Right now Pat is playing pretty well on both ends, but especially on defense. He just isn’t looking for shots for himself on offense right now. One of the encouraging things though is that it looks like he is being schemed differently now than at the beginning of the year. He is getting way more touches at the top of the arc and is more involved in the screen and roll actions. The problem is that regardless of how the defense is playing he is never looking to drive to the basket when he has the ball on the perimeter. He is immediately running and passing to the nearest guy. I get that some of these things are designed plays, but I would love for him to show some growth in recognizing the defense and trying to make a move on some of these occassions.
The other thing he obviously needs to work on are his finishing moves around the basket. He has definitely gotten a lot better here, but he still needs work. He used to get blocked every time he stepped into the paint, and now he still gets blocked a decent amount. He needs to pull out a euro or hesitation dunk or something just to give the defense something to think about.
But overall he is definitely showing a lot of improvement this year. I think he will definitely turn into more than just a 3 and D guy, but if he ever turns into a franchise cornerstone or not solely depends on how he develops his game and if he decides to take more possessions for himself.
guerillalegume
Love Pat. Wish he’d rebound more and attack the rim and pass less and wait…
In all seriousness I have seen him trending in the right direction. His season long stats are skewed by an abysmal start. But he’s looked better on both ends since late November.
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Pretty good analysis.
Right now Pat is playing pretty well on both ends, but especially on defense. He just isn’t looking for shots for himself on offense right now. One of the encouraging things though is that it looks like he is being schemed differently now than at the beginning of the year. He is getting way more touches at the top of the arc and is more involved in the screen and roll actions. The problem is that regardless of how the defense is playing he is never looking to drive to the basket when he has the ball on the perimeter. He is immediately running and passing to the nearest guy. I get that some of these things are designed plays, but I would love for him to show some growth in recognizing the defense and trying to make a move on some of these occassions.
The other thing he obviously needs to work on are his finishing moves around the basket. He has definitely gotten a lot better here, but he still needs work. He used to get blocked every time he stepped into the paint, and now he still gets blocked a decent amount. He needs to pull out a euro or hesitation dunk or something just to give the defense something to think about.
But overall he is definitely showing a lot of improvement this year. I think he will definitely turn into more than just a 3 and D guy, but if he ever turns into a franchise cornerstone or not solely depends on how he develops his game and if he decides to take more possessions for himself.
Love Pat. Wish he’d rebound more and attack the rim and pass less and wait…
In all seriousness I have seen him trending in the right direction. His season long stats are skewed by an abysmal start. But he’s looked better on both ends since late November.