Kings vs Mavs - summer league
- Thread starter Glenn
- Start date
; I just feel as if we were willing to wait years for Tyreke to develop a jumpshot, we should allow Ben the same to develop a driving game (even if it may never be to the level of a Tyreke or Wade)
I didn't declare him special or not now did I? Well, actually I did this much: he does not have a special skillset. Those sorts of things are not as complex as people make them out. You can see it in the way he moves and plays the game. He's got a nice polished sophisticated and very standard SG skillset (which BTW puts him miles ahead of TRob last year who didn't look like he knew what he was, or Jimmer the year before as neither fish nor fowl at PG/SG). Reke was something special. You just don't see that. This kid? Standard SG game. But saying that isn't judging just how good he is at it. In his case, it will be that shot. If he knocks them down, he'll be good. If he doesn't, he won't. And that we won't really know until the regular season. All you can really judge in summer is skillsets.
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Shooting can be a special skill set. It doesn't have to be going to the hoop or being a shotblocker. Personally, I love shooters, especially paired with a C like Cousins. I have seen more off the ball movement with BMac then I have seen from any player from the Kings since Peja and Bibby.
Since you did decide he does not have a special skill set, I wonder how he could become special in your eyes?
Since you did decide he does not have a special skill set, I wonder how he could become special in your eyes?
Steve and Reggie don't seem to realize that Landry already played with Cousins either. The shots that McLemore is taking for the most part here are not his game. The disorganized nature of this kind of game is good for ballhandlers and shotblockers, I don't know if we'll really see Ben in the best light here.
Probably not, his game should be much better when you have a huge threat like Cousins on the floor. Against these guys he can get good looks at any time, so it just comes down to if they are going in or not. Hard to evaluate him during summer league compared to the ball handlers as you mention. Even bigs are much easier to judge as you can see their skill set vs other guys while posting up or fighting for rebounds... a pure shooter not so much.
A knock on Ben was that if he didn't make his first few shots then he'd fade away. I think the staff is telling him to keep shooting to break out of that habit. If he is to be an elite shooter, he has to have that confidence that he can make the next shot. Early in the game, he wasn't taking the shot if it wasn't there. Since a timeout, he's been taking shots that aren't even immediately there. I can only imagine that is a coaching suggestion.
Ray is what I thought he could be and it's a telling example of the sort of guard play the team has lacked. He's not an elite creator or passer, but he is running the offense for good shots. Disorganized offense = unbalanced transition defense = bad defense overall. Defense begins after the transition of possession. If you are unbalanced on offense, you won't be set up to handle that transition.
Ray is what I thought he could be and it's a telling example of the sort of guard play the team has lacked. He's not an elite creator or passer, but he is running the offense for good shots. Disorganized offense = unbalanced transition defense = bad defense overall. Defense begins after the transition of possession. If you are unbalanced on offense, you won't be set up to handle that transition.