“We Didn’t Play With Much Physicality.” | Chris Finch Postgame Sound | 11.15.23

3 Comments

1. Davey J 10 months ago

   The played us with the schedule the way the Timberwolves schedule is the league was in favor of other teams

2. Brendan Callery 10 months ago

   Tired legs or not, I would force Ant into as many high PNRs or double drag screens as my secondary guard/wing would be capable of running if I was an upcoming opponent, even if it's at the most elementary level. Atlanta and Phoenix may perhaps be part of the loud minority of teams with multiple PNR operators and/or incredible midrange-perimeter creators (Jaden is capable of guarding only so much on his own), but his inability to anticipate and then navigate screens stands atop the to-do list–both when on-ball and off-ball. Where Conley stars more as the pure sprinter (work load might've interfered with some of that tonight), the Suns are unique in that they can force the Wolves into relying on Ant's effectiveness in such actions guarding Booker or put him in harm's way with Durant.

   As Finch admitted a couple games back, there's only so much paint-funneling to Rudy they can achieve or live with, no matter how inclusive they become in their incorporating KAT-centric switches/coverages (those that tend to keep him as the low-man or allow him to set the "high wall" and recover) into the more traditional drop. Beyond greater physicality, I'm sure teams will start to better test the competence of their entire rotational defense–see if the bigs not named Rudy can withstand continual rotations ACROSS the half-court in addition to their tagging from the weakside corner. To be fair, they seem to have done a decent job once switched (although the actual process of switching has been brutal thus far); it might allow them to turn this into a moot point. Still, it would seem that a consistently trailing Ant has the potential to unravel much of what they look to establish–it'll be interesting to see how KAT, Naz, and Kyle fare with a larger sample size.

   Also, opponents would be wise to continue the trend of aggressively blitzing Ant when he and Rudy go PNR–beyond just having the big come up to the level of the screen. He's not yet quick enough with the pass to beat the help on the backend (but he has improved in situations that allow him to pull a soft double out laterally with his dribble, resulting in either Rudy dimes or the correct swing pass).

3. gritHouse Studios 10 months ago

   Back to backs when you travel is usually a loss, especially if you come from playing GS going into KD and Booker