[Game] 10/10/13 - Kings @ Lakers (in Las Vegas) - pre-season 7:00 PDT
Remember, guys. this is pre-season. Malone already said he's gonna be looking at different starting combinations for at least the first four games. I like that he's seriously looking at various players and not just tossing bodies out there with the only thought being that he has to have 5 guys on the court.
He ran the offense pretty good as evident by the 5 assists. I think that could have easily been 7 assists. He collapsed the defense pretty good and took it to the hole and threw up a shot, and was fouled. Then he took that other contested jumper from the corner (and made it). Both were within a play or two of each other and ended up working out but it's something I think he needs to learn to try and avoid as it often gets him in trouble.
I'll clarify this statement by pointing out first of all it's very early in the pre season and things could change, but, and it's been a worry ever since the end of July and we saw how this roster would look, and thus far in the pre season the premise has been shown to be correct, which is that we don't have a single perimeter player who can get to the rim 1v1 and break down his guy in a half court set when options get cut off.
Jimmer looks good. Looks confident. But, our guards and SF's are settling for jumpers time and time again. Looks good when they fall, but it's fools gold. As of right now a considerable weakness to this squad is the lack of any perimeter penetrator or 1v1 player who can get to the rim and force defenses to shift. Coming off screens and firing jumpers is exactly what the opponents wants us to do. And looking at this roster, I have no idea where this gets fixed. And in watching NO last year, Vasquez isn't that guy either. We can't have 5 guards who all want to jack up jumpers and not one who get into the teeth of the defense when he wants.
Jimmer looks good. Looks confident. But, our guards and SF's are settling for jumpers time and time again. Looks good when they fall, but it's fools gold. As of right now a considerable weakness to this squad is the lack of any perimeter penetrator or 1v1 player who can get to the rim and force defenses to shift. Coming off screens and firing jumpers is exactly what the opponents wants us to do. And looking at this roster, I have no idea where this gets fixed. And in watching NO last year, Vasquez isn't that guy either. We can't have 5 guards who all want to jack up jumpers and not one who get into the teeth of the defense when he wants.