[Pre-season] Kings @ Spurs, 10/6/17 - 5:30PT/8:30ET

#98
Spurs really turned it on in the third despite a valiant effort from our guys. The experience came through for them. 4th quarter has been deep bench garbage minutes.
 
The Kings 3 point defense was in mid season form from the looks of it! haha. There really has to be a change in philosophy there at some point.
 
My mini grades

Malachi - C- - Pretty solid defense. Miss the free throw on an And 1. Shot not falling.

Skal - B - Hook and stroke as good as ever. Defense and rebounding as bad as ever. Aldridge is just too strong for him.

WCS - B - Got a little shot happy but was still a positive on offense. Defense was still just meh. Rebounded decently.

Hield - B+ - Was good out there. He's improved his ball handling and looks like he's added another dimension to his game that we should see this year. Defense still bad.

Fox - B+ - Started slow but heated up during his second stint. Hit a corner 3. Defense wasn't as good as last game but still pesky.

Bogdan - C+ - Seems too passive. Passed up a couple of three point opportunities that I know he would have taken in Europe. Solid playmaking. Average play.

Papa - D - Still has a long way to go. Scored more buckets than last time but still got abused on defense and had numerous goofy mistakes.

Mason - C - Box score doesn't show it but he is a spark plug. Someone compared him to Bobby Jackson. I like that comparison. Doesn't play like a rookie.

Jackson - D- - Scored a couple buckets but I thought he was worse than last game where he went 0 for. Defense was bad. Played like a rookie.
 
How dare you interrupt my carelessly constructed David vs. Goliath narrative. I'm trying to RAISE MORALE!!!
Truth is we we're in the game the whole night until the late third where Joerger subbed in Mason, Papa and I think Jakkar and San Antonio was really firing at that point. The starters we're doing a fair job of stemming the tide but once the deep bench went in the bottom fell out.
 
These are initial impressions so far, two positive and one negative. Positive, De'Aaron Fox is going to make his share of jumpers belying the perception he is a bricklayer. Check out this video at the 0:57 mark. Fox spots up for three near the Spurs bench. I am sure some Spurs player said something like "that's off" or "brick" as he was going into his shooting motion. Fox launches the smooth shot and turns to the bench before the ball swishes through the net!!! That's some Curry-esque moxie right there! That's not the timidity and fake bravado we are used to from guys like Ben and Stauskas. That's a guy who is NOT the least bit intimidated by the Big Show. I love it.

Positive #2: Buddy Hield is ready to take the next step. I envision stardom for this kid. He works too hard on his game. He has too many counter moves. He has too much self-belief not to be an impact player on most nights. I forgot if I mentioned this is my season preview but the lack of elite athleticism and size almost works to his favor because he knows he has to compensate with superior basketball skill.

Negative: I know rookies are going to struggle defensively. I don't expect them to be stoppers. But Jackson looks downright pathetic as a defender. He gets posterized twice in this clip. It is pathetic matador defense! There is NO way Jackson will be able to stay on the court or be part of the rotation if he plays paper thin like that. If he does not have the instincts to FOUL or play more physical when the opponent gets the obvious driving lane, this does not bode well for him contributing this season. Defense is part physicality and part mindset and attitude. It doesn't look like Jackson has either. We need defenders with chips on their shoulder. We need defenders who take it personal when they get beat. If not have a seat on the bench. Malachi has struggled to get his game going but at least he looks to be a physical defender who does not give up space readily. Based on early assessments I might give Malachi the slight edge in getting minutes over Jackson.


 
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