1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 1: Mmmmm, welcome to the state of the Lakers. First came 2 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 1: to tell and Dad's ready. I thank you guys so 3 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: much for coming to hang out with us on a Sunday. 4 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 1: We're not gonna go too long today. UM. I actually 5 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 1: have a dinner I gotta get to and you guys 6 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: have some football to watch, and god knows what else 7 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: you guys are up to on a Sunday. But we're 8 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:33,680 Speaker 1: only gonna go for about thirty thirty minutes tonight. Um. 9 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:37,840 Speaker 1: But an interesting game to say the least. But taking 10 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 1: care of business, beating a team they were supposed to be. Um. 11 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:42,520 Speaker 1: You know, I thought this was one of those games 12 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: too where if you really kind of bottled up the 13 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: moments in the game where they were you know, focused 14 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 1: and not. Um, you know, screw it off. They played 15 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 1: well enough to beat the team by thirty. UM. But 16 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:56,320 Speaker 1: you know this team has a tendency to let their 17 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: foot off the gas every time they get a fifteen 18 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 1: point lead. Um. They've done all year long with every 19 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: bad team they played. So it wasn't entirely unpredictable that 20 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: San Antonio would make a run, and they did. But 21 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: after the time out, they came out and closed the 22 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: deal and actually Ransom good offense. Um. You know, I 23 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 1: was really hard on a D on Twitter for not 24 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:18,680 Speaker 1: handling double team as well, but then he did a 25 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,120 Speaker 1: really good job of handling a double team in that 26 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 1: sequence to kick out to Mellow for a three on 27 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 1: the wing that was wide open. And you know, it's easy. 28 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:30,199 Speaker 1: It's really that easy when you have players as good 29 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: as a D and Russ. It's just about class in 30 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: the defense and not turning the ball over. Just get 31 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 1: get the ball to somebody. You've got all these people 32 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:39,680 Speaker 1: on the floor that can shoot, all these people on 33 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:41,759 Speaker 1: the floor that can make plays off of your attention. 34 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: You just have to value the possession of the ball 35 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,440 Speaker 1: and not panic when the double team comes. Just handle it, 36 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. And so it was good 37 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: to see that kind of come together and that last 38 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: little string of possessions as they put san Antonio away. 39 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 1: What was your initial takeaway, rug, Well, I think this 40 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: is the THHD game, right, Like that has to be 41 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: where we start with It is definitely where we should 42 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 1: start with this. I kept saying, like putting all your 43 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:10,240 Speaker 1: prayers into a twenty year old is probably misplaced. But 44 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe THC is just 45 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: this good. His three wasn't even going tonight. I think 46 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: he was like one for five from three, but just 47 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:20,640 Speaker 1: having another shot creator next to Rus, next to a D. 48 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 1: A guy when the ball swings knows exactly what he 49 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:25,800 Speaker 1: wants to do with it, and he's another guy that 50 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: really seeks the rim. I thought he was just fantastic. 51 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: His game looks like it's matured. And it's kind of 52 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,160 Speaker 1: crazy because he's in year three at twenty, which doesn't 53 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 1: really happen, but just because of the COVID seasons. But 54 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 1: his game definitely looks more mature. He looks like he's 55 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:45,360 Speaker 1: manipulating defenses more than just reading them uh and his 56 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 1: drives to kick out passes, his uh skip passes were 57 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: great pocket passes. Finding a D on Lobs late in 58 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: the game. There they gave the ball to him. They 59 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: were like, here, you run our late game offense, and 60 00:02:57,560 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: he did a pretty nice job. Found the a D 61 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:01,079 Speaker 1: on the lab. Like that's I guess we're gonna start 62 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: with this. We'll go to his defense later. But what 63 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: did you see fro him? Because I thought his offense 64 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 1: was just something they desperately needed and we knew that 65 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:09,640 Speaker 1: it was missed, it's just when you see it on 66 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 1: the floor, like like comparing him like League Monk is 67 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 1: a score like a pier score, but he's not the 68 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: level I guess like shock creator type that th HD is. 69 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,080 Speaker 1: Like t HC. Just looks way more comfortable with the 70 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,680 Speaker 1: basketball in his hands, and that was just really awesome 71 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: to see him not even looked like he missed a 72 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: beat the first game of the season, I believe, but 73 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,640 Speaker 1: first regular season game, they start him right away. It 74 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: looks comfortable. What did you see from him to name? 75 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: He looks super comfortable. That was actually the first thing 76 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: that stood out to me, which is interesting because if 77 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: you really think about it, he basically hasn't played NBA basketball, 78 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: real real NBA basketball since the Phoenix series, which was 79 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: one way back in early June. So it's been a 80 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: very long time since th HD has played this level 81 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: of NBA basketball. So you almost expect Jetters, You almost 82 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: expect him to kind of, especially at his age, to 83 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: run around like a chicken with his head cut off. 84 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 1: But you looked very cold home and kind of was 85 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 1: taking the game and stride at his speed instead of 86 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: getting rushed and getting out of control. He looked really 87 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: good in that regard. You're right, they went to him 88 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: down the stretch. He was the one who scored out 89 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: of the time out found a d he um kind 90 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 1: of turned into a better option there, Um, you know, 91 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: just because Russ again Russ's decision making, which is a 92 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:20,280 Speaker 1: separate thing we're gonna get to. It's just it's it's 93 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: a little bit uh, you know, feast or famine, and 94 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:25,480 Speaker 1: at least with th HT, they were getting something a 95 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: little bit um, you know, a little bit more under control. Um, 96 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 1: you know. He I'm really curious to see how he 97 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 1: shoots in spot up situations. He didn't get a ton 98 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: of spot up situations today. He had a few, um 99 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 1: I think a couple of the threes that he made, Um, 100 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:42,479 Speaker 1: I think he actually only made one three. But he 101 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: the three that he made early in the game was 102 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: off the dribble. And that's cool and you'd like to 103 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:49,719 Speaker 1: see that. But I'm interested to see, especially when Lebron 104 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: comes back, which you and I both suspect he'll come 105 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,600 Speaker 1: back tomorrow, which remains to be seen. Um, but Rag 106 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:56,799 Speaker 1: and I have a theory that Lebron's coming back tomorrow. 107 00:04:57,040 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: We're going to see him more in a situation where 108 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: he's attacking an already compromise defense, which is something that 109 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 1: I'm excited to see. But you're right. I mean, a 110 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,359 Speaker 1: lot of people pointed this out on Twitter, and it 111 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: was smart. This idea that having a second dribble drive 112 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 1: creator next to us is so important because it allows 113 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 1: Russ to not feel the burden of having to create 114 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 1: everything from the perimeter. Now today it happened to not 115 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: help us take care of the ball, which we're gonna 116 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: talk about, but the idea is put Russ in a 117 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:32,479 Speaker 1: position where he knows, if he doesn't have a matchup 118 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:35,599 Speaker 1: or if he doesn't have you know, the rhythm that 119 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: he needs to do whatever he's doing, he can swing 120 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 1: the ball around and it'll find its way to Lebron 121 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: and he'll do it, you know. Or in this case, 122 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: in this case today it was HT having that second option, 123 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:48,839 Speaker 1: that second excuse me, that second dribble drive creator next 124 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: to us is so important for that just making it 125 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 1: so that that burden doesn't solely fall on us, I 126 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:57,720 Speaker 1: think that's so important. But again, it's more of what 127 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 1: we've always seen with th HD that's so impressive. It's 128 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 1: like when he scores, it's almost in like the in 129 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: terms of the eye tests, in terms of what you're 130 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: visually seeing, it looks like an All Star. It's one 131 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 1: like fade Away. It's it's super dynamic finishing around the rim. 132 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:15,160 Speaker 1: It's that that one that led to the time out 133 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: where he comes along the right side in the second 134 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 1: half and goes into two bodies and just elevates over 135 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: the top and shoots a float or high off the glasses. 136 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 1: Puts it in like you see, that high end scoring potential. 137 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:30,039 Speaker 1: That is exactly what has liquor fans so excited about him, 138 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 1: you know, because if he can find a way to 139 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 1: manufacture easy stuff as well, which he will as he 140 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 1: gets smarter, there's gonna be this whole other phase of 141 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:42,800 Speaker 1: th HD's career where he can be a high usage, 142 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: twenty plus point per game type of score to play 143 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: alongside a D when e d s in his early thirties. 144 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 1: That what we were always looking for in that regard 145 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:54,720 Speaker 1: is that high end potential, and he continues to flash 146 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:58,200 Speaker 1: that every single game he plays. We got talked about 147 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 1: that a lot last year. It's like every game with HD, 148 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:04,400 Speaker 1: there's one or two moments where there's this standout play 149 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: that was that just has you sit back and think 150 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:09,680 Speaker 1: about what he could be. And again it's just one game, 151 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 1: and we're going to talk about his defense in a 152 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 1: minute here too, But like it's if he keeps incrementally 153 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 1: improving at this rate, there's a lot to be excited about. Yeah. So, 154 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 1: like I think in the second quarter, something I wrote 155 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: down the game, it's it's a cliche, but you see 156 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:24,880 Speaker 1: it with a lot of young players that start to 157 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:27,160 Speaker 1: take somewhat of a leap, and I think, you know, 158 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 1: him taking a leap changes a lot of things for 159 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 1: the season, including the players we've lost. Like I think 160 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:34,560 Speaker 1: THHD making that jump is huge. But I said, the 161 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 1: game has really slowed down for him, like even last year, 162 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: even at his high points, there's a lot of reckless drives. There, 163 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:42,760 Speaker 1: a lot of like driving into three people and then 164 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 1: trying to decide where to go. Like I said before, 165 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:47,840 Speaker 1: it seems like more of like him manipulating the defense 166 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 1: knowing exactly what's going on. I thought he was probably 167 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:53,720 Speaker 1: our best like driving kid guy today just in terms 168 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 1: of finding shooters. He only had one assist tonight, but 169 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 1: I thought, you know, players missed a lot of shots 170 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:00,080 Speaker 1: that that he passed to. But but you're right, and 171 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: he just looks comfortable and his jumper. He's definitely more 172 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:06,040 Speaker 1: comfortable shooting off the dribble, which makes sense for a 173 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 1: guy that's had the ball I feel like all his life. Um, 174 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:10,559 Speaker 1: he's still trying to get used to being a spot 175 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: up guy. Hopefully that comes when you know he plays 176 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 1: more next to us and more next to Lebron. But 177 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: you talked about him attacking a compromise defense, like I'm 178 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,119 Speaker 1: really excited to see him playing next to Bron and Russ, 179 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:23,000 Speaker 1: just you know, him being the third guy that tries 180 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:25,840 Speaker 1: to break down your defense after the rotations already hit. 181 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 1: But we can kind of move on to his defense 182 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: man that that Lanth is definitely a factor. His on 183 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: ball defense I thought on Deonta Murray was huge, Like, 184 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:36,720 Speaker 1: especially down the stretch, he shut him down a few 185 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:39,360 Speaker 1: times players think they can get shots over him and 186 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 1: he's able to just contest it. And his team defense 187 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:43,640 Speaker 1: as well, it was a lot better. He fits like 188 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:45,680 Speaker 1: the Vogel scheme. We always said that, you know when 189 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 1: when guards trying to have to fight over those ball screens, 190 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:50,079 Speaker 1: and he did a really nice job of that giving 191 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: back pressure, giving eighty enough time to play both. What 192 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:54,360 Speaker 1: do you see kind of from his defense? So I 193 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 1: thought he was he was huge. He actually led the 194 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 1: team at night. He was a plus four team that 195 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:01,200 Speaker 1: was the best on the night took with his seventeen points. 196 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:03,320 Speaker 1: But defensively, we talked about how much of an impact 197 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: that would have just not playing negative defenders. And I'm 198 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:09,320 Speaker 1: really interested in this, like th HT in Monk Combo, 199 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:12,800 Speaker 1: because THHD gives enough defense as a wing to let 200 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 1: Monk play that one or two guard. What do you 201 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 1: see from him defensively? He looks great. I mean, you know, 202 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:22,559 Speaker 1: there there's different archetypes of defenders, right, Like there's position 203 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:24,720 Speaker 1: of positional defenders, guys that do a really good job 204 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:28,320 Speaker 1: of moving their feet making up for their um you know, 205 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:32,240 Speaker 1: physical disadvantages by just anticipating moves well and just trying 206 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 1: to position their body in the way so the guys 207 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:36,679 Speaker 1: have to shoot over the top. Well, th HD is 208 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 1: more of like a disruptive defender. He's all about. He's 209 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 1: all about like kind of sacrificing a little bit of 210 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 1: position for the sake of making the ball handler feel discomfort. 211 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:48,559 Speaker 1: That's naturally naturally gonna lead to him giving up some 212 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: dribble drives, and he did tonight, especially in the first half. 213 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:53,840 Speaker 1: There were a handful of place where he gave up 214 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:56,840 Speaker 1: straight line drives. And you live with that because that's 215 00:09:56,920 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 1: kind of, like you said, part of the scheme with 216 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 1: Frank or you know, you can. You don't want to 217 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:05,600 Speaker 1: have too many positional defenders on the floor, guys that 218 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:09,280 Speaker 1: can't disrupt ball handlers, because if everybody is just feeling 219 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: super comfortable on the perimeter all game, they're just gonna 220 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 1: shoot your eyes out. Especially in the modern NBA, you 221 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 1: can only have so much of that. So having having 222 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: that's what I like about the complementary type of pieces 223 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:23,600 Speaker 1: with Ellington out there alongside those guys. You know, like 224 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 1: if you put Ellington out there with Avery Bradley and 225 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 1: with th HT like they did with the starters, you 226 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:32,640 Speaker 1: can ask th h T and Avery Bradley to guard 227 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,600 Speaker 1: the more you know, dribble intensive guards, and then you 228 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:39,320 Speaker 1: can ask Wayne Ellington to chase guys off the screens, 229 00:10:39,679 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 1: you know. And obviously that gets more complicated when teams 230 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:44,080 Speaker 1: end up having to switch because they get lost in 231 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:47,720 Speaker 1: transition or because the team's attacking somebody in particular, they 232 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:51,200 Speaker 1: can get more complicated. But this is just another guy 233 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:54,200 Speaker 1: to have in the rotation that fits that Avery Bradley 234 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 1: type of archetype of defender, a disruptive defender that's gonna 235 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:00,480 Speaker 1: give up some straight line drives, but in a way 236 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:03,280 Speaker 1: that kind of works with this defensive scheme because of 237 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:06,240 Speaker 1: Anthony Davis on the back end. Um, So yeah, he 238 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 1: he looks rate in that regard and he's gonna look better, 239 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:10,840 Speaker 1: I think. I think here's the thing that Spurs didn't have. 240 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 1: They shot the ball well tonight, especially in the second half. 241 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: But the truth of the matter is they're gonna play 242 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,920 Speaker 1: pretty much starting tomorrow. Um, you know with a Lonzo 243 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:22,600 Speaker 1: who has been a really high, high volume, high efficiency 244 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:25,240 Speaker 1: three point shooters Zac Lavine, really good three point shooter, 245 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:28,320 Speaker 1: you're there. They're heading into a situation tomorrow where you 246 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: know he's gonna be tested more off the ball, and 247 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:33,679 Speaker 1: that'll be the thing to watch with him. That was 248 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:36,240 Speaker 1: always his weakness, Like from pretty much from day one, 249 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 1: TSD was fantastic on the perimeter as a point of 250 00:11:40,559 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: attack defenders relative to what you'd expect for for a 251 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:48,640 Speaker 1: player that young, but his weakness has always been, you know, 252 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:53,000 Speaker 1: struggling off the ball, paying attention to shooters, and so 253 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 1: he's gonna get tested a lot. And uh, it's particularly 254 00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:59,040 Speaker 1: on Monday. And then I can't remember if it's the 255 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:00,720 Speaker 1: Wines there in the Friday game, but the milk the 256 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:03,440 Speaker 1: Milkwaukee game, there's another one where a lot of eyes 257 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:05,760 Speaker 1: are gonna be on the honest and it's gonna be 258 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:09,320 Speaker 1: a lot of attention paid to one guy, which is 259 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:11,720 Speaker 1: going to test the focus of off ball defenders. So 260 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:15,000 Speaker 1: we'll see, you know, obviously it's early. It's too early 261 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 1: to say, you know, whether or not this projects well 262 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:18,880 Speaker 1: to him being a guy who can be in the 263 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:21,200 Speaker 1: starting lineup in the playoffs, a guy who can play 264 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:23,520 Speaker 1: five minutes of game in the playoffs. That remains to 265 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:26,000 Speaker 1: be seen. But it was definitely a really good first 266 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: step today. Yeah for sure, And like I thought, just 267 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:32,520 Speaker 1: watching the game after we watch it, but he seemed 268 00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 1: like a lot more focused on the defensive end, just 269 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:38,480 Speaker 1: as a team defender, and they're gonna need him, Like 270 00:12:38,480 --> 00:12:40,320 Speaker 1: like League Moong, all those dudes, like they can try 271 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 1: their best, but they're just really small. They don't have 272 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:45,040 Speaker 1: the length and thhu with his seven one winkspan, like 273 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:47,960 Speaker 1: that just made a difference tonight. Him fighting inside. We 274 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:50,840 Speaker 1: do a lot of these four guard lineups where he's 275 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:53,280 Speaker 1: kind of like the power forward, sometimes even next to 276 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:55,280 Speaker 1: a D and they're gonna need him to be really active, 277 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:57,680 Speaker 1: and I thought he was tonight. And again on Deante Murray, 278 00:12:57,720 --> 00:12:59,720 Speaker 1: I thought he was great. And just having guy like 279 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:01,760 Speaker 1: Ellen team that can chase off like I like these 280 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:03,720 Speaker 1: bench units that we can kind of build off of, 281 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 1: and like you said, where Lebron is gonna be hopefully 282 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:09,480 Speaker 1: coming back tomorrow. If it's not tomorrow, he'll come back 283 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:12,120 Speaker 1: hopefully this week. Just start to get the team healthy here. 284 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:14,200 Speaker 1: But yeah, t HD, that was a huge boost. And 285 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:16,680 Speaker 1: if none can give them a boost like this as well, 286 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 1: maybe not at this type of level. And again THD 287 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:22,280 Speaker 1: doesn't have to score seventeen points every single night, But 288 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:25,000 Speaker 1: like we said, just his shock creation kind of puts 289 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:27,880 Speaker 1: guys in the correct roles, right, Like Malik Monk didn't 290 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 1: have to be the full time secondary or backup point guard. 291 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:34,120 Speaker 1: He could just be the score and you saw him 292 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:36,120 Speaker 1: get to be able to get in his bag in 293 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:38,360 Speaker 1: that way. I still think it's a lot of Rondo 294 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:41,360 Speaker 1: minutes that are unnecessary. But again, Rondo also allows other 295 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:44,400 Speaker 1: guys to kind of do what they do in a sense. Yeah, 296 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 1: I thought, I thought, Taylor, this was a big boost 297 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:49,120 Speaker 1: of the team. And hopefully we when we get healthy 298 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:51,520 Speaker 1: here with Lebron back, we'll get to see more of 299 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:54,080 Speaker 1: these kind of different five man lineups, more of these, 300 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:58,600 Speaker 1: just not as many below average defenders on the floor here. Um, 301 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: did you want to go into a d next from Taylor? Yeah, yeah, 302 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:05,240 Speaker 1: so first of all, just kind of to put a 303 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:06,800 Speaker 1: bow on the t h D. Think we're gonna see 304 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: a lot of him, I think personally in this next 305 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:14,360 Speaker 1: couple of weeks, just by virtue of the Aresa injury, 306 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:18,440 Speaker 1: the Lakers just need to have another real physical presence 307 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:21,040 Speaker 1: on the floor, a guy who can guard up a position. 308 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:23,520 Speaker 1: There was a play today where he was defending t 309 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:26,920 Speaker 1: He was defending um daddy is young on the low 310 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: block and enforced him into a missed jump hook and 311 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:34,280 Speaker 1: that kind of thing. That same type of matchup attacking 312 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:36,840 Speaker 1: against an Ellington or a Monk or Rondo just is 313 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,400 Speaker 1: going to end in a basket every time. Um, So, 314 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 1: getting that level of you know, defending up a position 315 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:44,440 Speaker 1: from th h D is going to make him, you know, 316 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:47,920 Speaker 1: hugely valuable in the next couple of weeks, and so 317 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:49,160 Speaker 1: I expect to see a lot of him and we're 318 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 1: gonna we're gonna learn a lot about what th HD 319 00:14:51,920 --> 00:14:54,160 Speaker 1: can do with this team in the next couple of 320 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 1: weeks moving on to a D. So I want this 321 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:01,760 Speaker 1: to be mostly good, to be clear, because at the 322 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:04,960 Speaker 1: end of the day, you know, I think, especially with 323 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:08,359 Speaker 1: the nature of of the injuries and this team struggles 324 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:11,600 Speaker 1: early on, we're almost a little too nitpicky with a D. 325 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 1: But the truth of the matter is, like he he 326 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:17,600 Speaker 1: still is the most ridiculous matchup advantage in all of 327 00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:21,920 Speaker 1: basketball um and early in that game, there was just 328 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 1: nothing that Spurs could do with him. U there was 329 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:27,160 Speaker 1: a there was a random game I watched ages ago. 330 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:29,520 Speaker 1: I can't remember who this is, back when he was 331 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:32,800 Speaker 1: in New Orleans. I think they were playing Portland, I'm 332 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:35,000 Speaker 1: not sure, but I was watching him and he ended 333 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: up with like forty something in the mid forties and 334 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:41,360 Speaker 1: won an overtime game, and it was like a cheet code. 335 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:43,000 Speaker 1: It was like every time they threw to him, there 336 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:45,720 Speaker 1: was just even even in the crunch time, even in 337 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:48,160 Speaker 1: the serious moments of the game. There was just nothing 338 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 1: anybody could do with him unless you have a specific 339 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:53,520 Speaker 1: archetype of player like that. Young did an okay job 340 00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:57,280 Speaker 1: today in a post mismatch and poached post matchups and 341 00:15:57,400 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: forcing him to be a jump shooter. But like anybody 342 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:01,280 Speaker 1: else on the roster, if he got it, it was 343 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 1: a bucket or a foul every single time. And and 344 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:05,800 Speaker 1: that that to me is something I think like your 345 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:08,160 Speaker 1: fans take for granted from time to time, including myself, 346 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:12,600 Speaker 1: But it's just such a huge, you know, advantage to 347 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:14,760 Speaker 1: have because the truth is is with all the injuries 348 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 1: and with Rush struggling so much taking care of the basketball, 349 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:20,960 Speaker 1: this team doesn't have a ton of talent right now, 350 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:23,280 Speaker 1: you know, relative to a lot of the teams they're playing. 351 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:26,720 Speaker 1: But a D just levels that playing field. You can 352 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:29,560 Speaker 1: go into these games, like a game against the Spurs today, 353 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:32,080 Speaker 1: and it's like, hey, like we can just dump the 354 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:34,760 Speaker 1: ball into a D a lot and good stuff is 355 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:37,400 Speaker 1: gonna happen and we're gonna win, you know, And and 356 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:39,400 Speaker 1: it's kind of a it's it's kind of like I said, 357 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:42,600 Speaker 1: a luxury that that that doesn't need that we need 358 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:45,520 Speaker 1: to do a better job of acknowledging, and obviously there 359 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 1: was a little stretch there in the third quarter where 360 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 1: he struggled with double teams. And you know, it's fascinating 361 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: because he tends to when he catches the ball on 362 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:55,640 Speaker 1: the block and he turns and faces and the double 363 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:59,920 Speaker 1: team comes, he has a tendency to lean back away 364 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,480 Speaker 1: from the pressure. And when he leans back away from 365 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:05,520 Speaker 1: the pressure, he immediately looks behind him and tries to 366 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:08,720 Speaker 1: find somebody really close on the three point line to 367 00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:10,960 Speaker 1: just get out of his hands, because at that point 368 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:12,560 Speaker 1: he's just trying to not turn it over. This is 369 00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:15,320 Speaker 1: something you and I've talked about forever. But the play, 370 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:17,440 Speaker 1: the biggest play of the game, in my opinion, was 371 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 1: I think there were a four in the fourth quarter 372 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 1: and he was posting up on the left block, and 373 00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:23,919 Speaker 1: what they do, what they've been doing with the das 374 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:26,399 Speaker 1: doing late doubles, that was the one thing they mixed 375 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: up instead of just out outright doubling him as as 376 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:31,280 Speaker 1: soon as he puts the ball on the floor, they 377 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:34,359 Speaker 1: would send the double and kind of like testing his 378 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:36,919 Speaker 1: handle and testing his ability to make quick decisions. And 379 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:39,800 Speaker 1: they're on that pivotal play of the game. Instead of 380 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:43,720 Speaker 1: leaning backwards from the ball pressure and kind of fading 381 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,640 Speaker 1: from the ball pressure, he just continued to go into 382 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:50,400 Speaker 1: the lane and split the double, like just kind of 383 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:53,480 Speaker 1: steps through the double and kicked too mellow for a 384 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:56,600 Speaker 1: wide open three. And that's and and that's something I've 385 00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:59,880 Speaker 1: been begging for him to do for years because doubling 386 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:02,640 Speaker 1: is a good thing. Like Lebron loves when you double 387 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:05,240 Speaker 1: team him. He knows that's you giving up an advantage, 388 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:08,320 Speaker 1: and he knows that that's you somewhere on the floor. 389 00:18:08,359 --> 00:18:10,200 Speaker 1: You have an opportunity to make the other team pay. 390 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 1: You just have to execute and not fear. And and 391 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:15,959 Speaker 1: it's funny because it's something that people struggle with at 392 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:18,720 Speaker 1: all levels of basketball. It's amazing how much the high 393 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 1: schoolers that I coach struggle with ball pressure like they have. 394 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,280 Speaker 1: Everybody has a tendency with ball pressure to try to 395 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:28,240 Speaker 1: protect the ball, so they lean back, like I was saying, 396 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:30,000 Speaker 1: But the truth is is if you're strong with the 397 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:32,720 Speaker 1: ball and you stay low and you actually advanced positions, 398 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:35,800 Speaker 1: step into the defender and clear out space, you have 399 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:38,640 Speaker 1: a much better chance of seeing the floor, finding where 400 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:42,040 Speaker 1: the opening is in making teams pay, and so obviously 401 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:44,199 Speaker 1: it remains to be seen over the course of his 402 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:47,119 Speaker 1: Lakers career if he ever develops into someone who can 403 00:18:47,119 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 1: consistently do that. But he won the game with it 404 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:52,399 Speaker 1: tonight with that big play to Mellow, and I'd like 405 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:55,280 Speaker 1: to see more of that. But just just another awesome game. 406 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:58,120 Speaker 1: And then lastly, every time, every time the team needs 407 00:18:58,119 --> 00:19:00,720 Speaker 1: a big defensive play, he just makes it happen. There 408 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 1: was also right after th hts a little way up 409 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:05,639 Speaker 1: out of the time now he swallowed up. I think 410 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:07,159 Speaker 1: it was def insal I can remember who it was, 411 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:09,399 Speaker 1: and someone drove into the lane and he got switched 412 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,240 Speaker 1: on him and the person tried to body him and 413 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:14,359 Speaker 1: take a little ten foot fade away and Ad blocked 414 00:19:14,359 --> 00:19:16,719 Speaker 1: it and Kepta Short's like, man like, that's a huge 415 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:20,240 Speaker 1: defensive play. And so again just luxuries that I think 416 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:22,920 Speaker 1: all of us have Laker fans, as Laker fans have, 417 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:24,879 Speaker 1: you know, I've got to take for granted a lot 418 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:26,600 Speaker 1: of the times and something I would like to be 419 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:29,679 Speaker 1: better about. Well, on that play that you were talking about, 420 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:32,080 Speaker 1: the one that won them the game. The reason I 421 00:19:32,119 --> 00:19:34,160 Speaker 1: think that he was able to hit that is because 422 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:37,440 Speaker 1: we had Carmelo and Ellington at on the weak side, 423 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:39,000 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Like that's a really tough 424 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:41,360 Speaker 1: place to double off of, and I'd like to see 425 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:43,600 Speaker 1: more of that, and we'll see defensively those lineups can 426 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:45,760 Speaker 1: kind of stick. But that's a tough cover. Like that's 427 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:49,120 Speaker 1: not Avery Bradley or like camp Baysmore, who actually didn't 428 00:19:49,119 --> 00:19:52,080 Speaker 1: play tonight, which is fascinating considering it was starting every game. 429 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:54,760 Speaker 1: But yeah, we had Ellington and Mellow on on the 430 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:57,240 Speaker 1: week side, and that's an easier read. A D kind 431 00:19:57,240 --> 00:19:58,440 Speaker 1: of got in the air and he just had to 432 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:00,919 Speaker 1: pick one. Whoever they helped off of. They decided to, 433 00:20:01,119 --> 00:20:03,280 Speaker 1: I believe, leave Mellow and he was able to drain 434 00:20:03,359 --> 00:20:06,360 Speaker 1: the three. Um, I don't think posting like I think 435 00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:08,919 Speaker 1: a D got a lot of buckets tonight off of 436 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 1: like pick and roll off of like law passes, dominating 437 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:16,480 Speaker 1: offensive rebounds. I just think posting him up with uh 438 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:19,240 Speaker 1: with so much non shooting around, like when Rondo is 439 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:22,000 Speaker 1: the post entry passer, like they're just they're gonna send 440 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:24,920 Speaker 1: help right away, and that's like a tough decision. That's 441 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:26,800 Speaker 1: like a lot of tough decision making for a D. 442 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 1: But you're right. In that first half, he dominated twenty 443 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 1: seven points. I believe in the first half it was 444 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:34,920 Speaker 1: like ten of thirteen or some ridiculous number. Um and 445 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:37,080 Speaker 1: the second half the Spurs just decided to take him 446 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:38,840 Speaker 1: out of the game. They said, anyone else is gonna 447 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:41,400 Speaker 1: beat us, sent three people at him on the boards 448 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:43,239 Speaker 1: as well. We had a lot of small guards and 449 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:46,120 Speaker 1: they took They took his offensive rebounding away as well. 450 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 1: I'll but yeah, just another incredible game from him, who's 451 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:53,520 Speaker 1: absolutely carrying the team. Russ I thought had an okay 452 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:57,520 Speaker 1: game tonight minus the turnovers. Yeah, minus the turnovers. But 453 00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:00,280 Speaker 1: a D is basically carrying a lot of this and 454 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:02,600 Speaker 1: hopefully Lebron comes back to kind of shoulder the road. 455 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:05,879 Speaker 1: But defensively, man, I think he's been incredible second taking 456 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:08,600 Speaker 1: out that Timberwolves second half, that first half against them. 457 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:10,840 Speaker 1: I thought he was great tonight again, just blowing up 458 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 1: every action. The Spurs don't have very much inside presence 459 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:17,720 Speaker 1: like you Banks, and I think Pearl didn't even play tonight, 460 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:20,240 Speaker 1: but he blew up a lot of their action Deanti 461 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:22,800 Speaker 1: Murray coming off midrange screens. They switched a lot of 462 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:25,280 Speaker 1: stuff and he was basically matched up with a lot 463 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:27,560 Speaker 1: of guards, which is why we gave up. I think 464 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:29,800 Speaker 1: the ship ton of offensive rebounds couldn't kind of a 465 00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:31,960 Speaker 1: rebound late, but he was. He was able to stay 466 00:21:31,960 --> 00:21:34,000 Speaker 1: on those guards man, those those quick guards that the 467 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:36,280 Speaker 1: Spurs have basket as well as a really nice jump 468 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 1: shooting guard. He was able to defend him. He was 469 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:43,080 Speaker 1: huge tonight. I thought he looked fatigued in the last game, right, 470 00:21:43,119 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: I thought tonight it was pretty much a full, full, 471 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:48,240 Speaker 1: full game from him. And this is the cleanest his 472 00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:50,680 Speaker 1: jumper has looked in a long time. Taking out whether 473 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:52,680 Speaker 1: the shot went in or not, it just felt more 474 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,919 Speaker 1: on balanced, like his threes looked more comfortable his off 475 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:58,359 Speaker 1: the dribble shooting as well. And hopefully maybe this is 476 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:00,880 Speaker 1: just him progressing to the mean here. The jumper has 477 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:04,040 Speaker 1: been absolutely off off the earth for a long time. 478 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:06,719 Speaker 1: This is just a great building building block for him. 479 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:08,840 Speaker 1: And I thought you said something interesting on Twitter. It's 480 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:10,639 Speaker 1: the first time he's played four teen games in a 481 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:14,439 Speaker 1: row or something, uh, since since the bubble um since ye, 482 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 1: since since the playoffs, So he looks like he's at 483 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:20,320 Speaker 1: least staying healthy. And he talked about last year playing 484 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:22,400 Speaker 1: his way into shape, and I thought this year as well, 485 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 1: he wasn't in the greatest condition to start, but it 486 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 1: looks like he's getting his legs under him, and this 487 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:29,879 Speaker 1: is the bouncy as he's looked the most comfortable on 488 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:31,679 Speaker 1: his jump shot. He's looked and they're gonna need that 489 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:34,200 Speaker 1: and hopefully Lebron, like I said, comes back to shot 490 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:37,560 Speaker 1: shorten that load on him. But so another dominant game 491 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:39,480 Speaker 1: from him. The second half scoring is what it is. 492 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:41,480 Speaker 1: People are gonna focus on that, and I think that 493 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,080 Speaker 1: was more of a thing that the Spurs did to 494 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:46,440 Speaker 1: kind of dare our other shooters to to get looks 495 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,439 Speaker 1: rather than an a d lack of aggression. But I 496 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:54,080 Speaker 1: thought he was just awesome tonight as well. I thought 497 00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:56,600 Speaker 1: you made a really good point about the Ellington Mellow 498 00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:01,199 Speaker 1: weak side space. Yeah, there was every possession that's what 499 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:04,520 Speaker 1: they did down the stretch that that I noticed it 500 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:06,840 Speaker 1: again on the on the possession where THHD kind of 501 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,040 Speaker 1: lost his balance and turned it over. They're what they 502 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:12,639 Speaker 1: would do in both cases. So Mellow would be on 503 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:14,600 Speaker 1: the weak side wing and Ellington would be on the 504 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:18,119 Speaker 1: weak side corner, and Ellington's man would basically sink to 505 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:22,280 Speaker 1: the block and then mellows man would split the difference 506 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:26,240 Speaker 1: between Ellington and Mellow and basically kind of play soccer goalie, 507 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,639 Speaker 1: right like because when the when the past would come 508 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:30,120 Speaker 1: and you just jump one of the guys and hope 509 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:31,719 Speaker 1: for the best is what it kind of seemed like. 510 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:34,440 Speaker 1: And on the pivotal play of the one we're talking about, 511 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:38,360 Speaker 1: the the helper came over from Ellington and then Mellow's 512 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:41,520 Speaker 1: man jumped to Ellington on the on the on the 513 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:43,200 Speaker 1: step through from a D and a D just made 514 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:45,760 Speaker 1: an easy past. Like you said, make the reads easy, 515 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:47,680 Speaker 1: like he's he's never gonna be able to make the 516 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:51,320 Speaker 1: super advanced reads that Lebron can make out of out 517 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:53,480 Speaker 1: of the post, like Lebron can hit the dunker out 518 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:57,960 Speaker 1: of the post. Lebron can you know, hit these crazy 519 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 1: you know kind of arms swing shot passes over the 520 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:03,920 Speaker 1: top to catch a shooter that's opened by and you're 521 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:05,440 Speaker 1: never gonna be able to get that from a D. 522 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:08,240 Speaker 1: But if you make it simple and easy, then then 523 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:11,719 Speaker 1: he's going to be like any basketball player can you know, 524 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:14,440 Speaker 1: step through and and make a kick to a wide 525 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:17,000 Speaker 1: open shooter on the wing. So, like you said, maybe 526 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:18,960 Speaker 1: going more to a d post stuffs. When you have 527 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 1: that kind of shooting on the floor will make a 528 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:23,960 Speaker 1: big difference. And you know, moving on to his slump 529 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:25,879 Speaker 1: for a second, you know this is he did shoot 530 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:28,080 Speaker 1: the ball really well. Today's form looks good, he looks comfortable. 531 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:31,639 Speaker 1: He you know, I tweeted out that he hasn't played 532 00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:35,399 Speaker 1: four teen games in a row since bubble and and 533 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:37,440 Speaker 1: the reason why I point that out is, I'm I'm 534 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 1: such a huge believer in the way that rhythm effects 535 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:45,200 Speaker 1: of basketball player. You know. Uh. The story I would 536 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:48,280 Speaker 1: share is my second year playing in college. I was 537 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:51,760 Speaker 1: playing junior college up in Utah, and I broke my 538 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:55,239 Speaker 1: foot the summer before, and so when I showed up 539 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:58,080 Speaker 1: to campus, I had actually not touched the basketball in 540 00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:02,040 Speaker 1: a several months. And I was so bad at the 541 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:05,040 Speaker 1: start of the season, not just in practice, but in 542 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:07,960 Speaker 1: the first few games of the season. And I was 543 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:09,760 Speaker 1: one of at this junior college. I was out. I 544 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:11,320 Speaker 1: was one of only two guys. I was on a 545 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:14,120 Speaker 1: full right scholarship, so there was a lot of expectation 546 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:16,560 Speaker 1: on me to fulfill the amount of money that the 547 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:19,800 Speaker 1: program had invested in me. And so my coach pulled 548 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:22,080 Speaker 1: me in the office and he actually took me out 549 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:23,800 Speaker 1: of the starting line up and benched me because I 550 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:25,760 Speaker 1: wasn't playing very well. And it had a lot to 551 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:28,359 Speaker 1: do with the fact that I was just everything that 552 00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:30,880 Speaker 1: I used to do well on a basketball court. I 553 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:33,720 Speaker 1: wasn't doing well because I was so out of rhythm 554 00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:36,520 Speaker 1: because I hadn't played, and everyone else that I was 555 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:38,919 Speaker 1: going up against in practice and everyone else that was 556 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:43,000 Speaker 1: buying for my position was in great rhythm. That season, 557 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:46,320 Speaker 1: I was an All Conference player because the second half 558 00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:49,399 Speaker 1: of the season I finally regained my rhythm because I 559 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:53,439 Speaker 1: was able to stay committed to, you know, the work 560 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:56,520 Speaker 1: day in and day out and get consistent minutes that 561 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:59,600 Speaker 1: as the season progressed, especially when we got into conference play, 562 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:02,800 Speaker 1: I finally got it back. But the point is, it's like, 563 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:07,639 Speaker 1: it's really really hard to play basketball as a finesse player, 564 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:09,919 Speaker 1: meaning a guy who handles the ball a lot and 565 00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:12,880 Speaker 1: the guy who shoots the ball a lot. If you don't, 566 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 1: if you're constantly in and out of the lineup, if 567 00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:18,600 Speaker 1: you're constantly going extended stretches without touching a ball. Do 568 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:21,479 Speaker 1: you think Anthony Davis was touching a basketball a lot 569 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:23,840 Speaker 1: when he had to kill these tendonosis. Do you think 570 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:26,239 Speaker 1: Anthony Davis was touching the basketball a lot when he's 571 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 1: growing was pulled like that? Like? No, Like as the 572 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 1: best case scenario, you can do some stand still shooting, 573 00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:35,040 Speaker 1: but what is stand still shooting do for your rhythm 574 00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:37,159 Speaker 1: when in games you're going at a certain speed and 575 00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:40,639 Speaker 1: you're elevating and and you're dealing with contests and things 576 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:44,200 Speaker 1: like that. Like I you know, there's the biggest debate 577 00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:46,760 Speaker 1: we have is whether or not a DS bubble shooting 578 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:49,639 Speaker 1: was real. And you know, is he ever gonna be uh, 579 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:52,840 Speaker 1: you know, sixteen ft to the three point line guy 580 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:55,119 Speaker 1: again or fifty or whatever it was that he was 581 00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:57,240 Speaker 1: in the bubble? Maybe not. I'm not sure. It was 582 00:26:57,240 --> 00:26:58,960 Speaker 1: a small sample size, so it's hard to say. But 583 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:01,919 Speaker 1: the truth of the matter is is for about for 584 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:05,280 Speaker 1: about nineteen games going into the bubble, so before in 585 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:09,760 Speaker 1: February and March, before the shutdown, he was from three 586 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,960 Speaker 1: that he was over those nineteen games, and then in 587 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 1: the bubble he shot outstanding lee well from long twos 588 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:18,280 Speaker 1: and I think he was right around thirty eight percent 589 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:21,880 Speaker 1: on threes. And then the first fifteen games of the 590 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:25,040 Speaker 1: following season when he was healthy, he was thirty eight 591 00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:27,960 Speaker 1: percent from three and then as Achilles got mess stuck, 592 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:30,600 Speaker 1: and then it all fell apart because he was playing 593 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:32,199 Speaker 1: one or two games and then taking a day off. 594 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:33,679 Speaker 1: One or two games and taken a day off, then 595 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:35,840 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, it's so bad that we literally 596 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:38,600 Speaker 1: have to shut him down for all these months. And 597 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:40,440 Speaker 1: then he comes back and he gets back in the court, 598 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:43,000 Speaker 1: and and he starts playing and family pulls his growing. 599 00:27:43,119 --> 00:27:44,560 Speaker 1: The point is is like the dudes just had a 600 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:48,320 Speaker 1: nightmare time trying to stay available. So is the truth 601 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:51,880 Speaker 1: probably somewhere in the middle. Yeah, he's probably somewhere between 602 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:54,280 Speaker 1: the jump shooter that he's been and the jump shooter 603 00:27:54,359 --> 00:27:57,080 Speaker 1: that he was. But he certainly is a lot better 604 00:27:57,080 --> 00:28:00,359 Speaker 1: than he's showing. And I'm really really opting is stick 605 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:03,080 Speaker 1: that if he continues to stay in the lineup and 606 00:28:03,119 --> 00:28:05,960 Speaker 1: he continues to get his opportunity to play NBA basketball 607 00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:09,080 Speaker 1: day in and day out for the for the majority 608 00:28:09,119 --> 00:28:11,159 Speaker 1: of the season, I think he's going to recapture some 609 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:13,320 Speaker 1: of that shooting, which is why I think it's so 610 00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:17,600 Speaker 1: important that he takes more threes, you know, particularly in 611 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:21,040 Speaker 1: the flow of the offense, because especially when it comes to, 612 00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:23,240 Speaker 1: you know, when it comes to those high leverage moments 613 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:26,080 Speaker 1: against the Utah with Rudy Gobert, or against the Golden 614 00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:29,200 Speaker 1: State with Draymond Green, or against you know, a Phoenix 615 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:32,879 Speaker 1: with DeAndre Ayton. We need driving lanes, especially with Russ 616 00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:35,960 Speaker 1: on the floor. And so when team, especially when teams 617 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 1: starts switching and you can't run pick and roll anymore, 618 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:42,600 Speaker 1: they need to find, uh, they need to find enough 619 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:46,240 Speaker 1: opportunity for Anthony Davis to shoot and to get comfortable 620 00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:50,080 Speaker 1: shooting so that their offense even functions in the highest 621 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:52,200 Speaker 1: leverage moments. So that that's why I've been harping on 622 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:53,920 Speaker 1: that so much. But I'm a believer that a B 623 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:58,040 Speaker 1: is at least an average three point shooter, So that 624 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:00,800 Speaker 1: needs to be leaned into a little bit more, even 625 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:03,840 Speaker 1: though he hasn't shot nearly that well in the last year, 626 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:06,760 Speaker 1: if that makes sense. Yeah, And he doesn't need to 627 00:29:06,840 --> 00:29:15,160 Speaker 1: become bubble a D mid range Kevin Durant, King, the 628 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,400 Speaker 1: Russell Westbrook, um Lebron James as well, guys who want 629 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:20,440 Speaker 1: to get to the basket, Like you need a D 630 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:22,280 Speaker 1: to be somewhat of a threat out there. He can't 631 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 1: shoot four from three, Like it has to be enough 632 00:29:25,280 --> 00:29:27,640 Speaker 1: for the defense respects it. That's the whole point, right 633 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 1: of having a D at the five spotes, so that 634 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:33,560 Speaker 1: teams have to kind of respect him outside of the paint. 635 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:35,480 Speaker 1: And I think he'll get to that, Like he's he's 636 00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:38,480 Speaker 1: showed enough in his career that like there's enough of 637 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:40,960 Speaker 1: a sample there. Again we go to the bubble, but 638 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 1: during that season he was starting to pick it up 639 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:46,320 Speaker 1: from the mid range. And then also last year as well, 640 00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:48,920 Speaker 1: he started the season red hot from the mid range 641 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:51,960 Speaker 1: and then he got injured. So I don't think he 642 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:54,440 Speaker 1: needs to turn into that. He does enough defensively as well. 643 00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:57,080 Speaker 1: That's my biggest thing though. He's back turning into this 644 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:00,280 Speaker 1: super dominant defensive player. And we didn't get to see 645 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:03,120 Speaker 1: that a lot last year. Whether you call it excuses 646 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:05,840 Speaker 1: or reasons, you can pick one of their probably you know, 647 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:08,640 Speaker 1: somewhere in the same line, but he just wasn't the 648 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:12,680 Speaker 1: defensive player last year. From effort to is conditioning to 649 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:15,040 Speaker 1: whatever it is, and I think he's getting back there 650 00:30:15,080 --> 00:30:18,360 Speaker 1: this year. We're surrounding him out with like four small guards, 651 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:19,960 Speaker 1: you know, and the guards are playing hard and they're 652 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:22,239 Speaker 1: doing their thing. But eight is covering up for a 653 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:24,720 Speaker 1: lot um and again, like it's tough to throw a 654 00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:27,360 Speaker 1: half out because it's not how basketball works. Um, the 655 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:29,640 Speaker 1: numbers are gonna stay there. But if you just take 656 00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:32,000 Speaker 1: out that second half of Minnesota, which I was sadly 657 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:35,560 Speaker 1: there to watch um in the building for, if you 658 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:37,800 Speaker 1: take that out in the body language is a team 659 00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:40,160 Speaker 1: from there, that Miami team, and they played hard and 660 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:42,400 Speaker 1: they defended well. And it's not again, I thought they 661 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 1: defended pretty well. Keldeny Johnson hit a bunch of threes 662 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:48,680 Speaker 1: to to night. He was percent from three going into tonight. 663 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:50,560 Speaker 1: He had a bunch of contested ones. Like I thought, 664 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:53,080 Speaker 1: the rotations are getting there, and eight is a big 665 00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:55,320 Speaker 1: part of this eight is we talked about it the 666 00:30:55,320 --> 00:30:57,640 Speaker 1: whole time. A D is their defensive identity this year. 667 00:30:57,760 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 1: They don't have all these defensive minded players, Like it's 668 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:03,200 Speaker 1: eighties job to kind of lead that charge. And I thought, 669 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:04,840 Speaker 1: you're starting to see it more and more. You see 670 00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:07,920 Speaker 1: him getting more comfortable. Um, today's is I think tonight's 671 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:10,280 Speaker 1: is his fifth thirty point game of the season already, 672 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:13,160 Speaker 1: which it just doesn't feel that wayhen you're watching him, 673 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:15,240 Speaker 1: but he puts up the numbers in such in these 674 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:18,520 Speaker 1: bursts right like like tonight and the first half type 675 00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:20,760 Speaker 1: of stuff he gets like fifteen in the first quarter 676 00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:23,280 Speaker 1: and a lot of games. But again thirty points and 677 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:25,520 Speaker 1: his fifth game tonight, and I think those will those 678 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:28,000 Speaker 1: numbers should increase as Lebron gets back. But again the 679 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:30,720 Speaker 1: huge another huge, a D game been carrying the team 680 00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:34,200 Speaker 1: for a lot of these stretches without Lebron and hopefully 681 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:35,760 Speaker 1: we'll get him back. I think th HD is a 682 00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:38,480 Speaker 1: big parts as well. Another guy that can just give 683 00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:41,080 Speaker 1: the ball to it. Looks comfortable shock trading where a 684 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:42,840 Speaker 1: D doesn't have to be in the post and get 685 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:46,280 Speaker 1: triple teamed the spacing on some of these. Avery Bradley 686 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:48,880 Speaker 1: is a respectable shooter in some ways, but teams don't 687 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:50,600 Speaker 1: treat him that way, you know what I mean. Like 688 00:31:50,640 --> 00:31:54,080 Speaker 1: even if Avery Bradley from three teams still dig in 689 00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:56,880 Speaker 1: right away Rondo again as the post entry pastor. We 690 00:31:56,880 --> 00:31:59,719 Speaker 1: talked about that, but yeah, man Adie looks like he's 691 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:02,480 Speaker 1: he's scrowing it conformed here and that's that's good to see. 692 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:08,760 Speaker 1: So wild's that for you. The today was Anthony Davis, 693 00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:11,960 Speaker 1: his fifth thirty point game of the season. He had 694 00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:15,960 Speaker 1: six all year last year, oh Man, six all year. 695 00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:20,240 Speaker 1: So that's just that's just how much his rhythm was 696 00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:23,760 Speaker 1: disrupted last season. That's that's how that that's what he 697 00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:27,240 Speaker 1: was dealing with. And so, you know, again to put 698 00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:29,880 Speaker 1: a bow on the Anthony Davis thing, just he I 699 00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:31,600 Speaker 1: think we take him for granted a lot of the time, 700 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:35,120 Speaker 1: and it's unfortunate for him because he came off of 701 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:39,880 Speaker 1: this title you know, uh, title winning performance where he 702 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:44,120 Speaker 1: looked like a top tier superstar and his bounce back season. Yeah, 703 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:45,800 Speaker 1: it was he lazy to start the year. He's doing 704 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:48,200 Speaker 1: a lot of popping instead of rolling, and there were 705 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:50,240 Speaker 1: some issues there to start the year. But the truth, 706 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:52,640 Speaker 1: the truth of the matter is this has mostly been 707 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:55,840 Speaker 1: associated with injuries, and I wanted to share that story 708 00:32:55,920 --> 00:32:58,360 Speaker 1: just you know, from my personal experience, just to kind 709 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:02,240 Speaker 1: of help people understand that it's never as simple as 710 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:05,040 Speaker 1: just stepping out on the floor. It's never that simple, 711 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:08,040 Speaker 1: like you know, even for even for th HT, like 712 00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:11,240 Speaker 1: you know, he looks great tonight, I don't think people 713 00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:14,400 Speaker 1: realize just how hard it is for for for what 714 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:16,720 Speaker 1: t achieved did tonight, to step foot on an NBA 715 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:19,360 Speaker 1: floor and play NBA basketball. I don't care that it's 716 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:23,600 Speaker 1: the spurs like that that doing that after not playing 717 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:25,840 Speaker 1: at this level for as long as he hasn't played, 718 00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:28,800 Speaker 1: it's complicated. And the same thing goes for Lebron. There's 719 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:31,640 Speaker 1: a difference between being available and being on the court 720 00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:37,320 Speaker 1: and rounding into form and really really having the rhythm, 721 00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:41,000 Speaker 1: the and the and that like confidence that comes when 722 00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:46,200 Speaker 1: you're really playing your best basketball. So yeah, like I 723 00:33:45,720 --> 00:33:49,560 Speaker 1: I would encourage more patients with a D especially with 724 00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:51,600 Speaker 1: his jump shot. Um. So before we get out of 725 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:53,280 Speaker 1: here today, let let's talk a little bit about Russ. 726 00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:54,840 Speaker 1: This would be our last topic and we'll call it 727 00:33:54,880 --> 00:34:01,200 Speaker 1: a day. So, you know, Russ I really paid attention 728 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:04,320 Speaker 1: today to the types of turnovers that he had, and 729 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:07,360 Speaker 1: you know, there's there's kind of two there's two types 730 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:10,560 Speaker 1: of turnovers that Russ has. There's the I'm making a 731 00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:15,480 Speaker 1: bad read of the floor and I'm just piling into 732 00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:18,080 Speaker 1: bodies in the paint and I'm losing control of the 733 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:22,360 Speaker 1: basketball because it's impossible to control the basketball and that 734 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:25,799 Speaker 1: type of crowd and some of that is unavoidable. And 735 00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:29,400 Speaker 1: what you get with Russ because Russ is very you know, 736 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:31,440 Speaker 1: bull in a China shop, and some of that chaos 737 00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:34,520 Speaker 1: is good because he'll on the next possession, he'll drive 738 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:36,279 Speaker 1: into four bodies in the paint and just kind of 739 00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:39,200 Speaker 1: throw the ball behind him and it'll end up in 740 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:41,960 Speaker 1: Carmelo Anthony's hands wide open. So there's a lot of 741 00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:44,080 Speaker 1: good that comes from that, but a good a good 742 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:48,920 Speaker 1: percentage of his turnovers today, or like not doing basic 743 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:52,080 Speaker 1: fundamental stuff like pass s baking before you make an 744 00:34:52,160 --> 00:34:55,320 Speaker 1: entry pass, or pass spaking before you make a swing pass, 745 00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:59,120 Speaker 1: or not looking off a defender before you kick out 746 00:34:59,160 --> 00:35:01,200 Speaker 1: to a shooter on the in. You know, when when 747 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:04,480 Speaker 1: when you're teaching defense, you know, with a live dribble, 748 00:35:04,719 --> 00:35:07,640 Speaker 1: you're always arms length, but you're also mirroring the basketball 749 00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:10,239 Speaker 1: with your hand. That's what that's what ball pressure is. 750 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:12,280 Speaker 1: At every level of the game. You're going to follow 751 00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:14,840 Speaker 1: the ball around with your hand. So you have to 752 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:18,680 Speaker 1: make pass bakes, you have to look off defenders in 753 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:21,319 Speaker 1: order to open up passing lanes, especially at the NBA 754 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:23,719 Speaker 1: level when you're talking about how long and athletic these 755 00:35:23,719 --> 00:35:26,040 Speaker 1: defensive players are. And so some of this is just 756 00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:30,839 Speaker 1: fundamental sloppiness from Russ you know, just just not not 757 00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:33,360 Speaker 1: doing the basic things that you teach guards at the 758 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:36,839 Speaker 1: earliest age to deal with ball pressure and to deal 759 00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:40,279 Speaker 1: with defensive pressure, to run, to run an offense. This 760 00:35:40,360 --> 00:35:42,120 Speaker 1: is stuff that he needs to cut out. And you 761 00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:46,680 Speaker 1: know what's really concerning to me is he had eight 762 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:49,640 Speaker 1: turnovers last game, and he had seven the game before, 763 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:51,719 Speaker 1: and he had six the game before that. I think 764 00:35:51,719 --> 00:35:54,040 Speaker 1: he only in the box score for six tonight. But 765 00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:56,440 Speaker 1: there were several plays in the second half that were 766 00:35:56,480 --> 00:35:59,080 Speaker 1: as good as turnovers. And there was one in particular 767 00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:01,440 Speaker 1: that would have counted as a turnover if I was 768 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:03,160 Speaker 1: running the box score. There's play where he thought he 769 00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:05,720 Speaker 1: got fouled and he was driving into the lane, lost control, 770 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:08,480 Speaker 1: but they gave him a shot at him. But like 771 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:12,239 Speaker 1: that that miss dunk in transition, that's every bit about 772 00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:16,160 Speaker 1: it as bad as a turnover, because like, like, as 773 00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:18,600 Speaker 1: he was going up to the rim, you knew he 774 00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:21,160 Speaker 1: didn't have his steps right, and you knew he didn't 775 00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:23,400 Speaker 1: have enough lift to make that dunk, and you're just like, 776 00:36:23,440 --> 00:36:25,120 Speaker 1: what are you? Like as it's happening, you're like, what 777 00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:27,360 Speaker 1: are you doing? That's not you anymore, man, you know 778 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:29,919 Speaker 1: what I mean? And so I think my concern with it, 779 00:36:30,600 --> 00:36:34,400 Speaker 1: you know, because again, like Russ does a lot to 780 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:38,600 Speaker 1: counteract as turnovers through activity, right, like securing a defensive 781 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:41,480 Speaker 1: rebound that no other guard would be able to secure, 782 00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:44,040 Speaker 1: you know, because he comes flying in and snatches the 783 00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:47,640 Speaker 1: ball away, or keeping a possession alive with an offensive rebound. 784 00:36:47,680 --> 00:36:50,759 Speaker 1: He does a lot to add possessions too. But what's 785 00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:54,759 Speaker 1: concerning me is like we're not really seeing any attempt 786 00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:58,040 Speaker 1: on his part to try to limit the turnovers. And 787 00:36:58,080 --> 00:36:59,960 Speaker 1: that's concerning to me. Like it's not like we're see 788 00:37:00,320 --> 00:37:03,719 Speaker 1: him try to temper some of that back. It's kind 789 00:37:03,719 --> 00:37:07,200 Speaker 1: of like he's just continuing to be himself and just 790 00:37:07,280 --> 00:37:09,400 Speaker 1: hoping that it changes naturally, which is just not how 791 00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:11,320 Speaker 1: it goes. Like you say all the time, the definition 792 00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:13,760 Speaker 1: of insanity is seeing something that doesn't work and continuing 793 00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:15,440 Speaker 1: to do it anyway, you know what I mean. So 794 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:17,560 Speaker 1: where are you at with Russ's decision making right now? 795 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:21,359 Speaker 1: So like the turnovers aren't going away, Like that's where 796 00:37:21,360 --> 00:37:22,680 Speaker 1: I'm at with Russ, you know what I mean, Like, 797 00:37:23,520 --> 00:37:26,200 Speaker 1: especially when Lebron's out, that's going to compound the issues. 798 00:37:27,239 --> 00:37:29,759 Speaker 1: Tailor coming back I think really did help. But like 799 00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:33,160 Speaker 1: I said, last game, when even when the Lakers were 800 00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:36,360 Speaker 1: up five at halftime, like they need his counting stats, 801 00:37:36,400 --> 00:37:38,480 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Like just in terms of production, 802 00:37:39,080 --> 00:37:42,120 Speaker 1: even with tailing out with Lebron out and again fifteen 803 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:45,719 Speaker 1: points um five or seven from three, which no, sorry, 804 00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:49,120 Speaker 1: that's Ellington three from five from three from russ Um tonight, 805 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:53,400 Speaker 1: ten eleven rebounds, seven assists. Like the turnovers are just 806 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:56,600 Speaker 1: gonna be there, Like he has to be himself in 807 00:37:56,680 --> 00:37:59,680 Speaker 1: order for this thing to work, and that's the turnovers 808 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:03,239 Speaker 1: are part of it, Like marginal changes I'm hoping for, 809 00:38:03,360 --> 00:38:05,160 Speaker 1: and I think that's more that's going to be more 810 00:38:05,600 --> 00:38:08,400 Speaker 1: of a byproduct of getting more ball handlers that he 811 00:38:08,440 --> 00:38:09,920 Speaker 1: has to give it to, you know what I mean. 812 00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:13,080 Speaker 1: Like that's where I think the turnovers will limit. But look, man, 813 00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:15,440 Speaker 1: these aren't gonna stay. Like it's just throughout a game, 814 00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:16,960 Speaker 1: you're gonna see a lot of these plays where you 815 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:19,719 Speaker 1: go like, man, what was that? And I think the 816 00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:21,840 Speaker 1: LFR pod did a really nice job of like comparing 817 00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:24,280 Speaker 1: a little bit of that to Baysmore, who obviously doesn't 818 00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:26,600 Speaker 1: have even close to the usage, but it has similar 819 00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:29,200 Speaker 1: kind of like just these you know, forays to the 820 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:31,360 Speaker 1: rim where there's no real plan there. It's kind of 821 00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:33,239 Speaker 1: just let me break down and kick it out. A 822 00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:35,920 Speaker 1: lot of turnovers like that I can kind of live with. 823 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:39,239 Speaker 1: Like the aggression turnovers, it's still like lazy, you know, 824 00:38:39,640 --> 00:38:42,439 Speaker 1: kick ahead past to rondo, um that gets picked off. 825 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:43,919 Speaker 1: Like those are the ones that I think they really 826 00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:47,359 Speaker 1: need to clean up. But those turnovers aren't going away, man, 827 00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:49,239 Speaker 1: Like that's that's kind of how I see arrusted enough 828 00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:51,239 Speaker 1: to not I think, to get to win. I think 829 00:38:51,239 --> 00:38:53,600 Speaker 1: on defense, he was a little bit more focused than 830 00:38:53,719 --> 00:38:56,120 Speaker 1: than in other games. Um he did a better job 831 00:38:56,160 --> 00:38:59,040 Speaker 1: tonight of kind of cracking down on the boards, uh, 832 00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:03,400 Speaker 1: coming to help out on the smaller guards and getting 833 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:05,360 Speaker 1: boards there. But like the genarmers are what they are. 834 00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:07,200 Speaker 1: I don't think those are going away. I need to 835 00:39:07,200 --> 00:39:10,520 Speaker 1: rewatch the game to see all of them. Watching the 836 00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:13,000 Speaker 1: game live, it didn't feel as they did as though 837 00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:15,279 Speaker 1: they were super damaging. Like it didn't feel like they 838 00:39:15,280 --> 00:39:18,200 Speaker 1: were the like turnover and then the Spurs get out 839 00:39:18,239 --> 00:39:21,080 Speaker 1: and run. Am I wrong in that? But like, like 840 00:39:21,400 --> 00:39:23,479 Speaker 1: that's at least it didn't feel that way watching the game. 841 00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:25,840 Speaker 1: And again plus minus isn't a perfect stat It was 842 00:39:25,880 --> 00:39:29,200 Speaker 1: a plus eleven tonight. Uh, I think that's second. That 843 00:39:29,280 --> 00:39:32,720 Speaker 1: was third to Wayne and th HT. But yeah, like overall, 844 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:34,279 Speaker 1: like that's I think this is the rush you're gonna 845 00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:37,640 Speaker 1: get until Lebron gets back. And do you really feel 846 00:39:37,680 --> 00:39:40,600 Speaker 1: the like rust decision making when it's like half court 847 00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:44,120 Speaker 1: tight game, right, especially when the Spurs time like this, 848 00:39:44,239 --> 00:39:46,160 Speaker 1: When the Spurs started making the run in the fourth there, 849 00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:47,840 Speaker 1: I was just like, man, this is just a perfect 850 00:39:47,920 --> 00:39:50,719 Speaker 1: time to just give give Lebron the ball and just 851 00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:53,200 Speaker 1: have everyone else kind of stand. And that's what they 852 00:39:53,280 --> 00:39:56,160 Speaker 1: kind of did with THHD. Funny enough late in the 853 00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:58,080 Speaker 1: game there, they just you know, out of the time out, 854 00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:00,719 Speaker 1: I think they just gave PhD the ball, and uh, 855 00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:03,439 Speaker 1: he kind of ran everything. He ran the show. He 856 00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:06,839 Speaker 1: became Lebron in a which which isn't the perfect way 857 00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:08,720 Speaker 1: to say it, but like he kind of took Lebron's 858 00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:11,560 Speaker 1: role there. Yeah, like Rust is gonna have the turnovers, man, 859 00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:13,560 Speaker 1: but I think they need his counting stats and the 860 00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:16,040 Speaker 1: seven assists is part of that. And you know he 861 00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:18,239 Speaker 1: had to take seven turnovers to do it, but they 862 00:40:18,239 --> 00:40:20,880 Speaker 1: need that production at least until Lebron gets back. That's 863 00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:22,919 Speaker 1: where I'm at. With rust Man. I need to see 864 00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:25,879 Speaker 1: it with Lebron back and the whole team together before 865 00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:27,160 Speaker 1: I kind of judge it. But I feel like this 866 00:40:27,200 --> 00:40:28,799 Speaker 1: is what he's gonna be, and he's trying to fit 867 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:31,319 Speaker 1: his game into the team and that's that's kind of 868 00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:35,160 Speaker 1: what they need to do, I guess to win this season. 869 00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:37,400 Speaker 1: But yeah, he's not changing like who he is, Like 870 00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:41,799 Speaker 1: the turnovers are part of the package with him. Yeah, 871 00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:43,279 Speaker 1: so this is the This is last thing I'll say 872 00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:46,800 Speaker 1: about it, because you're right, like he has been trending 873 00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:49,719 Speaker 1: in the right direction for what his final fit is 874 00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:53,879 Speaker 1: with this team. Right. Um, he still takes a few 875 00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:56,000 Speaker 1: too many defensive possessions often. I'd like to see that 876 00:40:56,040 --> 00:40:59,480 Speaker 1: get better, but he he has a half dozen reps 877 00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:02,760 Speaker 1: per game aim now where he just does a fantastic 878 00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:05,840 Speaker 1: job defending the screen and roll at the point of attack. Um, 879 00:41:05,880 --> 00:41:07,200 Speaker 1: that's not the way it was at the beginning of 880 00:41:07,239 --> 00:41:09,520 Speaker 1: the season. He's had some he's had twice in the 881 00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:12,200 Speaker 1: past week where he's fought so hard over the top 882 00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:14,200 Speaker 1: of the screen and applies so much back pressure that 883 00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:16,319 Speaker 1: he was able to poke the ball free and just 884 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:18,839 Speaker 1: start and just start heading the other way. That's that's 885 00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:21,280 Speaker 1: stuff we weren't seeing from Russ earlier in the season. 886 00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:24,040 Speaker 1: So he's he's trending, trending in the right direction in 887 00:41:24,080 --> 00:41:26,200 Speaker 1: that regard. You know, the reason why I've been harping 888 00:41:26,200 --> 00:41:28,600 Speaker 1: on the turnovers is because you have to value the 889 00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:31,120 Speaker 1: possession of the basketball, like the way I look at it. 890 00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:33,279 Speaker 1: You know, if you look at the later offensive rating 891 00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:34,959 Speaker 1: at the end of the season with Lebron and everything, 892 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:37,840 Speaker 1: it's probably gonna hover right around somewhere between one fifteen 893 00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:39,960 Speaker 1: and in one twenty with Lebron on the floor, right, 894 00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:42,960 Speaker 1: So what that means is right right around. Just call it, 895 00:41:43,360 --> 00:41:45,120 Speaker 1: for the sake of making the math easier, call it 896 00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:48,160 Speaker 1: like one point per possession. But that's with factoring in 897 00:41:48,200 --> 00:41:51,279 Speaker 1: everything else. That's factoring in possessions where somebody else has 898 00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:53,560 Speaker 1: the ball and does something stupid with it. That's factoring 899 00:41:53,600 --> 00:41:56,520 Speaker 1: in possessions where you turn the ball over. That's factoring 900 00:41:56,560 --> 00:41:58,640 Speaker 1: all that. The truth is is on a good possession 901 00:41:58,920 --> 00:42:01,480 Speaker 1: where Lebron has the ball and he makes a good decision, 902 00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:03,720 Speaker 1: or Russ has the ball and he makes a good decision, 903 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:07,680 Speaker 1: you're probably getting about one and a half points per possession. Right. 904 00:42:07,760 --> 00:42:09,879 Speaker 1: So that so the way, the way I look at 905 00:42:09,920 --> 00:42:12,440 Speaker 1: it is like Russ has seventy five turnovers this year. 906 00:42:13,600 --> 00:42:17,640 Speaker 1: The Lakers on the season have been outscored by two 907 00:42:17,920 --> 00:42:21,560 Speaker 1: total in the entire season. So if you ask yourself, 908 00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:27,520 Speaker 1: that means, you know, literally eight possessions, nine, ten possessions 909 00:42:27,560 --> 00:42:32,480 Speaker 1: here or there where he stops hemorrhaging an opportunity for 910 00:42:32,520 --> 00:42:35,680 Speaker 1: the team to score. Could be the difference between them 911 00:42:35,680 --> 00:42:38,719 Speaker 1: having their current eight and six record or being ten 912 00:42:38,800 --> 00:42:40,680 Speaker 1: and four, you know what I mean. And and and 913 00:42:40,719 --> 00:42:42,000 Speaker 1: so that that's kind of the way that I looked 914 00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:46,120 Speaker 1: at it, is like it's these these these hemorrhage possessions 915 00:42:46,120 --> 00:42:49,080 Speaker 1: are blown opportunities to run good offense and score. It's 916 00:42:49,080 --> 00:42:51,520 Speaker 1: so different than on defense if you give up offensive rebounds, 917 00:42:51,560 --> 00:42:54,480 Speaker 1: Like if you really sit down in the half court 918 00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:58,759 Speaker 1: and you are dialed in on defense, you might only 919 00:42:58,760 --> 00:43:01,080 Speaker 1: give up if you're the Akers and you have Anthony 920 00:43:01,160 --> 00:43:03,240 Speaker 1: Davis on the floor, you might only give up point 921 00:43:03,320 --> 00:43:06,040 Speaker 1: eight points per possession. But every time you don't get 922 00:43:06,080 --> 00:43:08,520 Speaker 1: back in transition and give up an easy layup in 923 00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:11,160 Speaker 1: transition or an easy three in transition, or you give 924 00:43:11,200 --> 00:43:15,440 Speaker 1: up an offensive rebound, you're distorting that math and you're 925 00:43:15,440 --> 00:43:18,160 Speaker 1: giving the other team more opportunities to score. Does that 926 00:43:18,239 --> 00:43:20,560 Speaker 1: make sense? So, like the way I look at it 927 00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:23,799 Speaker 1: is like over the course of the season, it's not 928 00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:26,520 Speaker 1: as big of a deal because there's some margin for error, 929 00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:29,319 Speaker 1: Like you can still get the top four seed and 930 00:43:29,320 --> 00:43:31,440 Speaker 1: have home court advantage in the first round and if 931 00:43:31,440 --> 00:43:33,200 Speaker 1: you lose twenty five games, you know what I mean. 932 00:43:33,640 --> 00:43:35,800 Speaker 1: But there's a fine line. There's a fine line in 933 00:43:35,840 --> 00:43:39,319 Speaker 1: the postseason at the highest leverage moments where you know, 934 00:43:39,480 --> 00:43:42,279 Speaker 1: five or six possessions here or there could swing the 935 00:43:42,280 --> 00:43:44,080 Speaker 1: outcome of a series. It's something I've said to a 936 00:43:44,200 --> 00:43:46,000 Speaker 1: dozen times on this spot, and it's something and I'm 937 00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:48,800 Speaker 1: gonna keep harping on it with Russ's decision making because 938 00:43:48,840 --> 00:43:51,120 Speaker 1: it could be a problem. So the way I look 939 00:43:51,160 --> 00:43:55,279 Speaker 1: at it, like you said, with Lebron coming back, it's 940 00:43:55,280 --> 00:43:58,200 Speaker 1: just so important for Russ in his opportunities to be 941 00:43:58,320 --> 00:44:03,000 Speaker 1: more conservative because they don't need him to create everything, 942 00:44:03,080 --> 00:44:05,040 Speaker 1: especially with pht you know what I mean, coming back, 943 00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:08,359 Speaker 1: and and with Moe kind of rounding into form as well. 944 00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:12,600 Speaker 1: Like it's just Russ doesn't Russ can afford to take 945 00:44:12,640 --> 00:44:16,160 Speaker 1: the extra time now to be more fundamentally sound. It's 946 00:44:16,200 --> 00:44:17,680 Speaker 1: kind of the way I look at it. But anyway, 947 00:44:17,719 --> 00:44:19,520 Speaker 1: that's that's all I had for Today's there anything else 948 00:44:19,560 --> 00:44:21,520 Speaker 1: you wanted to get to before we call it a day. Yeah, 949 00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:24,360 Speaker 1: there's just uh the last two things with Russ, Like 950 00:44:24,520 --> 00:44:27,040 Speaker 1: I've liked that they found actions that really kind of 951 00:44:27,160 --> 00:44:30,239 Speaker 1: work for him, like those little double screens with a 952 00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:33,000 Speaker 1: D and mellow. I think that's something that's comfortable for him, 953 00:44:33,160 --> 00:44:35,360 Speaker 1: Like it makes it an easy decision. He's done a 954 00:44:35,480 --> 00:44:38,239 Speaker 1: nice job like reading it, like the help comes on him. 955 00:44:38,400 --> 00:44:40,920 Speaker 1: He can find mellow spotting up or a D diving eight. 956 00:44:40,920 --> 00:44:42,680 Speaker 1: He has got a lot of buckets off that. And 957 00:44:42,680 --> 00:44:45,239 Speaker 1: then I wanted to kind of turn that into just 958 00:44:45,520 --> 00:44:49,640 Speaker 1: Wayne Ellington man like just I praised man. I praised 959 00:44:49,719 --> 00:44:51,319 Speaker 1: him all summer and I was a little worried I 960 00:44:51,320 --> 00:44:53,600 Speaker 1: said in the last few games about you know, his 961 00:44:53,719 --> 00:44:55,759 Speaker 1: shot not coming to form or if his defense can 962 00:44:55,760 --> 00:44:58,520 Speaker 1: be enough. They found a role for him defensively, was 963 00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:00,800 Speaker 1: just which is a on this right? That's like a 964 00:45:00,880 --> 00:45:03,480 Speaker 1: cherry on top to me? Like I wasn't expecting him 965 00:45:03,520 --> 00:45:06,200 Speaker 1: to be like have a defensive role. I guess, um, 966 00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:08,480 Speaker 1: But like you talked about, you were higher on him defensively, 967 00:45:08,880 --> 00:45:11,960 Speaker 1: he's good as a law control defender on a shoot 968 00:45:11,960 --> 00:45:14,560 Speaker 1: on the shooters, which makes sense. He's a shooter himself. 969 00:45:14,800 --> 00:45:17,120 Speaker 1: But that doesn't all step. But that doesn't't always work, 970 00:45:17,160 --> 00:45:19,160 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. That's not always that's not 971 00:45:19,239 --> 00:45:21,480 Speaker 1: always the case. You can't just throw a good shooter 972 00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:23,359 Speaker 1: on another good shooter and be like, yeah, go lock 973 00:45:23,480 --> 00:45:25,360 Speaker 1: him up. It's not always how it works. But Ellington 974 00:45:25,440 --> 00:45:27,520 Speaker 1: is good at that. He has good foot speed, Like 975 00:45:27,560 --> 00:45:30,480 Speaker 1: he's slow in like a like he's slow in like 976 00:45:30,520 --> 00:45:32,960 Speaker 1: a lateral sense, but like on defense, he has good 977 00:45:32,960 --> 00:45:35,840 Speaker 1: speed chasing around screens. He doesn't even screen as easily 978 00:45:35,880 --> 00:45:38,239 Speaker 1: as I think he would with his body with his 979 00:45:38,280 --> 00:45:41,040 Speaker 1: body type. But just having a legit shooter, man, Like 980 00:45:41,080 --> 00:45:43,080 Speaker 1: the Spurs went to zone in a possession and it 981 00:45:43,160 --> 00:45:44,680 Speaker 1: was just eight. He got the ball inside, give it 982 00:45:44,680 --> 00:45:46,520 Speaker 1: out to Wayne Ellington. He hit the three and that 983 00:45:46,560 --> 00:45:48,200 Speaker 1: was the end of the zone. Like that was that 984 00:45:48,320 --> 00:45:50,040 Speaker 1: was it? That the end of the end of the 985 00:45:50,040 --> 00:45:52,880 Speaker 1: Spurs playing zone. So just having a legit shooter on 986 00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:55,520 Speaker 1: the team, He's not always gonna go five for seven 987 00:45:55,600 --> 00:45:58,200 Speaker 1: and he doesn't need to. His gravity is real though, 988 00:45:58,320 --> 00:46:01,000 Speaker 1: like that, like teams don't eve him, like I said 989 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:03,200 Speaker 1: at the end of the game, they're they rather you know, 990 00:46:03,280 --> 00:46:05,080 Speaker 1: leave him, try to close out to him rather than 991 00:46:05,120 --> 00:46:07,560 Speaker 1: Melow and Melo got the open three. Just cool to 992 00:46:07,600 --> 00:46:10,040 Speaker 1: have a legit shooter around the team, a professional shooter, 993 00:46:10,320 --> 00:46:12,320 Speaker 1: as some people say, a guy that the team is 994 00:46:12,320 --> 00:46:15,080 Speaker 1: actually running actions for. It's just it's just cool to 995 00:46:15,080 --> 00:46:17,520 Speaker 1: see him having some success. He played thirty minutes tonight, 996 00:46:18,080 --> 00:46:20,160 Speaker 1: which you know, it is probably a little high for him, 997 00:46:20,719 --> 00:46:22,359 Speaker 1: but you know, it's just it's just nice to see 998 00:46:22,440 --> 00:46:25,560 Speaker 1: him starting to have success. Uh, you know, not gonna 999 00:46:25,560 --> 00:46:27,840 Speaker 1: shoot seventy one percent like I said from three, but 1000 00:46:27,920 --> 00:46:29,680 Speaker 1: it looks like he's looks like he's gonna have a 1001 00:46:29,800 --> 00:46:32,200 Speaker 1: role man, and I like him. You need guys like 1002 00:46:32,239 --> 00:46:36,000 Speaker 1: that next to these you know, rim seeking ball handlers. Uh. 1003 00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:39,360 Speaker 1: And his shot just looks really pretty. It looks repetitible, repetible. 1004 00:46:39,719 --> 00:46:41,320 Speaker 1: Uh yeah, so he looked good. I just want to 1005 00:46:41,320 --> 00:46:44,440 Speaker 1: give him a shout out before we sign off here. Yeah, 1006 00:46:44,480 --> 00:46:47,479 Speaker 1: don't agree. I mean, dude, Like, it's so funny because 1007 00:46:47,520 --> 00:46:50,560 Speaker 1: I've been kind of I had very optimistic opinions about 1008 00:46:50,560 --> 00:46:53,960 Speaker 1: the team this year because I saw a specific vision 1009 00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:56,919 Speaker 1: with the way all these pieces would fit, and so many, 1010 00:46:57,160 --> 00:47:00,680 Speaker 1: so many of my takes have been completely derailed by injuries. 1011 00:47:00,760 --> 00:47:03,800 Speaker 1: Like I was like, oh, DeAndre Jordan's is going to 1012 00:47:03,880 --> 00:47:06,719 Speaker 1: be a fantastic like end of the bench center to 1013 00:47:06,880 --> 00:47:10,040 Speaker 1: like step in when Dwight needs a night offer, a 1014 00:47:10,120 --> 00:47:12,279 Speaker 1: d needs a night off to just allow them to 1015 00:47:12,320 --> 00:47:15,680 Speaker 1: replicate their system and and just do the best they 1016 00:47:15,760 --> 00:47:18,640 Speaker 1: can to kind of cover for those random nights in 1017 00:47:18,680 --> 00:47:20,840 Speaker 1: the season when you lose somebody, it's like, nope, tons 1018 00:47:20,840 --> 00:47:24,880 Speaker 1: of injuries. DeAndre Jordan's starting, and every time he messes up, 1019 00:47:24,920 --> 00:47:26,520 Speaker 1: it's a tweet at me about how much of an 1020 00:47:26,520 --> 00:47:28,200 Speaker 1: idiot I, you know, like it's that kind of thing. 1021 00:47:28,239 --> 00:47:30,120 Speaker 1: And then it's like, oh you, You and I both 1022 00:47:30,120 --> 00:47:32,600 Speaker 1: were super high on Ellington and we thought he was 1023 00:47:32,640 --> 00:47:34,440 Speaker 1: gonna be a great fit, and it's like nope, Like 1024 00:47:34,800 --> 00:47:38,879 Speaker 1: he's getting preseason reps with bad lineups because everyone's hurt 1025 00:47:38,920 --> 00:47:40,960 Speaker 1: and the team isn't trying at all, and so he 1026 00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:44,600 Speaker 1: looks bad and everyone says, Ellington, you know, can't play, 1027 00:47:44,600 --> 00:47:46,759 Speaker 1: Ellington should be out of the rotation. And then he 1028 00:47:46,840 --> 00:47:48,839 Speaker 1: got hurt. He got hurt, and then he got hurt, 1029 00:47:48,920 --> 00:47:50,919 Speaker 1: and then he got hurt, and it's like and so, 1030 00:47:51,239 --> 00:47:53,440 Speaker 1: and then the same thing goes with like I I 1031 00:47:53,520 --> 00:47:55,680 Speaker 1: believed that this team would be a top five defense 1032 00:47:55,719 --> 00:47:58,799 Speaker 1: again and all their defensive players got hurt. You know 1033 00:47:58,920 --> 00:48:02,960 Speaker 1: that that that we're supposed to slot in alongside a 1034 00:48:03,080 --> 00:48:04,600 Speaker 1: d at the five to make this all work. So 1035 00:48:04,640 --> 00:48:07,799 Speaker 1: the point being is, like I have been waiting for 1036 00:48:07,840 --> 00:48:09,719 Speaker 1: an opportunity to be like this is what I've been 1037 00:48:09,719 --> 00:48:12,040 Speaker 1: talking about, Like this is this is how this is 1038 00:48:12,080 --> 00:48:14,839 Speaker 1: supposed to work. And we're starting to see a little 1039 00:48:14,840 --> 00:48:18,359 Speaker 1: bit with Ellington. I'm hopeful that jo Jordan's stays out 1040 00:48:18,360 --> 00:48:19,759 Speaker 1: of the lineup so we'll get to see that too. 1041 00:48:19,840 --> 00:48:23,040 Speaker 1: And then I really think when Lebron comes back, it's 1042 00:48:23,040 --> 00:48:25,880 Speaker 1: gonna just get even better. And then Trevor Reza should 1043 00:48:25,920 --> 00:48:29,120 Speaker 1: be that final piece that solidifies the way this defense 1044 00:48:29,200 --> 00:48:31,560 Speaker 1: looks with Anthony Davis at the five. So I'm really 1045 00:48:31,560 --> 00:48:34,359 Speaker 1: excited in the long run just to see some of 1046 00:48:34,640 --> 00:48:39,200 Speaker 1: my predictions come to cruition. Uh in that regard, But anyway, 1047 00:48:39,239 --> 00:48:40,879 Speaker 1: thank you guys so much for coming to hang out today. 1048 00:48:40,920 --> 00:48:43,319 Speaker 1: This will air on DASH Radio tomorrow morning at seven 1049 00:48:43,360 --> 00:48:46,400 Speaker 1: and Pacific Standard time. It'll also be on our podcast 1050 00:48:46,480 --> 00:48:49,000 Speaker 1: feed here in about twenty minutes. We will be back 1051 00:48:49,040 --> 00:48:51,880 Speaker 1: tomorrow for hopefully I'll like you win against the Bulls. 1052 00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:53,719 Speaker 1: That one is gonna be a super interesting game. I 1053 00:48:53,760 --> 00:48:58,360 Speaker 1: cannot wait, and I promise you have my word, we 1054 00:48:58,400 --> 00:49:01,080 Speaker 1: will take some callers tomorrow. UM, so all of you 1055 00:49:01,120 --> 00:49:03,560 Speaker 1: who have put in requests today, we appreciate it. Sorry 1056 00:49:03,560 --> 00:49:06,240 Speaker 1: we didn't have time for today, but come back tomorrow, 1057 00:49:06,640 --> 00:49:08,800 Speaker 1: get your requests in and we will take some callers. 1058 00:49:08,920 --> 00:49:10,239 Speaker 1: Thank you guys so much, and we will see you 1059 00:49:10,239 --> 00:49:10,799 Speaker 1: tomorrow night