07-14-2024, 03:03 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-14-2024, 03:10 AM by SleepingHero.)
Fun game.
Some thoughts:
Brandon Williams: Honestly hated every single minute he was out there. Played some of the most "get my points' brand of basketball I've seen. I liked his attacks at the rim but he failed to get anyone in any sort of rhythm. Mavs run a very basic offensive set so I'm sure it's hard to play facilitator, but it became a game for me to see if he'd ever pass out of a PnR or if he'd take a shot. My count was 2 passes. But what really ticked me off the most was in the 3rd quarter the Mavs ran an out of bounds play where Williams inbounded. He threw the ball out to Ajinca and instead of running and curling off a screen he literally walked into the corner. Why? Because the play wasn't for him. So why should he hustle and be a decoy? That one play alone has soured me on him. I know he just got a 2-way but he should be replaced ASAP.
AJ Lawson: If there was a player I disliked more than Williams it had to be Lawson. He topped Williams in terms of selfishness. He played like a man who was desperate to retain his spot on the roster and his contract. The results were horrible. 4-16 from the field and some of the most reckless drives to the rim. If he got the ball he was not giving it up. Had some fantastic highlight plays though and solid defensive stops. The talent is there with Lawson but it seems like he hung around THJ last season instead of a player who actually could've taught him valuable skills. There had to have been like 5 moments this game where Lawson actively ignored his open teammate to take the shot himself. Over and over. This game showed nothing that we haven't already seen and instead highlighted some of the worst basketball IQ/attitude possible.
Melvin Ajinca: Very raw dude. Was shocked at how big he looked on the court. He is definitely not lying about that 6'8 height. He is not afraid to shoot. Not sure why he's trying to take pull up 3s in transition but it surprised me that he was never deterred after clanking the first 4 threes. The one three off the kickout where he was set and hit it made optimistic that he can become a serious 3pt threat. The mechanics of his shot look solid. But what really made me excited was his apparent touch around the rim. Those 2 drives where he contorted and somehow managed to bank them in were a beauty. Also that solid dribble pullup in the 4th was nice. Other than that, some very questionable shot choice. His defense isn't bad at all. He got burned a couple of times (one leading to a highlight dunk), but there were multiple possessions where him and OMax locked UTA down. Need to see more of him and was glad he played within what little flow the offense had.
OMax Prosper: Pretty rough game for OMax offensively. Mavs for some reason want to get OMax down hill in the lane for drives. He's solid at that don't get me wrong, but is that what he'll be asked to do on the A-team? Loved his aggressiveness and got to the line where he hit his FTs. He always made the extra pass and got things moving. He had SO many beautiful defensive plays this game as usual. Of course he also got taken advantage of on a couple of kickout threes. Overall solid game from OMax. Despite his rough shooting I still think he outplayed Taylor Hendricks.
Sharpe: It was hilarious watching him run around out there. In the first 2 minutes he missed 2 dunks and I was laughing. He obviously is too uncoordinated to play in the NBA, but his rim defense is pretty solid. He will try and block everything even when there isn't a chance for it. He also got posterized the one time he didn't rotate over early for a block. Felt like he barely boxed out and he never made himself really available for the lob/down low. Insane that a 7'5 guy could feel tiny on the court but he made that happen.
Jaz Gortman: Honestly solid game from the young fella. I was primed for him to play this AAU style basketball where he would chase highlights instead of the right play, but surprisingly it was Lawson/Williams instead doing that while Gortman had a solid 10 minutes of play. His wingspan is really huge. He looks like a pterodactyl out there. Would rather see him start than Williams.
Emanual Miller: Really liked what I saw this game. Unironically probably our best player that played tonight. I liked what I saw so much so that I'd rather he have a 2-way contract than Williams/Lawson (I know Lawson can't have another 2-way, just really have to hammer home how much I didn't like their games). Played solid defense and he was one of the few guys who, when they caught the ball, I expected their shot to go in.
Everyone else was just meh.
Fun game! Can't wait for the next one.
Some thoughts:
Brandon Williams: Honestly hated every single minute he was out there. Played some of the most "get my points' brand of basketball I've seen. I liked his attacks at the rim but he failed to get anyone in any sort of rhythm. Mavs run a very basic offensive set so I'm sure it's hard to play facilitator, but it became a game for me to see if he'd ever pass out of a PnR or if he'd take a shot. My count was 2 passes. But what really ticked me off the most was in the 3rd quarter the Mavs ran an out of bounds play where Williams inbounded. He threw the ball out to Ajinca and instead of running and curling off a screen he literally walked into the corner. Why? Because the play wasn't for him. So why should he hustle and be a decoy? That one play alone has soured me on him. I know he just got a 2-way but he should be replaced ASAP.
AJ Lawson: If there was a player I disliked more than Williams it had to be Lawson. He topped Williams in terms of selfishness. He played like a man who was desperate to retain his spot on the roster and his contract. The results were horrible. 4-16 from the field and some of the most reckless drives to the rim. If he got the ball he was not giving it up. Had some fantastic highlight plays though and solid defensive stops. The talent is there with Lawson but it seems like he hung around THJ last season instead of a player who actually could've taught him valuable skills. There had to have been like 5 moments this game where Lawson actively ignored his open teammate to take the shot himself. Over and over. This game showed nothing that we haven't already seen and instead highlighted some of the worst basketball IQ/attitude possible.
Melvin Ajinca: Very raw dude. Was shocked at how big he looked on the court. He is definitely not lying about that 6'8 height. He is not afraid to shoot. Not sure why he's trying to take pull up 3s in transition but it surprised me that he was never deterred after clanking the first 4 threes. The one three off the kickout where he was set and hit it made optimistic that he can become a serious 3pt threat. The mechanics of his shot look solid. But what really made me excited was his apparent touch around the rim. Those 2 drives where he contorted and somehow managed to bank them in were a beauty. Also that solid dribble pullup in the 4th was nice. Other than that, some very questionable shot choice. His defense isn't bad at all. He got burned a couple of times (one leading to a highlight dunk), but there were multiple possessions where him and OMax locked UTA down. Need to see more of him and was glad he played within what little flow the offense had.
OMax Prosper: Pretty rough game for OMax offensively. Mavs for some reason want to get OMax down hill in the lane for drives. He's solid at that don't get me wrong, but is that what he'll be asked to do on the A-team? Loved his aggressiveness and got to the line where he hit his FTs. He always made the extra pass and got things moving. He had SO many beautiful defensive plays this game as usual. Of course he also got taken advantage of on a couple of kickout threes. Overall solid game from OMax. Despite his rough shooting I still think he outplayed Taylor Hendricks.
Sharpe: It was hilarious watching him run around out there. In the first 2 minutes he missed 2 dunks and I was laughing. He obviously is too uncoordinated to play in the NBA, but his rim defense is pretty solid. He will try and block everything even when there isn't a chance for it. He also got posterized the one time he didn't rotate over early for a block. Felt like he barely boxed out and he never made himself really available for the lob/down low. Insane that a 7'5 guy could feel tiny on the court but he made that happen.
Jaz Gortman: Honestly solid game from the young fella. I was primed for him to play this AAU style basketball where he would chase highlights instead of the right play, but surprisingly it was Lawson/Williams instead doing that while Gortman had a solid 10 minutes of play. His wingspan is really huge. He looks like a pterodactyl out there. Would rather see him start than Williams.
Emanual Miller: Really liked what I saw this game. Unironically probably our best player that played tonight. I liked what I saw so much so that I'd rather he have a 2-way contract than Williams/Lawson (I know Lawson can't have another 2-way, just really have to hammer home how much I didn't like their games). Played solid defense and he was one of the few guys who, when they caught the ball, I expected their shot to go in.
Everyone else was just meh.
Fun game! Can't wait for the next one.
14x All-Star, 12x all-NBA, 1x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 1 NBA Championship: Dirk Nowitzki, the man, the myth, the legend.
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