Our team is legit, although rebounding might be a problem (again). Not sure why we don’t box out. We need to build good habits early.
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– AD: Daring him to shoot, and he’s taking them with confidence. Love it. He should set his feet because bc he rushed one and it was way off.
– Rui: Not as aggressive taking it to the basket this game. Kinda settled.
– DLO: Still playing good D (nice block on Beasley), and did all of his work closer to the basket. Multi dimensional.
– Prince: Quality role player – hit 3s, played decent defense.
– Max: Shot looks so smooth. Mechanics are on point. But on several occasions, Max seems to have made up his mind (take a jump shot) and got it blocked or rushed.
– Hayes: Had some highlight plays (2 blocks and dunk) – did a good job. Showed some passing vision – better IQ than I expected.
– Wood: Kinda surprised to see him start over Hayes. Played meh.
– Cam: Had a good game – looked more comfortable. Good on ball D and smooth on offense. If he’s going to play like this, competition for PT will be intense.
Rooks: Got smoked but showed resilience down the stretch.
– Pippen : showed some tenacity when turnover and immediate steal.
– Hodge: showing something more than 3 – nice touch around rim and through contact.
– Castleton: I continue to be impressed by Castleton, especially his defense, handles, and IQ. His shot needs work – should perfect a FT line middie.
– Maxwell: Confidence showing through his shot.
by LearnedToe
15 Comments
Wood is fat, give him a month
I like Wood+AD two big lineup. The opponent was Giannis and Lopez, the best two big lineup in nba rn so it was a little overwhelming but I loved the concept
I though Connaughton might be their fifth start but he was playing in the fourth against our G-Leaguers
Pippen isn’t a rookie.
I’ve been very low on Cam, and while I think he still has a lot to work on I was happy with what I saw today. Good PoA defense and competed hard on the boards. Biggest issue is he has too much confidence on offense and tries to do too much. If he settles in on that end a bit he might actually be a valuable piece.
AD again showing he is the team’s MVP
Hayes continues surprising me. He is such an intelligent passer finding the open man, grabs some boards, blocks some shots, back to back posterizing guys.
We still lack a PG to make better use of guys like Davis and Hayes. They should receive at least a couple of lob passes every game. It is annoying how our PG almost always choose a bounce pass for guys that can catch the ball higher than most defenders can reach.
SPJ makes us feel like Fino was on the court … I actually missed Fino, he at least is a better passer.
Cam showing he what’s he’s capable of and Christie still needs more time he’s missing shots or making turnovers.
Pippen kept getting fouled at the end. It was kind of hilarious how many times he was on the floor. That Hayes dunk was sick. He had some really good highlights.
Jaxon Hayes was impressive. Passing the ball out to shooters off of offensive rebounds on a team with shooters now? I like that guy
Kept it close with Lebron, Reaves, Vando, and Vincent all out for us. Middleton was out for them but still not bad
Castleton’s IQ doesn’t feel like a rookie but his body is. Hopefully he makes it to the rotation next year.
Random thought:
I understand this is preseason and it is fun to see the Southbay squad out there. But should we get our actual bench some run in closing out games?
I think AD, Bron, Reaves, Rui, Dlo and even Vando are okay not getting heavy minutes. We know what they are about.
But in my opinion, it would benefit Gabe, Max, Taurean, Wood and Jax (or Reddish) some 4th quarter, end of game minutes. They are all new to Ham’s system and the more reps they get playing the system and together should develop the chemistry much faster in minutes that matter (even in preseason).
Against the Bucks, we still saw guys like Cam Payne and Pat closing the game and running their system. Perhaps Ham should look at this in the next game.
Maxwell’s potential is insane imo. Uber athletic 3&D wing with some shot creation.
IMHO Wood has been awful the entire pre season. I genuinely hope it’s rust and some nerves contributing to it but damn it’s been pretty bad
they look great, only will get better, just stay healthty