Did de Colo make a case for more minutes?

[dylankerouac]

In Ohio, missed the game. Wondering how he played, he had nice stats. Any great plays?

[Floyd Pacquiao]

he had a nice game...forced a turnover for a break away lebron like dunk & ran the pick and roll well...very pleased with his play

[dylankerouac]

Thanks. I am hoping he proves enough to earn backup pg minutes and the role.

[capek]

He had some nice drives, he finished pretty well at the rim, overall his offensive game looked the best it has this season. He's been passing pretty well all season, but he looked a little more assured running sets from the key tonight versus the beginning of the season. And he also had a couple nice defensive plays and a good steal. But he'd also fall asleep on some defensive rotations, and get a little lost during some offensive sets. So while he's obviously got a ways to go to be a reliable tool in set, I'd say he's made some definite improvement over the course of the season. Which is obviously why his minutes continue to go up.

I'd say, by the playoffs, the best case scenario for him is to be a clean up/emergency change of pace type player. Not big minutes, but still a type of important role player that all successful playoff teams need. And still a good sign for his long term development, if he does end up cracking that role as a rookie on a Pop coached team.

[Brunodf]

Yes, he should be the backup pg, i have been saying this since his 3rd game

[cd021]

Backup PG sounds about right, I'm thinking Neal's play, might have cost him some minutes.

[silverblackfan]

If he continues to improve as he has done so far this season, the backup PG job should be his. He creates some mismatches with his length and passing ability, but I worry about teams pressuring him bringing the ball up. So far, only CoJo and Mills seems to handle that pressure. Mills with his speed and CoJo is just a better ball handler this year.

[Paranoid Pop]

Already earned backup SG behind Manu imo.

[lefty]

He clearly s on TP

[Proxy]

I like that he seems comfortable... he seems to have the ability to block out the pressure and run the offense even when things get rough. If he fits at the backup PG like we hope, then maybe Neal can be a situational player used to boost the offense when needed since he's at PG against elite teams and his defense hurts bad.

[TDMVPDPOY]

if decolos passing works best with splitter, but 2big man frontline is our advantage when his playin alongside duncan...there for decolo needs to take that scrub pg parker starting spot or his minutes when playin with the 2

[capek]

If he continues to improve as he has done so far this season, the backup PG job should be his. He creates some mismatches with his length and passing ability, but I worry about teams pressuring him bringing the ball up. So far, only CoJo and Mills seems to handle that pressure. Mills with his speed and CoJo is just a better ball handler this year.

Cojo maybe, but Mills? Not sure we've been watching the same games. De Colo is a WORLDS better ball handler than Mills. When Parker and De Colo are in the game together, Parker will often defer to De Colo and let him run some plays. That NEVER happens with Mills. He's always the last option ball handler when he's on the court. And for good reason.

[Dr. Robert Lee]

So far, only CoJo and Mills seems to handle that pressure. Mills with his speed and CoJo is just a better ball handler this year.

Patty handles pressure well? Am I in the twilight zone?

[lefty]

if decolos passing works best with splitter, but 2big man frontline is our advantage when his playin alongside duncan...there for decolo needs to take that scrub pg parker starting spot or his minutes when playin with the 2

dat english

[Stabula]

if decolos passing works best with splitter, but 2big man frontline is our advantage when his playin alongside duncan...there for decolo needs to take that scrub pg parker starting spot or his minutes when playin with the 2

wtf can someone translate for me?

[Stabula]

Cojo maybe, but Mills?

I was actually more surprised by the assertion that CoJo handles pressure well since he's barely played in the NBA and only this year has been considered decent enough to even be on the floor. Mills at least has played in big games all over the world and has hit big game winning shots in the olympics.

[capek]

I was actually more surprised by the assertion that CoJo handles pressure well since he's barely played in the NBA and only this year has been considered decent enough to even be on the floor. Mills at least has played in big games all over the world and has hit big game winning shots in the olympics.

True, but going just by this season, Cojo seems to be more 'hard nosed' about bringing the ball up, where as Mills seems to have a greater tendency to play too fast and get himself in trouble, which usually ends in him throwing a bad pass which becomes a turnover. To my pleasant surprise I don't think I've seen Cojo make too many bad passes all year long. I've actually been impressed by his poise.

At this point I'm seeing Mills' role on the team as like a more specialized version of Neal, instant offense from the 3, a good change of pace guard but not someone to entrust the backup pg position to. And after spending last year flummoxed that the Spurs drafted Cojo, I'm thinking he might actually turn into a long term solution to the backup pg situation. A hard nosed, workman-like player, which would be perfect for that role on the Spurs.

And of course De Colo is the new Manu. lol not really but I'm excited to watch what this kid is capable of making out of his outstanding court vision now that he's in the big leagues and has the benefit of the Spurs coaching staff. He's like a smart kid who just transferred from a middling state school to Harvard, should be interesting to see what he's able to do with the upgrade.