2025 draft thread: THE MAVS SELECT COOPER FLAGG

[KillerLeft]

Timpf generally points out things are not so obvious to fans. We see Youtube videos, but the commentary here is a lot of coach-talk and advanced skills like how Flagg gets the advantage on defenders.

Yes, he provides the exact type of analysis that I'm constantly starved for. The thoughtless talking heads (ESPN style) are worth nothing, and while I used to really be into advanced stats guys like Hollinger or the ThinkingBasketball guy, I have come to believe their understanding of what works and why isn't as complete as conventional wisdom suggests. I think there's lots of nuance lacking there. 

Timpf is one of the few out there creating content that actually teaches about the game. It's a shame that Redick was hired to coach LA, because his podcast with LeBron was a wealth of knowledge, too. It's still worthwhile with Nash, but not nearly as good, imo.

For example (this is something I knew already, but I might not have caught it 5 years ago) he points out WHY Nembhard was less effective in game 2 than game 1. The Lakers defended pick and roll with drop coverage, while the Spurs switched. Period. The former leans right into his skills and training, as pull-up midrange jumpers are the objectively correct way to attack that defense. The latter requires him to create separation from his defender (probably bigger, better defenders than he's accustomed to seeing on average) in order to get shots off or, in some cases, even get passes off. Given how he struggled when facing something so commonly used in the NBA, it's easy to see why he's on a 2-way. He'll figure out how to counter that strategy (and others) eventually, I'm sure, but he's 100% not ready to do so at the moment.