Is it time to worry? I'm a big believer in KA but what concerns me is not his lack of quickness or lack of defense.
It's his lack of aggression. Is he apathetic or does he just lack confidence -- either way, it needs to change.
I think we can forget about his defense for now -- I don't think it's that bad and, anyway, his strength is offense. If that doesn't improve, we never even get to his defense.
For some reason, I still think he'll break out. But it's time to do it.
One other guy that I thought played well and hasn't received a mention is Treveon Graham. He hit a nice baseline jumper, had a sweet behind-the-back dish in transition and played solid D. I hope he gets more minutes at the wing because his early returns were solid, if unspectacular.
One thing I noticed was that he didn't make quick decisions with the ball. Moving slowly is one problem, but reacting slowly is another. I like that he takes an intelligent and methodical approach to the game, but he has to learn to react faster at the next level with quicker athletes that can recover from mistakes.
He was looking at the blood that was coming from his split lip after getting popped in the mouth with no foul called. I'll excuse him for that play.Darion Atkins
He didn't do anything, aside from launch two airballs in the first half. After the second one, he stared at his fingers like something was wrong with them, and laughed. Now, I'm not gonna lie, when I airball at my local gym, I wince in pain and grab my shoulder, but come on man. Come on
There wasn't much to excuse the rest of his game, though.
Thanks for the thoughts. Both timvp and Bruno sightings in one thread
Good news about Livio, I'd rather have him be a great defender. Hopefully he can contribute asap.
They are almost exactly the same size.
I agree with Chinook about Bertans. He and Patty would be redundant. Spurs really need another true SG...not another SG in a PG's body.
bertans looked great. He may be worth bringing over. At least a TC invite.
Is he exactly what we need? No. But for an end of the bench guy and primary needs, its hard to be picky
Summer League game... I don't expect a player like KA to do well playing with some random guys on a some random offense.
He will be servicable.
The officiating was awful. The whistles were flying free. Lalanne got called for fouls on a couple of clean blocks and at least once where he didn't touch anyone.
His defense looked really good because he plays it with his feet. He drew several charges that were all called blocks, but he took the contact right in the chest every time. He also had one layup through contact going to his left that was quite Manuesque.
His defense looked really good because he plays it with his feet. He drew several charges that were all called blocks, but he took the contact right in the chest every time. He also had one layup through contact going to his left that was quite Manuesque.
With the game speeding up around the league, I hate reading things like "slow with his lateral movement" (Lalanne), "below average athlete" (Bertans), and "his normal slow speed" (Anderson). I guess it's always been the case that guys with less athleticism have to be the over-achiever type, with high basketball IQ's. Anderson is probably the most disappointing. He's got enough NBA experience under his belt that he should have been looking to stand out in the SL. Hopefully it was just a fluke and he'll step his game up. The Spurs are looking for guys to make a Championship push, even if it's small minutes. Adequate in Summer League isn't going to get it done.
He played alongside, and against, a bunch of guys, the majority of whom will never play on an NBA team, and he was one of the worst players there despite getting the most PT. If he can't play any better than that with random guys, then he won't even get a ticket to Austin.
Can he shoot off the dribble? Haven't had a chance to watch him yet.
I was kind of hoping that KA would exhibit the same kind of poise as Bertans... not athletic but with a more precise game. A bit disappointed but I think he'll do well enough.
Offensively, KA opened the game with a decisive move and easily got to the rim for a lay up. After that he took on the role of distributor and showed some nice passing skills. I don't find that concerning since Pop was asked last year if they wanted KA to be more aggressive shooting the ball and he said No they wanted him to focus on learning the system and doing it the right way. It was the 2nd half where KA was disappointing on offense. His shot wasn't falling and he became hesitant even when he had an open look. There was one play where he had an open 3 and he hesitated, pump faked, and then dished the ball off that was reminiscent of a play last season where he did the same thing and immediately Pop pulled him.
Defensively I was actually pleased with KA early in the game. He stayed in front of his man and moved his feet but as the game wore on he became flat footed and started letting him man go by him while trying to reach in for a steal, which never worked. I think this is more of a strength and conditioning issue that can be overcome. KA talked about it in an article prior to the start of SL...
The Spurs already know Anderson is a precise passer who can rebound and score. Becoming a better defender, however, is vital to Anderson earning consistent minutes during his second NBA season.
"I'm working hard on the defensive end, trying to get my legs stronger and being able to play in a stance at all times," Anderson said. "That's what good defenders do. That's what good athletes do. They're able to stay low and play in a stance for long periods of time."
I was really just watching to see how KA looked but Cady really stood out. Very raw talent but looks to have a lot of potential. I'm not seeing what is impressing so many with LJC. No offense, bad hands, no handles, pretty much how I would describe Jeff Ayres.
this is exactly why he is focusing so much on defense while his primary strength is offense as shown during the 2013 nike hoop
it seems also Parker through ASVEL is following the kid and his development
Dairis Bertans
19 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds in 26 minutes
6-for-10 from the field, 5-for-8 on three-pointers, 2-for-3 at the line
Dairis played really well. He reminds me of Beno.
Livio Jean-Charles
6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 6 blocks in 23
3-for-11 from the field
Now, if LJC can replicate something similar to those numbers from game to game, he would be a nice grab. Needed depth at SF. With all the fire-power the Spurs will have, he won't be shooting all that much either.
And influencing it, as evidenced by LJC chucking up bad shots.
Anyway, I don't think it's fair to say LJC was slanted toward offense a couple years ago. Maybe he was, but he stood out in the NHS because of his defense (especially before the televised game). Dude had a block party on guys who were drafted ahead of him like Parker, Embiid, Exum, the Harrison twins. It's easy to forget that most of his 20 points in the game came from broken plays and transition baskets. He's definitely worked on his body, it seems, but I don't know that he's changed his game that much.
So basically his a defensive specialist that scores on broken plays and transition backets. That's good enough for the Spurs right now.
This guy can be a monster if he starts roaming around on defense.
With KA now really showing he can contribute on the court, the Spurs will need someone else to eat up minutes.
With Manu coming back, Anderson can spend another year in Austin or nailed to the bench. Having a defender/rebounder would be a bigger need.
Bo was more coordinated, but LJC has more athletic ability. Plus, Bo was way stronger than he looked. He used to give Shaq fits.
Utah's center played a pretty good game. Hopefully we'll see LJC on him tonight.
I think you're over extending what LJC and do... he's not a center stopper... more like a guy who helps on defense. He just happened to stuff Okafar twice last night.
As I said he is a combo forward working on both side of the floor, I'm just saying he was primary more "hyped" about his offense than defense. It is clear he is working more on the defensive side lately.
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