Chinook
10-29-2016, 10:57 PM
I’m tired as balls, so I’m going to try to get this out early. I don’t think this will have the level of depth and insight that tbdog and Apa had in their threads, but bear with me.
General Observations:
-The biggest thing that jumped out at me was the double-teaming both teams did to try to slow down the opposing bigs. I think NO’s doubles were significantly better. They were able to fluster LMA and force Pau into a turnover. It’s possible that Davis is just better at handling doubles than Aldridge is, since he was great at getting out of them. But I also think that Anderson in particular and the rest of the team in general were bad at committing to helping their guys, especially considering that the Pelicans may as well changed their name to the Ostriches given how useless their wings are.
-Obviously, though, Davis was held in check, doubles or no. So something was working. One of those things is that the help in the paint was great at times, with guards digging and bigs stepping in with their hands up. Taking away Davis’ drive is definitely the way to even the playing field, even though he has an awesome jumper. So could definitely be a reason for the doubling being ineffective.
-I don’t think anyone can take too much from this game. Only Davis was a challenge, and he was clearly fatigued. Moore scored well, but for the most part the team just chugged right along.
Grades:
Front court:
Pau Gasol – B-Plus: Definitely his best game so far. He handled the double-teams really well outside of the turnover. His IQ was on full display. He did his part in containing Davis, but he didn’t exactly have to worry about Asik beating him. I hope that his becomes a C game for him. But if he’s going to be like he was the first two matches, this is could well be “Good” Pau. Pau also deserves a ton of credit for working to get Kawhi good shots. That type of move deserves a bump.
LaMarcus Aldridge – C-plus: I really want to give this a C, but he didn’t play enough minutes to get into a rhythm, and his defense on Davis was more than adequate considering the tear Brow was coming in on. Not exactly a star outing, but it didn’t take one to win anyway.
Kawhi Leonard – B-plus: If Simmons or Anderson had his stat line, they’d be A-plus easily. But for Kawhi, it was a tale of two halves. His first half was really disappointing compared to the heightened expectations from the first two games. But he flashed every bit of that in the third quarter. He probably had another 30-pointer if that had been required.
Dewayne Dedmon – B: It was just solid. If that mid-range shot is really a part of his game, it almost take the lid off his ceiling. There are a lot of ways to get him the ball if he doesn’t even have to roll every time. However, he can’t catch like a guard can. That should be expected of a project-esque big. He was strong defensively and on the boards when it was required. I think he started to get frustrated that no one was giving him the alley-oop on the break.
David Lee – B: He’s more Splitter than Dedmon when it comes to finishing, though that might sell him a big short. His headiness on O was a big plus in getting guys like Patty and Laprovitolla both good looks and good assist opportunities. This wasn’t his game to take over. Still, he was an asset.
Davis Bertans – C-Plus: That corner three he made in the fourth quarter was truly awesome. But his night on offense was defined by the threes he didn’t take. Dude just can’t do that. He’s not going to be a full rotation player this year most likely, so he just needs to fill it up every chance he gets. On defense, I think he did a good job at helping. Those two blocks were great, as was his contest on Davis in the second. He’s definitely going to be a four, and he might even be able to survive there on defense.
Back court:
Patty Mills – A-Minus: I’m hoping like everyone else that this is just going to be Patty from now on. I’ll be there with everyone else arguing for him starting if it is. But I’m curving this as if this is going to be one of the top 20 or so games from him this season. One reason to temper expectations is how bad NO is being hit with injuries to their guards. Mills help Frazier in check the whole game. And after Curry didn’t do that, it’s not nothing. Let’s hope it keeps going.
Kyle Anderson – C-Plus: He has been rebounding really well lately, and that has helped the Spurs be a force on that end. He doesn’t hang his teammates out to dry by getting beat on the perimeter. He funneled to Gasol very well. In the first half, I think he did what he needed to as a role-player. He made smart passes, got a steal and a block and even shot his corner-threes. Second half wasn’t as good. His foul at the beginning of the third highlighted how bad his doubling was all night. Definitely a work in progress.
Jonathon Simmons – B-Minus: First-half Simmons wasn’t great, so I gave him a bump for being able to turn it on in the second half. It takes fortitude to get out of a dry spell. I liked his energy all game, even though his defense was not very good for the most part. He had a bad moment where he missed a wide-open Lapravitolla in the corner, and that got him benched. But his ability to drive and finish was helpful on a night where Tony and Manu were both out.
Nicolas Lapravitolla – B: This is definitely a curved grade. He didn’t have a good game from three, and he’ll need to be great there to make it. He’s savvy enough and can pass well enough to be an NBA player. But he needs a niche skill, and shooting should be it. Like Bertans, he needs to learn that he’s out there to make an impact, and passing up open shots won’t get him there. But he also had that great finish and that pass to Lee, so it was still a solid outing.
Bryn Forbes – C: Forbes took a Vinny to get his only points. It wasn’t all his fault that he didn’t do more. He needed to be put in better position to score. But he’s not really going to give you anything else, so points are essential. He didn’t defend well, though it seems at least like he knows HOW to defend well. His problem is that he defends with his abdomen and not his chest on the block. That makes him lose his legs and get too close to his man. So when his man jumps, Forbes slides under him and picks up the foul. Still have to love the effort in general and pride for that time he knocked the ball away after the Pelicans tried to post him up yet again.
DeJounte Murray – INC: It’s for the best that we just pretend this didn’t happen. Dude was just a trainwreck out there. For a guy like Dedmon, it’s obvious that he put in work over the summer. For Murray, it’s not. Dude should already be in Austin, even though their draft hasn’t happened yet. He has a lot to work on.
Pop – A: This is on a curve, too. I think he hit all of his objectives. He slowed down Davis, got Pau and Patty going, and managed to not overplay anyone. They should be rested enough for Miami tomorrow evening. I gave him the bump for still caring enough to pull Anderson and Simmons for teaching moments. Certain folks can afford to be complacent on a night like tonight, but those guys haven’t earned that right.
General Observations:
-The biggest thing that jumped out at me was the double-teaming both teams did to try to slow down the opposing bigs. I think NO’s doubles were significantly better. They were able to fluster LMA and force Pau into a turnover. It’s possible that Davis is just better at handling doubles than Aldridge is, since he was great at getting out of them. But I also think that Anderson in particular and the rest of the team in general were bad at committing to helping their guys, especially considering that the Pelicans may as well changed their name to the Ostriches given how useless their wings are.
-Obviously, though, Davis was held in check, doubles or no. So something was working. One of those things is that the help in the paint was great at times, with guards digging and bigs stepping in with their hands up. Taking away Davis’ drive is definitely the way to even the playing field, even though he has an awesome jumper. So could definitely be a reason for the doubling being ineffective.
-I don’t think anyone can take too much from this game. Only Davis was a challenge, and he was clearly fatigued. Moore scored well, but for the most part the team just chugged right along.
Grades:
Front court:
Pau Gasol – B-Plus: Definitely his best game so far. He handled the double-teams really well outside of the turnover. His IQ was on full display. He did his part in containing Davis, but he didn’t exactly have to worry about Asik beating him. I hope that his becomes a C game for him. But if he’s going to be like he was the first two matches, this is could well be “Good” Pau. Pau also deserves a ton of credit for working to get Kawhi good shots. That type of move deserves a bump.
LaMarcus Aldridge – C-plus: I really want to give this a C, but he didn’t play enough minutes to get into a rhythm, and his defense on Davis was more than adequate considering the tear Brow was coming in on. Not exactly a star outing, but it didn’t take one to win anyway.
Kawhi Leonard – B-plus: If Simmons or Anderson had his stat line, they’d be A-plus easily. But for Kawhi, it was a tale of two halves. His first half was really disappointing compared to the heightened expectations from the first two games. But he flashed every bit of that in the third quarter. He probably had another 30-pointer if that had been required.
Dewayne Dedmon – B: It was just solid. If that mid-range shot is really a part of his game, it almost take the lid off his ceiling. There are a lot of ways to get him the ball if he doesn’t even have to roll every time. However, he can’t catch like a guard can. That should be expected of a project-esque big. He was strong defensively and on the boards when it was required. I think he started to get frustrated that no one was giving him the alley-oop on the break.
David Lee – B: He’s more Splitter than Dedmon when it comes to finishing, though that might sell him a big short. His headiness on O was a big plus in getting guys like Patty and Laprovitolla both good looks and good assist opportunities. This wasn’t his game to take over. Still, he was an asset.
Davis Bertans – C-Plus: That corner three he made in the fourth quarter was truly awesome. But his night on offense was defined by the threes he didn’t take. Dude just can’t do that. He’s not going to be a full rotation player this year most likely, so he just needs to fill it up every chance he gets. On defense, I think he did a good job at helping. Those two blocks were great, as was his contest on Davis in the second. He’s definitely going to be a four, and he might even be able to survive there on defense.
Back court:
Patty Mills – A-Minus: I’m hoping like everyone else that this is just going to be Patty from now on. I’ll be there with everyone else arguing for him starting if it is. But I’m curving this as if this is going to be one of the top 20 or so games from him this season. One reason to temper expectations is how bad NO is being hit with injuries to their guards. Mills help Frazier in check the whole game. And after Curry didn’t do that, it’s not nothing. Let’s hope it keeps going.
Kyle Anderson – C-Plus: He has been rebounding really well lately, and that has helped the Spurs be a force on that end. He doesn’t hang his teammates out to dry by getting beat on the perimeter. He funneled to Gasol very well. In the first half, I think he did what he needed to as a role-player. He made smart passes, got a steal and a block and even shot his corner-threes. Second half wasn’t as good. His foul at the beginning of the third highlighted how bad his doubling was all night. Definitely a work in progress.
Jonathon Simmons – B-Minus: First-half Simmons wasn’t great, so I gave him a bump for being able to turn it on in the second half. It takes fortitude to get out of a dry spell. I liked his energy all game, even though his defense was not very good for the most part. He had a bad moment where he missed a wide-open Lapravitolla in the corner, and that got him benched. But his ability to drive and finish was helpful on a night where Tony and Manu were both out.
Nicolas Lapravitolla – B: This is definitely a curved grade. He didn’t have a good game from three, and he’ll need to be great there to make it. He’s savvy enough and can pass well enough to be an NBA player. But he needs a niche skill, and shooting should be it. Like Bertans, he needs to learn that he’s out there to make an impact, and passing up open shots won’t get him there. But he also had that great finish and that pass to Lee, so it was still a solid outing.
Bryn Forbes – C: Forbes took a Vinny to get his only points. It wasn’t all his fault that he didn’t do more. He needed to be put in better position to score. But he’s not really going to give you anything else, so points are essential. He didn’t defend well, though it seems at least like he knows HOW to defend well. His problem is that he defends with his abdomen and not his chest on the block. That makes him lose his legs and get too close to his man. So when his man jumps, Forbes slides under him and picks up the foul. Still have to love the effort in general and pride for that time he knocked the ball away after the Pelicans tried to post him up yet again.
DeJounte Murray – INC: It’s for the best that we just pretend this didn’t happen. Dude was just a trainwreck out there. For a guy like Dedmon, it’s obvious that he put in work over the summer. For Murray, it’s not. Dude should already be in Austin, even though their draft hasn’t happened yet. He has a lot to work on.
Pop – A: This is on a curve, too. I think he hit all of his objectives. He slowed down Davis, got Pau and Patty going, and managed to not overplay anyone. They should be rested enough for Miami tomorrow evening. I gave him the bump for still caring enough to pull Anderson and Simmons for teaching moments. Certain folks can afford to be complacent on a night like tonight, but those guys haven’t earned that right.