throw miss) and KAT's move on Embiid were just sick. These 3 top guys can do a lot on offense and I'd like to see Zach attack (saved by the bell reference) the rim a little more, he does it so fluidly if he can hang on to the ball.
Re: Game Report - Wolves v. Sixers
60WinTim wrote:Thanks, Lip! But Payne still makes me nervous... ;-)
So here is an observation, and a question as to what people think Thibs will do going forward. Thibs used a 10-man rotation to start the season. He then switched to a 9-man rotation beginning with the Brooklyn game (Rush is the one who lost a spot in the rotation, or was that when he hurt his toe?).
So, when Bazz and Rush are back and available, does Thibs stick with the 9-man rotation, or go back to 10? And who is going to fill out the bottom of the rotation? The top 8 seem pretty set, leaving Bazz, Rush and Payne to claim that last one or two spots in the rotation. A clear advantage of a 9-man rotation with Payne is Wiggins gets minutes at the 2 and Belly gets minutes at the 3.
Any thoughts on whether Thibs goes 9-man or 10-man on his rotation? And which of those 3 players will be part of that rotation?
The fact that Rush hasn't been available for a while complicates things but I don't see anything that makes me think Bazz is gonna be on the outside looking in for bench minutes. His defense looks alright (relatively speaking for this poor defensive team) he isn't getting lit up and he has moved the ball this season compared to when he would just look for his shot most of the time. Keep in mind too he and Belly compliment each other offensively and they can switch defensively to a certain extent. There was one game recently a team switched PF onto Bazz because he was killing them. Bazz is a flawed player but he also can bring some unique things that makes him versatile. Many wondered if Tyus had earned the backup PG spot with his play without Rubio out but that didn't happen. I do think it will be interesting to see what Thibs does when he has everyone available. I think it's a bit encouraging that guys are not just playing through what seems like minor injuries.
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Coolbreeze44
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Re: Game Report - Wolves v. Sixers
I thought this was KAT's best game of the season. He was decisive and at times overpowering. Love the way he took on the Embiid challenge and really got over on him.
Speaking of Embiid, does anybody think this guy is going to stay healthy? He just looks like an injury waiting to happen. I'm betting he's one of those guys who just doesn't have the built-in instincts to avoid putting himself in harms way.
That knee is still bothering Zach. Something to watch for over the next few games.
Wig got on the offensive glass a little bit better. This is one of my two areas where i belileve he can easily improve. the other is getting steals. Hopefully as the game continues to slow down for him he starts to use his gifts in those areas. Funny there hasn't been any "Would You Trade Wiggins" threads lately.
I hope Thibs sticks with the 9 man rotation. But I think different players should occupy the 9 spots based on game flow. I like that we always have either Zach or Wig on the floor. In the 10 man rotation that wasn't the case.
Speaking of Embiid, does anybody think this guy is going to stay healthy? He just looks like an injury waiting to happen. I'm betting he's one of those guys who just doesn't have the built-in instincts to avoid putting himself in harms way.
That knee is still bothering Zach. Something to watch for over the next few games.
Wig got on the offensive glass a little bit better. This is one of my two areas where i belileve he can easily improve. the other is getting steals. Hopefully as the game continues to slow down for him he starts to use his gifts in those areas. Funny there hasn't been any "Would You Trade Wiggins" threads lately.
I hope Thibs sticks with the 9 man rotation. But I think different players should occupy the 9 spots based on game flow. I like that we always have either Zach or Wig on the floor. In the 10 man rotation that wasn't the case.
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Camden [enjin:6601484]
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Re: Game Report - Wolves v. Sixers
Wow, no mention of the real story from this game and the start to the season...
NIK STAUSKAS HAS COME ALIVE!
NIK STAUSKAS HAS COME ALIVE!
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longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]
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Re: Game Report - Wolves v. Sixers
Camden wrote:Wow, no mention of the real story from this game and the start to the season...
NIK STAUSKAS HAS COME ALIVE!
Haha...good point, but in all fairness, I think monster or someone mentioned Nik in the GDT. He's been good all year and exactly what Philly needs...at least on the offensive side of the ball (he's still dreadful on defense). Philly has the makings of a very good front line, but they are a horrible shooting team...and that's where Nik can help, and has helped. I think most of us knew he was too good a shooter to play as poorly as he did before this season.