timvp
07-16-2008, 08:06 AM
I got a couple PM requests so here's some quick thoughts . . .
Overall, the Spurs were really ugly to watch offensively. There were a few points when the Spurs summer league team looked decent offensively, but those points were few and far between. Their defense was decent but they missed a lot of perimeter rotations. The Spurs ended up losing the game 76-68 against the New Orleans Hornets.
-George Hill really struggled offensively. He went 0-for-10 from the field and hit only half of his free throws. His major problem right now offensively is finishing at the rim. He doesn't get much elevation and doesn't have much touch near the rim. That's probably due to playing against inferior talent in college, so Hill will have to learn how to finish against athletic bigs. His point guard skills weren't as impressive as his first game out. Defensively, Hill tries hard and can sometimes be really good at that end. Other times, he gets blown by and fouls too much. There's really no way to consider this game anything other than a disappointment. He didn't look like someone ready to be in the rotation for an NBA championship level team. That said, there are a lot more summer league games to be played so he has plenty of time to redeem himself. Thinking Hill could go from a shooting guard at IUPUPIUIPIUI to being a good point guard in an NBA summer league right off the bat was probably asking too much. It should also be noted that Hill was wearing an elbow brace (or at least some padding) for the first three quarters before taking it off for the fourth quarter. We'll see if that's an injury that could slow him down.
-Ian Mahinmi didn't play well. His post moves were slow and deliberate. The Hornets were able to easily shut him down a number of times. His robotic nature really stood out against an NBA caliber player in Hilton Armstrong. Defensively, Mahinmi was decent. Not spectacular but he usually made the right rotation. Part of the problem for Mahinmi is he's not getting many good looks. He went 2-for-9 in this game and almost every shot was contested. The Spurs need to do a better job of giving him the ball in spaces he can operate. So far in summer league, Mahinmi's lack of coordination has been disappointing. He almost murdered himself when he stole a pass and tried to go coast to coast. The good news is that Mahinmi does still look like he has good potential. If he can get in a rhythm offensively, I think he can go from looking like D-League fodder to looking ready for an NBA rotation rather quickly. The talent is there, he just needs to get rolling.
-James Gist was the best player on the floor tonight for the Spurs. By far. Offensively, he finished powerfully around the basket. When he's near the rim, he's going to go up and dunk it. Even more impressively, Gist drained two long jumpers, including a three-pointer. His stroke looks really smooth for a guy who spent so much time around the basket at college. Defensively, Gist has very good energy, plus he hustles endlessly. He had 14 points and 11 rebounds in only 27 minutes. I'm not sure if we're just seeing Gist at his best or if he's really this good. If this is how good he really is, Gist is going to be a major steal. Very good athlete at almost 6-foot-9 with a hustling, aggressive nature who can shoot from the outside? Yeah, I'll take that for a late second rounder. (Note: The box score gave him five turnovers but I think that's an error. I remember two or three but I'm guessing the score keeper mixed him and Mahinmi up a few times.)
-Malik Hairston looked better but still didn't look too impressive. He drove to the hoop and finished nicely a couple times. He has good elevation and hang time around the basket. It'd be good to see him hit a few jumpers to get his confidence going. Defensively, I have been extremely underwhelmed. He blatantly didn't hustle a few times on that end of the court. If he pulled that on a Pop coached team, he'd be so far in the dog house he'd need a road map to find his way back out. Hairston doesn't look much like an NBA player at this point ... but again, there's still time.
-Anthony Tolliver is the only player on the team who is consistently knocking down jumpers. He started at power forward and had a solid game. His lack of size hurts him defensively but he competes very well on that end of the court. If he keeps shooting like this and he proves he's big enough to play power forward, he's definitely a player to take a closer look at in preseason.
-Devin Green had some good moments and his statline looks pretty decent but he still doesn't look like a legitimate NBA player. He's basically a Jeremy Richardson clone and Richardson didn't last last year on the Spurs. Good summer league player, decent training camp fodder ... but that's where it ends.
The Spurs play today at 3PM CST against the New York Knicks. This will be a good test for Mahinmi and Hill to see how they respond to a poor performance. It will be interesting to see if we'll get a glimpse of their competitive nature. It will also be interesting to see if Gist can continue looking like the best player on the team.
Overall, the Spurs were really ugly to watch offensively. There were a few points when the Spurs summer league team looked decent offensively, but those points were few and far between. Their defense was decent but they missed a lot of perimeter rotations. The Spurs ended up losing the game 76-68 against the New Orleans Hornets.
-George Hill really struggled offensively. He went 0-for-10 from the field and hit only half of his free throws. His major problem right now offensively is finishing at the rim. He doesn't get much elevation and doesn't have much touch near the rim. That's probably due to playing against inferior talent in college, so Hill will have to learn how to finish against athletic bigs. His point guard skills weren't as impressive as his first game out. Defensively, Hill tries hard and can sometimes be really good at that end. Other times, he gets blown by and fouls too much. There's really no way to consider this game anything other than a disappointment. He didn't look like someone ready to be in the rotation for an NBA championship level team. That said, there are a lot more summer league games to be played so he has plenty of time to redeem himself. Thinking Hill could go from a shooting guard at IUPUPIUIPIUI to being a good point guard in an NBA summer league right off the bat was probably asking too much. It should also be noted that Hill was wearing an elbow brace (or at least some padding) for the first three quarters before taking it off for the fourth quarter. We'll see if that's an injury that could slow him down.
-Ian Mahinmi didn't play well. His post moves were slow and deliberate. The Hornets were able to easily shut him down a number of times. His robotic nature really stood out against an NBA caliber player in Hilton Armstrong. Defensively, Mahinmi was decent. Not spectacular but he usually made the right rotation. Part of the problem for Mahinmi is he's not getting many good looks. He went 2-for-9 in this game and almost every shot was contested. The Spurs need to do a better job of giving him the ball in spaces he can operate. So far in summer league, Mahinmi's lack of coordination has been disappointing. He almost murdered himself when he stole a pass and tried to go coast to coast. The good news is that Mahinmi does still look like he has good potential. If he can get in a rhythm offensively, I think he can go from looking like D-League fodder to looking ready for an NBA rotation rather quickly. The talent is there, he just needs to get rolling.
-James Gist was the best player on the floor tonight for the Spurs. By far. Offensively, he finished powerfully around the basket. When he's near the rim, he's going to go up and dunk it. Even more impressively, Gist drained two long jumpers, including a three-pointer. His stroke looks really smooth for a guy who spent so much time around the basket at college. Defensively, Gist has very good energy, plus he hustles endlessly. He had 14 points and 11 rebounds in only 27 minutes. I'm not sure if we're just seeing Gist at his best or if he's really this good. If this is how good he really is, Gist is going to be a major steal. Very good athlete at almost 6-foot-9 with a hustling, aggressive nature who can shoot from the outside? Yeah, I'll take that for a late second rounder. (Note: The box score gave him five turnovers but I think that's an error. I remember two or three but I'm guessing the score keeper mixed him and Mahinmi up a few times.)
-Malik Hairston looked better but still didn't look too impressive. He drove to the hoop and finished nicely a couple times. He has good elevation and hang time around the basket. It'd be good to see him hit a few jumpers to get his confidence going. Defensively, I have been extremely underwhelmed. He blatantly didn't hustle a few times on that end of the court. If he pulled that on a Pop coached team, he'd be so far in the dog house he'd need a road map to find his way back out. Hairston doesn't look much like an NBA player at this point ... but again, there's still time.
-Anthony Tolliver is the only player on the team who is consistently knocking down jumpers. He started at power forward and had a solid game. His lack of size hurts him defensively but he competes very well on that end of the court. If he keeps shooting like this and he proves he's big enough to play power forward, he's definitely a player to take a closer look at in preseason.
-Devin Green had some good moments and his statline looks pretty decent but he still doesn't look like a legitimate NBA player. He's basically a Jeremy Richardson clone and Richardson didn't last last year on the Spurs. Good summer league player, decent training camp fodder ... but that's where it ends.
The Spurs play today at 3PM CST against the New York Knicks. This will be a good test for Mahinmi and Hill to see how they respond to a poor performance. It will be interesting to see if we'll get a glimpse of their competitive nature. It will also be interesting to see if Gist can continue looking like the best player on the team.