Has it been mentioned that Lonnie will do much better with a different head coach?
Look at dejounte he is improving a lot this year, that could take some time and that's good because it could be cheaper to ressign him
I still like him , he has a ton of potential and like dejounte said we just need to lower our excpectations for the moment.
Has it been mentioned that Lonnie will do much better with a different head coach?
Give the player some accountability for once. Tired of treating sucky players like they're the victims. Not saying Lonnie is bad and that the nail is in the coffin, but damn.
i seen most folks say he has the POTENTIAL to be an all star and the best of our young guys IF everything clicks. that’s totally different than folks saying he is a good player now. Lol
I don’t think he is overrated but I do think a lot of folks have a lot of hope he can get things to all come together
Lonnie played so much better today. He's a little selfish with 1 assist, but better than deferring too much. If he can play aggressive every night, he can be very effective. Way to go Lonnie!
This ing board.
I think this is a big part of it. He looks like someone who has a lot going on in their head. In the Summer, I wrote that people will need to adjust expectations for him while he works through his demons.
Right now he is playing to avoid mistakes and getting yelled at so he can stay on the court, in my opinion. I think he has fire, but it’s been buried. He is still improving. He isn’t moving backwards. He just isn’t improving as fast as any of us would prefer, including me.
maybe Lonnie would already be better if he wasn't buried behind Belinelli for half a season
He’s not now, so what’s the excuse? He’s starting, and still timid. Keldon played most of the season in Austin last year, and he’s clearly passed Lonnie by. Vassell will probably do so, soon. That would leave him only ahead of our two year Euro project among first round picks in the last five years.
His job within the starting unit is to take open 3's and drive the ball when the situation calls for it or the possession is winding down.
If you're expecting him to be "aggressive" and start taking possessions away from Demar, Lamarcus, Rudy, Patty- you don't understand how Pop expects his young players to play. He gives you a role or a job, you do that job well and get better at it, prove you're ready for more, and you get it. With the make up of this team right now there's not a lot of room for him to expand that role.
Let's all just hold our collective breath and wait for a young player to buck that entire reality and start clapping for the ball while it's clear there's 5 offensive players ahead of him in the pecking order. In the times Pop has expanded his role, the 2 games derozan missed, he was tasked with initiating offense and gave us 24 and 25 points. That's just not his job right now every night and it won't be until next year if/when derozan, rudy, and aldridge are no longer taking up the bulk of our possessions. There's one ball and too many iso first players for him to get his at this point.
I know what you mean, but we've also seen before that that's not always the case with Pop. Manu was being Manu, and eventually Pop gave in. Keldon showed in the Bubble that he was aggressive attacking the hoops, getting rebounds, loose balls, etc, and now Pop is giving him the green light every night. And I know Lonnie already earned the green light, as he lets them fly sometimes. And that's the problem, sometimes! Lonnie needs to a have the "alpha" mentality. He's the most athletic in there, and yet he's finishing soft, or not even attacking when he has the mismatch. Attack the rim! That's what Spurs fans want to see. He has so much talent.
They’ll swing the ball to him, and he just passes it back. That’s the worst option. The defense is likely still rotating, and he should either shoot, or drive against the grain, and create something for himself or someone else. It’s like he’s afraid of the ball.
Keldon has skills that aren't as redundant and an ability to create his own rhythm and energy out of thin air because he's just as unique an individual as you will find. Lonnie needs the ball to get himself going, and in order to get the ball within this system, he needs to already be going and hot if that makes sense. It's a catch 22 that results in the drives he does get looking half baked or hesitant because he's trying not to overstep his role and make a mistake- but needs that opportunity to get himself going in the flow of the offense.
A junkyard dog like Keldon that can fight in the paint with 7 footers doesn't need plays called and Iso run through him. He's content getting the ball with 7 on the shot clock and just exploding to the rim. Lonnie needs to get himself involved more like a Derozan or Rudy Gay, which I just don't see happening this year. The mistakes and hesitation he shows will dissipate, and if it doesn't by this same time next year when he's tasked with creating like our vets do now, it's fair game to call him a low IQ bust or whatever the trogs of this board are waiting to say.
I don’t think he’s a bust. I guess what I mean is if they need to move one of the young players to make a trade work, I’d see him being at the front of the line. I see him being way behind DJ and White, clearly behind Keldon, and Devin is coming up fast in the rear view mirror.
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Playing behind Bryn Forbes and marco belinili .. you going to convienienly forget that. Those guys made mistakes just as much but they never got yanked like Lonnie... something DJ and Devin Vessell didnt have to go through.
Lonnies had a raw deal ... the coach playing him behind deadweight does nothing for your confidence. The overthinking part like many here jhave observed falls on the coach.
Nope, didn't forget that at all. Why do you think DJ and Devin didn't go through it? Because from the get go you can tell their mental make-up is different. DJ would have NEVER praised someone on his own team he would be competing for minutes with the way Lonnie just did last night. DJ had his own ego but it was because he was and is extremely confident in his abilities, even to a fault. Vassell was actually coached in college and his bball IQ blows Lonnie's out of the water. That is why he gets minutes. Lonnie's calling card is freak athleticism, streaky shooting, and nothing else... that shouldn't get you minutes as early as DJ & Devin had theirs.
Lonnie got yanked because of Lonnie. It's that simple.
That doesn't have to be seen as a hopeless situation. His journey is unique. The learning curve could be different. But the absolute #1 thing we know now is he truly wasn't ready because of what's going on between his head.
Another thing I noticed last night is DeMar's body language towards Lonnie. Lonnie's like that annoying little brother that you can push around. There are different approaches to different people and it's apparent that tough love is what's needed to force Lonnie to grow.
Since we keeping it simple.. those deadweight players in Bryn and Marco arent here any more. Pop not forced to play them in front.. the lonnie we see this season we could easily have seen last season and well into his development.
all i can say is he looks lost out there on defense...
Isnt it that way if all players? if they put it all together they would be great? I realize people talk about his athleticism but how long before he starts showing something other then a game here and there. I dont get why people are so into him. I hope I ma wrong but I dont see him developing.
Tbh I could give zero s about his defense this year. That comes with playing time and reps. I just want him to be aggressive on offense at all times. Shoot the ball Lonnie. Drive to the hoop and attempt to throw down. Pop ain’t benching you for missed shots homie. Just take them
I don't remember anybody said Lonnie is a great offball defender ... his man defense can be solid but his IQ is not the best. Finishing at the rim will improve ... see Westbrook in his early years ... Murray and so on
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