I get it if I'm bashed for this post... But it's something that's has been nagging me and I wanna get it off my chest and see if anyone else sees it the same way I do...
Lonnie early on used to dunk everything and was really aggressive...Nowadays out of every spur, i think he has the most missed layups...he would either shy away from contact, or even worse (and the main reason I'm writing) he would soar HIGH for a dunk, just to switch into some finesse layup that almost always misses
Now it seems like if he isn't completely wide open, he won't dunk it...why is that?
I remember YEARS ago we used to joke about Pop finding out certain players are athletes and shunning them...or pulling guys out the game for dunking...not sure if u all remember but it was a running joke on here for a long time...even my beloved Duncan had some infuriating moments where he could easily dunk and went for a layup that missed (I think the worse was that one against Dallas in the playoffs where we went into OT and lost)
So I now begin to seriously wonder if Pop has scolded Lonnie in practice saying something like "what did you get from that dunk? 2 points is two points" and scorned/mocked dunking
Sounds insane, right? Well there ARE coaches like that... I went to a D2 school and there was a coach who coached in europe and recruited a lot of european players (sound familiar?) And I used to attend some practices because I love basketball and I was friends with the players... He used to love the finesse game and would talk down on dunking when you can make an easy layup instead...
Needless to say the team was always dominated by teams that had more americans and more black players (long story short, he eventually started to recruit americans and black players [I separate black player because not all the black players were american] onto the team and the team got pretty good...and yes, they started dunking anytime they got the chance...lol)...
Sorry my post was so long... But if this is the case, that's bothersome... We have always had the reputation of being soft, and while I know that wasn't true, I think what helped that perception was us going up soft to the rim at times... Things like that stick out... And if lonnie wants to not only shed the soft label, but actually be more efficient, he would dunk the ball... You can't even make the argument that he is saving his knees because he is going just as high for his missed layups as he would for his dunks
Lonnie always went up for a dunk only to switch it to a soft ass layup at the last second. Its part of his game that I hate. Pop gets pissed every time he has a clean dunk and switches to a finger roll brick so I doubt its Pop being against his players passing up high percentage shots. Its a Lonnie problem and he better fix that .
This is a reach. Lonnie was all about finesse, acrobatic layups before he came onto the Spurs.
His dad was asked on social media why his son attacks the basket this way (and why he avoids physical contact).
His response? "That's the way I taught him."
when did Lonnie used to "dunk everything?" because my memory is that he never dunks, always tried to do some badass dunk and rarely ever actually made them, and is now hunting for layups when he should be dunking
seriously, your hate for Pop and the coaching stuff is getting a bit ridiculous. you're going to blame Pop because Lonnie doesn't dunk? GMAFB
He needs to initiate contact in the paint. This is a case when his first step and burst works against him. He’s going too fast when he gets to the rim, and the ball comes off the glass too hard. If you initiate contact, you have a good chance of getting a foul, and a better shot at finishing, because that bump slows you down, and softens your shot off the glass.
Why didn't he finish this dunk?!
Remember when Pop used to design an alley oop play for Kawhi? Wonder why they don’t have one for any player on this roster full of athletes.
It’s a yips thing
Any old conventional wisdom that used to exist about laying it up over dunking has long been dead and despite pops stubbornness in certain respects, I don’t see him hanging on to that.
I don’t know what it’s like to drive full speed in an nba game and have my head be at the rim but he is probably psyching himself out and overthinking it. Maybe he’s scared of heights.
They called THAT PLAY for Lonnie out of a time out last night and it was awesome! Derrick just under threw the lob and it got picked off.
Why didn't he finish this dunk?!
. That’s a horrible example. Lyles CLEARLY fouls him, stopping his momentum with a hand to his body. Had he attempted to complete the dunk, it would have been a clank off the front of the rim.
Horrible? Lyles barely grazed him lol. People have gotten dunked on with waaaaay more contact than that. Again proving my point that its a Lonnie problem. He has to have a perfect lane, no contact, no one around him to finish dunks/layups.
Spurs ran that play well before Kawhi, but haven't seen it busted out in a while. First time I recall seeing it was when RJ was the dunker.
They usually had Duncan or Diaw throwing the lob, and maybe they don't feel our current bigs are capable of the pass.
Or maybe Pop is just saving it for the playoffs.
Earlier I said it was out of a timeout- they actually called a set lob play for Lonnie Walker to start the third quarter of last nights game. Here it is:
https://streamable.com/81prtj
I will say something simple, did people remember how dejounte finish near the rim his first years ? he was poor finishing at the rim and that's something to learn.
I saw some better things from lonnie with finishing but that's still a work in progress. Imo next year it will different and it's already better.
At least post the good version.Why didn't he finish this dunk?!
Good eye...looks like the same set but the lob wasn't well thrown by White, and Plumlee read it well.
Dang bc I missed the game last night.
I remember he got blocked all the time. I have the same hope for Walker.
Idk if it is a Pop thing. But I remember Lonnie going up strong a lot and missing a lot of dunks over people. He has all the tools but it just seems like he can’t finish over people. It’s crazy too bc he gets up so high but he needs to learn to take contact and get to the line.
Last edited by KobesAchilles; 03-16-2021 at 12:11 PM.
used to be the RJ lob
Avoiding contact is his main weakness as a player. That, and no longer trying to be a dogged defender. When Pop was on his ass it was to defend iirc, and now he seems to just let him play during the game. I wonder if there is a middle approach that isn’t being tried. Hard to say.
This is all on Lonnie but let's make no mistake, it's no secret that Pop HATES dunking and always has, maybe even more than three point shots.
Lonnie needs to dunk in dudes faces. He has the ability to fly and throw it down. He needs to do it.
He may be afraid of getting under cut and hurt though. I know I would. If I could fly like Lonnie
Can’t believe lyles is on this team
Just saw one last game.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
