Ben Mclemore

Larry89

Disgruntled Kings Fan
#1
Feel free to converge this if there is another Mclemore thread, but I feel this game was a turning point in his career. Steller man to man and help defense combined with his athleticism is starting to be a reasonable two guard that we need. If he can get his confidence up and start shooting better this team will be very scary. I have not seen a team lock down clamps instantly when they needed to this hard since the early decade detroit pistons.

He absolutely abused Bledsoe and showed up in OT when we needed him.
 
#2
Feel free to converge this if there is another Mclemore thread, but I feel this game was a turning point in his career. Steller man to man and help defense combined with his athleticism is starting to be a reasonable two guard that we need. If he can get his confidence up and start shooting better this team will be very scary. I have not seen a team lock down clamps instantly when they needed to this hard since the early decade detroit pistons.

He absolutely abused Bledsoe and showed up in OT when we needed him.
He played fantastic team D in those TWO overtimes. Still had very fresh legs. Closed out HARD on perimeter shots. Never left his man too far. Helped with good timing. *Was never lost on D. I repeat. He was never once lost on D during ten minutes of high pressure overtime basketball where each possession was huge.

*With the exception of shading Bledsoe the wrong way once, but something tells me he was expecting help on that side. The Suns had cleared out the helper though.
 
#4
He's getting better but letting Bledsoe blow right by him for that and 1 wasnt good. I understand it was Bledsoe buy that was just too easy. Love the kid and he contributed on the offensive end in the OTS.
At the end of the day we won and that's what matters!
 
#7
He is a good shooter. It's just that he hasn't been able to consistently break into the following loop:

Good shooting -> Confidence -> Good shooting

Instead, it has been

One miss -> Less confidence -> Bad shooting -> Less shooting -> Less likely to break into the loop -> Less production -> Less minutes -> Less confidence -> Get traded -> The rabbit hole
 
#8
McLemore's improved defense has been nothing short of amazing so far. He went from being a just awful and downright pathetic defender as a rookie to the point where he is now over the last week playing like one of the best guard defenders in the league. I don't think there is any question it has and will continue to help his confidence on the offensive end as well. Young players need measurable success to boost their confidence and if the team and coaching staff continues to coach Ben into a defensive stopper that confidence will naturally bleed into the rest of his game.
 
#9
Young Ben wants to win first. Will he be any good? Don't know.

But every thing that he does have is going into the team, and can't ask him for more than that.
 

Larry89

Disgruntled Kings Fan
#13
He knows how to play team defense now, countless times he would get lost chasing someone around screens last year.
 
#15
What gives me hope for he and Nik is that they are now growing in a a winning positive environment with good coaching and structure. They are learning to play the right way surrounded by true vets. Before our team was a bunch of young guys playing pick up ball.
 
#17
Eddie Johnson was all over the Kings as a whole, based on the narrative that it was a major mistake to let IT walk. It wasn't just Ben, who he talked down, but DC, Gay and even DMC.
Just a pure home announcer exaggerating the strength of their own roster big time. I like Phoenix but i doubt that this PG-heavy Playstyle will lead to success in the playoffs versus strong defensive teams like the Spurs or Grizzlies. Everything is based on the perimeter game and floor spacing, while the Kings prove right now, that you can still pound the ball inside and have success in the contemporary NBA.
 
#18
very happy for the kid, keep at it ben. keep working and buying in. Defense wins championships, the shots will fall. keep the faith
 
#19
Eddie Johnson was all over the Kings as a whole, based on the narrative that it was a major mistake to let IT walk. It wasn't just Ben, who he talked down, but DC, Gay and even DMC.
Just a pure home announcer exaggerating the strength of their own roster big time. I like Phoenix but i doubt that this PG-heavy Playstyle will lead to success in the playoffs versus strong defensive teams like the Spurs or Grizzlies. Everything is based on the perimeter game and floor spacing, while the Kings prove right now, that you can still pound the ball inside and have success in the contemporary NBA.
5-1 is 5-1.

When you make a switch and IMMEDIATELY go on your longest winning streak in years, even at this early date, I'd say it's time for the media to find a new narrative. The old one is looking kind of silly. Kings got worse, huh? Uh, yeah. Totally.

Bashing Ben when your pick was Len? That's funny.

Pretty sweet a huge Ben 3 was pivotal.
 
#20
Eddie Johnson was all over the Kings as a whole, based on the narrative that it was a major mistake to let IT walk. It wasn't just Ben, who he talked down, but DC, Gay and even DMC.
Just a pure home announcer exaggerating the strength of their own roster big time. I like Phoenix but i doubt that this PG-heavy Playstyle will lead to success in the playoffs versus strong defensive teams like the Spurs or Grizzlies. Everything is based on the perimeter game and floor spacing, while the Kings prove right now, that you can still pound the ball inside and have success in the contemporary NBA.
Little does he realize, that the real mistake was for them to pickup IT and change what they had going
 

Glenn

Hall of Famer
#21
Now that Ben has decided to focus on defense, I will bet money his offense picks up. I think he has been over thinking offense and it has screwed him up. He wouldn't be the first to have that problem. In any case if he becomes a better than average defender and hits the occasional three, it will be all we need. I sure as hell think he could be a great defender. Might need a little more muscle but Rome wasn't built in day.
 

Glenn

Hall of Famer
#22
Little does he realize, that the real mistake was for them to pickup IT and change what they had going
You can't fault any team for signing IT. The problem with IT goes deeper than the offensive stats. I don't know if the article was a joke or real but if real, find the squabble he had with Pizza Guys. They wanted an ensemble group of pizza guys, perhaps featuring guys for their city, and IT wanted to be THE Pizza Guy like Flo for Nationwide. This attitude of needing to be the center of attraction is deeply embedded in his soul.
 
#23
You can't fault any team for signing IT. The problem with IT goes deeper than the offensive stats. I don't know if the article was a joke or real but if real, find the squabble he had with Pizza Guys. They wanted an ensemble group of pizza guys, perhaps featuring guys for their city, and IT wanted to be THE Pizza Guy like Flo for Nationwide. This attitude of needing to be the center of attraction is deeply embedded in his soul.
I think you can fault the Suns for it. They had zero need for a pg and zero quality big men, yet decided IT was the missing piece anyway? That move never made sense to me.
 
#24
You can't fault any team for signing IT. The problem with IT goes deeper than the offensive stats. I don't know if the article was a joke or real but if real, find the squabble he had with Pizza Guys. They wanted an ensemble group of pizza guys, perhaps featuring guys for their city, and IT wanted to be THE Pizza Guy like Flo for Nationwide. This attitude of needing to be the center of attraction is deeply embedded in his soul.
It was a joke. But not really. Insert Kings for pizza guys.
 
#28
Which is really puzzling because it's not like their pick in that year's draft (Captain Underwhelming, Alex Len) has done anything special either.
Len has been really good for them off the bench this year. They've been better with him at C than Plumlee thus far. So, pretty good leap for him in the early going
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#29
Len has been really good for them off the bench this year. They've been better with him at C than Plumlee thus far. So, pretty good leap for him in the early going
Really good is subjective. He's blocking shots at a higher rate and been an okay rebounder but still struggles with most of the fundamentals, can't seem to stop himself from fouling anything that moves, and largely exists so the Suns don't have to play Marcus Plumlee 45 minutes a game.
 
#30
Really good is subjective. He's blocking shots at a higher rate and been an okay rebounder but still struggles with most of the fundamentals, can't seem to stop himself from fouling anything that moves, and largely exists so the Suns don't have to play Marcus Plumlee 45 minutes a game.
Who?