They promised me a rebuild but all I got was Ron Baker...Let's be real about this squad, without a distributor everybody is gonna struggle except for our otherworldly Latvian. This was always gonna be a hard season to watch but the promise of checking out young guys learn and develop meant it could still be entertaining. Instead our All-Rookie team Center and prize draft pick PG are benched behind players that aren't particularly better than them but ARE much older. I said I'd be patient and let Hornacek proves he's a clown, well I'm ready for Blatt after one game...
KP: A tale of 2 halves. KP had 19/9 on 50% shooting at halftime but struggled in the second half. Honestly, he also struggled early in the first quarter as teammates had trouble getting him open, getting him the rock or getting him any spacing (it hurts when he tries to operate inside and Kanter is clogging the middle). When he got consistent touches, he'd hit a rhythm and start to score but when he went through lulls his touches were less economical and more "I might not see this rock again for a while, better make something happen ASAP." Dude's midrange looked ready, he was comfortable off the dribble and he missed like three putbacks otherwise his statline would be even more impressive. 31/12 on 11/25 from the field...he looks ready to be a focal point but he needs space to operate and a PG that can get him the rock.
THJ: Our best transition player suffered from our team not getting many fast break opportunities and the lack of PG play meant he rarely got a good look. He's a solid halfcourt player, mainly off his jumper but he has limitations as a one on one guy. Defensively, not bad but nothing to sing praises to either. Here's the thing, if you're playing 29 minutes and go 3/10 for 8 points; you HAVE to figure out another way to contribute. 1 assist, 0 boards, 0 blocks, 0 steals, 2 TO's...that's worrisome.
Lee: Some of our few brightspots on the night came on the defensive end when Lee's versatility helped him impact plays on that end, mainly in the second quarter. Could have been more assertive offensively but he does a good job of taking what's given to him and rarely forcing the issue so maybe lack of assertion is why he looks good. 9 points, 3 assists, 2 boards and a steal. Deserves a decent role on a decent team, this is purgatory for an aging pretty good guy.
Kanter: 10 points, 7 boards, 3 steals and 4 TO's to hurt to good looking stat-line. Anyway, eye test for me suggests he's supposed to be matching up with back-ups. He's not good on defensive boards for a guy with his reputation as a rebounder, I can't recall one instance of rim protection from him and it feels like he operates exclusively inside of the paint on offense so eff your spacing. This dude is such a black hole that his stand out touch from more than five feet out was a top of the key catch where he looked around and decided to shoot a three...center of the Milky Way Galaxy status (google it).
Sessions: This guy spent 21 minutes on the floor...3 points, 1 assist, 2 boards, 1 block, 1 steal and 3 TO's...in 21 minutes. Didn't appear able to throw an entry pass into the post, ineffective PnR passer, actually...1 assist to 3 TO's in 21 minutes at point guard, I shouldn't have to explain that he showed no playmaking ability.
Beasley: Brutal to watch the offense struggle only for him to get hurt one minute into playing. Get well soon.
McDermott: Led bench players in minutes in spite of the fact that his usefulness is almost entirely reliant on PG play of which we had none. But unlike other catch and shoot guys, he was able to find utility by making cuts and being a ball mover. 4 pts, 4 asts, 3 boards 2/5 shooting. I'm curious about his look when there's a floor general on the floor, I'll probably stay curious though...
KOQ: Better chemistry with KP than Kanter by virtue of being more willing to catch the ball away from the basket and also pass the ball. 6 pts, 10 boards, 2 asts in 22 minutes; better defensive play too which you can just assume from here on out when I compare any big man to Kanter for the rest of the season. I know it's just game one but I'll let you know if things change on that assumption instead of vice versa.
Baker: Ron Baker sure knows how to get to the foul line, unfortunately he didn't appear to know what to do with the ball on free throws. It's supposed to go into the basket Ron. 6 pts, 4 asts, 2 boards with 4 TO's in 23 minutes. He's not a point guard, he's being asked to playmake while better equipped to hustle and keep the ball moving instead. He shouldn't be out there without a primary ball handler but he'll be an eyesore while the Knicks force him into that role.
Frank: Which brings me to Frank...he's a rookie, he's been hurt, he looked nervous but he was the only PG that had a quick hook. As if Sessions and Baker were doing anything with the ball other than turn it over. 1 assist, 1 TO, 2 air balls...it wasn't pretty but he'll have to work through the nerves and he'll need time on the floor to adjust to the speed of the game. Throwing him into a game where the play is already sloppy and disoriented and then giving him a quick hook doesn't seem like the best way to develop.
Dotson: He got 3 garbage minutes where not a lot happened and there was nothing to judge him on besides the fact that he manages good positioning on defensive boards a lot even when he doesn't get the rebound.
Lance: 16 minutes, 2 points, 3 boards, an assist and 2 TO's. First guy off the bench when the team started off playing somewhat competitively and his entry kinda killed what semblance of momentum there was...not his fault, it was mainly fool's gold but still funny to see "fearless leader" step on the floor and immediately make mistakes. Nothing about his play was inspiring but if we're talking tank you can call him General Patton.
Pennywise: Turns out that when a player visits NYC for recruiting, they have to find a sewer drain with a red balloon sticking out of it and this clown Hornacek will pop up. Turns out the red balloon reps bricks and the missing kids are his fault. Even the commentary team was like "oh yeah, Willy's on this team...hey look, instant three point play, how come he wasn't playing? He's an all nba rookie team guy." KP can't work an in and out game with Kanter because Kanter sticks to the rim like Linus to his blanket...but Horny says Kanter sets good picks so KP be damned. Frank actually managed to have less TO's per minute than the bum PG's ahead of him even while looking nervous and lost out there. Lance Thomas got off the bench before anyone else fam. Put me on team "anyone but this guy" in what is probably way too early a reaction...but I really don't see how the rotation he brought out is the best option for this team. As in it's not the best way to try to win or develop the youth. We need immediate trade rumors to make any sense of what he's doing imo.
looks like some Stan shyt. Dude made a whole thread putting the rookie down smh, shaming him all game in the thread after playing like 6 minutes and talking shyt in the lonzo ball thread. Homie get off frenchie dikk
