David Levine
Posts: 74481
Joined: 7/14/2007
From: Las Vegas
Status: online
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Game 1 thoughts: KAT: Brilliant 1st quarter, but I'm not sure playing all 12 minutes was a good idea. After that he floated too much. Took some poor 3s when other guys were open for better shots. Marc Gasol is one of the best big defenders in the league, but I would've liked to have seen KAT use his quickness against him more. 4 rebounds and 1 FTA in 36 minutes is not acceptable. The 5 assists were nice to see. He also struggled defending the perimeter - one of the reasons I don't like him at PF. Drew: Other than forcing some tough shots, and too much iso ball, there was a lot to like. 14 FTAs, 7 rebounds, and his defense looked improved. I actually saw a defensive stance, and his timing on help defense was better than I've ever seen from him. Zach: He needs to figure out what to do when he gets near the basket on drives that don't result in dunks. His finishing around the rim is worse than Ricky. It looks like he's flinging the ball near the rim hoping to draw contact. Ricky was OK. We're super reliant on him to run any kind of half court offense. Did not look confident in his shot last night. Defense was good, Conley is a tough cover for everyone in the league and Rubio held him in check when he was on him. Dieng: Felt like an "empty" 12/14 night. He got lost a lot on defense - especially against the PnR, had no chance trying to guard ZBo, and just seems a couple steps slow in decision making. Dunn: His first stint was a mess, This pulled him, yelled at him and he was much improved when he came back in. Did not take bad shots, did a good job attacking inside and showed some serious defensive chops - but plenty of rookie mistakes too. When he learns the league he has a chance to be an elite defender. Did not show much aptitude for running a half court offense. Also this: Cole: Solid in his 9 minutes. Bazz, Rush, Bjelica: We may have been better not playing any of them last night. Brutal. Overall: Way too little movement on offense, way too much ISO ball. The 2nd half Memphis started really pressuring off the ball and it just choked off all movement and pretty much eliminated "drive and kick out" opportunities. When Memphis got physical, we did not respond well. Way too many missed FTs. Defensively we were much improved at the rim, but we got absolutely killed on perimeter screens. Every Grizz screen led to a totally open 3 point attempt. Takeaway: No one on the Wolves really had a great game and we still almost beat a playoff team on the road.
< Message edited by David Levine -- 10/27/2016 11:05:41 AM >
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