|
|
Post by runrondo on Dec 12, 2018 19:46:48 GMT -5
I think I'll have to accept that I'll never understand Marcus Smart. He clearly has some type of affect that was worth keeping around and I'm wrong with any assessment I make of him. Scal was talking him up in the 1st quarter tonight and it was well-deserved because he was suffocating Beal on defense and even his offense seems more balanced now that we're so deep.
I think Brown is showing a lot of strength right now in producing off the bench so well and that article shows me that he really is a confident guy which is great. He's a weird player to see at times - sometimes he's robotic and stiff and other times he looks so fluid, confident, and strong. He's still young so I'm excited for that progress to continue.
|
|
|
|
Post by Roadrunner on Dec 12, 2018 19:57:15 GMT -5
I wish Brown focused on either offense or defense. I think Jaylen's defense is going to be fine just like last year...he is probably just a bit frustrated atm, but some things in his offense need more attention from coaches for sure, because he doesn't seem to improve on them at all.
One thing that I've been trying to figure out since Celtics drafted him is what's wrong with his game above the rim. He is so athletic that it is obviously his greatest advantage over opponents, yet he mostly settles for layups when driving the lane or during fast breaks that are chased down by defenders. He only goes for dunks when he finds himself completely open at the rim or has an clear path to it, and as a result, his finishing potential is much worse than it should be, considering his physical gifts.
His jumps actually seem very flat when there are guards nearby or there is even minor contact, and we all know that he can jump very high. This is clearly not a strength issue, so I actually think it might be his gait/poor footwork habits. Whenever he is open and goes for a dunk he does this wired two tiny step gather first. It is like he can't jump at all without it.... So when defenders are nearby, this gather routine is taken away from him as he is forced into some handling move like a crossover or a eurostep instead. As a result he finishes these moves with a super weak horizontal jump (often off a wrong leg) that leaves him with no other option but to settle for a layup. Other scorers in this league with even a fraction of his athleticism prefer to finish strong, as its a much higher probability shot.
Whether this is really caused by bad footwork mechanics or not, it needs to be fixed/worked on asap if he is going to realize his scorer's potential. Without it, he is doomed to be stuck in the "three & d guy" niche, which is very replaceable in this league. Good observation. Brown has poor handles, especially in traffic. That was exposed in college, and one of the main reasons he was a consensus #7 player at the draft. |
|
|
|
Post by jmost on Dec 20, 2018 16:34:51 GMT -5
By the time the playoffs roll around I think it's possible neither of these guys will be starting - but it depends on whether Hayward is back to the pre-injury GH we signed. If he is, he is WAY better than either of them and should start alongside Irving, Tatum and either Horford and Baynes or Horford and Morris.
I think it was Jackie MacMullan who was saying recently that the consensus around the league is that GH won't be himself until the Spring. It's just the nature of that type of injury. For the sake of argument I'm going to assume that's correct. If he IS back, really back, I want him starting.
|
|
|
|
Post by Roadrunner on Dec 20, 2018 18:46:34 GMT -5
By the time the playoffs roll around I think it's possible neither of these guys will be starting - but it depends on whether Hayward is back to the pre-injury GH we signed. If he is, he is WAY better than either of them and should start alongside Irving, Tatum and either Horford and Baynes or Horford and Morris. I think it was Jackie MacMullan who was saying recently that the consensus around the league is that GH won't be himself until the Spring. It's just the nature of that type of injury. For the sake of argument I'm going to assume that's correct. If he IS back, really back, I want him starting. My take on Hayward is that he is the "Al Horford" of SFs. He does a lot of things, and his role with BOS is very different than in UTA. I really do not mind Hayward as the 6th man, because he is Brad's first sub very early in the game. |
|
|
|
Post by jmost on Dec 22, 2018 11:49:58 GMT -5
Was anyone else watching when Brown posterized Giannis and then double-flexed his arms? Impressive basketball play for sure. But what does it say about someone's mentality when they do that in a game when you're down double figures and time is running out? Seems too "Me first" for me. Not to mention that he got a T for taunting so he gave back one of the two points he scored. Seemed very immature to me.
|
|
|
|
Post by Roadrunner on Dec 22, 2018 11:55:12 GMT -5
Was anyone else watching when Brown posterized Giannis and then double-flexed his arms? Impressive basketball play for sure. But what does it say about someone's mentality when they do that in a game when you're down double figures and time is running out? Seems too "Me first" for me. Not to mention that he got a T for taunting so he gave back one of the two points he scored. Seemed very immature to me. That is a confidence issue. I always liked Bill Cowher's quote "act like you have been there before." |
|
|
|
Post by runrondo on Dec 22, 2018 12:47:56 GMT -5
Was anyone else watching when Brown posterized Giannis and then double-flexed his arms? Impressive basketball play for sure. But what does it say about someone's mentality when they do that in a game when you're down double figures and time is running out? Seems too "Me first" for me. Not to mention that he got a T for taunting so he gave back one of the two points he scored. Seemed very immature to me. That is a confidence issue. I always liked Bill Cowher's quote "act like you have been there before." He certainly wasn't flexing when he air-balled a free throw later in the quarter. I think the fact that he gets a tech for that is preposterous but everyone knows the rules at this point and he killed any momentum he got when he got the crowd up for the dunk. |
|
|
|
Post by jmost on Dec 22, 2018 14:04:20 GMT -5
runrondo it was the air ball that made me wonder where his attention was. No one misses that badly unless there head isn't in the game.
|
|
|
|
Post by Roadrunner on Dec 23, 2018 11:07:16 GMT -5
runrondo it was the air ball that made me wonder where his attention was. No one misses that badly unless there head isn't in the game. Brown is a great example of AAU ball. AAU focuses on dunking, and ISO, and does not focus on fundamentals. |
|
