I wanna try something different, because it's hella negative with the losing and rotation stuff. So we're going with a complete focus on the positive aspects of these young players, the stuff they did well that makes them worth continuing to watch develop. This season ain't about wins and losses; the kids all have flaws and make plenty of mistakes but there's a lot to like about what they're doing too.
Knox: It's all flashes right now from Knox but he was more patient in his attack last night and wound up with a better shot selection overall. That's not to say he always made the right choice, but he was 3/6 from three point land and a couple of his best looks were misses as opposed to forces. The fact that he's so damned big and has a really good floater is intriguing, especially while he works on his strength and growing into his body. The other thing he's flashed the last two games is grabbing some tough boards. This one is more frustrating because there are a handful of times like the play where he saved a ball from going out of bounds and found Tim Hardaway for three...plays where he uses his athleticism and makes something out of nothing. Then there are times where he just gets over powered. But that's 19 for you.
Frank: His first half defense against Holiday was really fantastic. Holiday did a lot of his damage on switches or in transition situations where Frank wasn't guarding him. Then he came out in the third and got stuck as a small ball 4 because all of our bigs were in foul trouble and had a pair of beautiful sequences defending Randle. The replay where he draws the travel, just watch his footwork...so good. That wasn't it though, he was really good in the first quarter both finding his shot and getting creative to find rolling bigs in traffic off the pick and roll. The ball share, especially with him playing the four last night, means he's got limited opportunities to just attack a good ole screen and roll but he has been effective there.
Mitch: He played good defense against AD for a nice chunk of the game. The effort was there and he didn't just relegate himself to holding AD. He was helping against the ball handler and hustling back or running out to repay a weakside defender by challenging the shooter they had to leave behind. Even AD had to make some really difficult shots between Mitch and Vonleh, but Mitch stood out because he altered so many jumpers to go with never backing down from a possible MVP.
Trier: It's the nature of his 5 assists moreso than the quality. He was seeing the defense shift and moving the ball instead of constantly attacking the lane. He and Mudiay legitimately showed some chemistry last night. He didn't back down from possessions in the fourth quarter either. On defense the block he had is worth noting because it wasn't like a typical chasedown, it played out more slowly then a typical fastbreak lay-up. That speaks to just how good his timing is because that type of block is a lot easier to grab at one speed than with someone who changed speeds while you were sprinting in.
Dot: First, the tip rebound to Mitch in the fourth quarter is something Dot's done in a few games and I love it every time. That was during a sequence where he also stole the ball for a dunk. Dotson's defense and rebounding make it forgivable when he has a cold spell or just isn't getting shots up, but there's a bit of clutch in there too. He does the things that you need to win games and there are flashes of attacking the rim with both hands (he had a nice lefty take rim out). I feel like he has sneaky upside.
Mudiay: I've mocked that he drives without a purpose in past games. It's like he knows he should get to the rim but that's the only goal and so he's taking a terrible shot or leaping out of bounds looking for an outlet to pass to at the last minute. In this one he had intent to score and it paid off. Yes the assists were low and yes he shot the ball really well, but I'm skeptical of those two because they've been so rare for him. His jumper is trending in a positive direction but I'm approaching it with cautious optimism after Frank's three ball Houdini'd on us. That said, just the idea of him driving knowing exactly what he wants to do is an improvement that should be sustainable.
Burke: They finally put him in the role he was built to play, that bench scoring microwave. He needs the ball to produce and the line-up last night was really conducive with that (Trey/Frank/Dot/Vonleh/Kanter). That crew gave Trey every opportunity to take his time and attack while Frank and Dot are two of our better players at moving off the ball to open spaces. I think Burke is that good of a scorer at this point, keep feeding him the rock and he'll give you points.
Vonleh: Don't let Mitch's motor overshadow that Vonleh did a pretty good job trying to contain Davis too. Davis was just really that good. I think Fiz is flirting with the idea that Vonleh's weakside help might be able to cover for Kanter's Pick and Roll flaws. It's a good idea because Vonleh isn't afraid of contact and is pretty good about looking to switch when he sees a mismatch forming inside. As much as I didn't find the post ups aesthetically pleasing, he made a couple of baskets from them and that's better than just forcing jumpers.
Hardaway: His first quarter passing to Knox was a little bit of leadership that I really appreciated. Tim found Knox for three good looks and got the kid's confidence (should I say motor?) going early. He was lights out from three early and I think some of that was because he looked to pass or attack off the dribble so his three's were mostly catch and shoot looks. After Frank fought with Randle's escalating physicality for consecutive stops, Tim looked him out and switched over which was great. First it helped Frank avoid that fourth foul for a bit longer and second Tim saw the physicality and turned it into an offensive foul TO for Randle. That was a heady move that I REALLY liked.
Kanter: He's still overwhelming against undersized big men that try to guard him. Randle had nothing for him in the post. There's real utility to his strengths but you have to handle it right. If you're getting caught up in a half court game, he can get you net positives in rebounds and drawn fouls against undersized bigs that you find in a lot of second units. If Vonleh's weakside help can give Kanter an extra second to step out on the ball handler, it could be a move in a positive direction.
Fiz: Went Offense/Defense on substitutions with a good chunk of time on the clock which I liked. He had everybody fired up last night and they played their hearts out. While I'm not the biggest fan of Frank the Power Foward; there was so much foul trouble last night that I'm giving that one a pass. He's finding little two and three man combos that compliment each other or at least show promise to that end. Mudiay's improvement slashing and Trier's improving awareness are two developments that are especially promising.
and keep going for homeruns
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for the first time in a long time. feels good 
didn't watch the game was he that bad?
