Bee Article: Kings' Evans receives Smart advice

How dare Keith Smart try to teach him things that Isiah Thomas would do! WE NEVER SHOULD HAVE FIRED WESTPHAL!
 
This pretty much shows that you can't judge Tyreke now and claim he won't get much better. Because essentially now is when Tyreke has really started to get the teaching he needs.
 
JB_kings said:
This pretty much shows that you can't judge Tyreke now and claim he won't get much better. Because essentially now is when Tyreke has really started to get the teaching he needs.
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If this was completely true, than the management of the Kings absolutely, without a doubt, HAS to go.

Because IF they knowingly employed Paul Westphal THAT long, AND didn't get/allow one of the assistant coaches to coach Tyreke on some of these things... well, what the hell good is this management/coaching combination?!

There's no way a competent organization would waste 2 years of development for their franchise player.
 
Floor mapping and understanding that passing and sharing the ball doesn't mean playing passively are all obvious things a PG needs to know. I still don't know why they are pushing him down this path. They are still helpful tools to have, but he's a scoring guard. He may never be able to map out the court. It may not be a skill he is good at. He is good at scoring and his future is at the 2 guard.

So it's good to hear they are working on him moving off the ball. I have seen Reke make some cuts in the past two games, but why that isn't the focus I will never understand.
 
swisshh said:
Floor mapping and understanding that passing and sharing the ball doesn't mean playing passively are all obvious things a PG needs to know. I still don't know why they are pushing him down this path. They are still helpful tools to have, but he's a scoring guard. He may never be able to map out the court. It may not be a skill he is good at. He is good at scoring and his future is at the 2 guard.

So it's good to hear they are working on him moving off the ball. I have seen Reke make some cuts in the past two games, but why that isn't the focus I will never understand.
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Well Smart did say he's working with Reke on playing off the ball. I don't think pg vs sg is as key as the statement Smart made about Reke being born with the ball in his hands. He's best with the ball in his hands. It's his decision making process which needs the most work. that's what Smart wants to improve, and I'm happy Reke finally has a coach who wants to teach him.

But going back to that comment, pg or sg, either way Reke will still have the ball in his hands most of the time. The decision making is key. No one besides Cousins will draw the attention Reke does. Very few can penetrate like Reke does. Whether he's a 1 or a 2 doesn't change that. What it does mean, is that we have a guy who is not only an elite penetrator, but demands multiple defenders coming over to try to stop him. Defenses are geared towards stopping him. They're always heavily loaded towards his side. We just need not only for Reke to make the proper decisions with the attention he draws, but also find a few role players who can convert off the open looks he draws.

Having a guy command the attention Reke does can't be taught. Neither can his ability to penetrate. The decision making can, and hopefully now it speeds up.
 
IfAt1st said:
If this was completely true, than the management of the Kings absolutely, without a doubt, HAS to go.

Because IF they knowingly employed Paul Westphal THAT long, AND didn't get/allow one of the assistant coaches to coach Tyreke on some of these things... well, what the hell good is this management/coaching combination?!

There's no way a competent organization would waste 2 years of development for their franchise player.
Click to expand...
Petrie is the GM. Ask him why.
 
Just as important (or more important) as "mapping the floor" is one sentence in today's Bee article about Smart in which it is noted he is having Tyreke take jump shots behind some tape to help him prevent that "kick" on his jump shot. FINALLY. Add Garcia to the tape drill. And Salmons.
 
As to the article on Tyreke, I didn't understand it EXCEPT any plan is better than no plan especially if the players buy into it which I think is what is going on. The only thing I took away from the article, rightly or wrongly, is that Tyreke's mentality of attacking the rim is to attack and kick only if closed off at the rim. Sounds natural, frankly. Smart is trying to get him to make a decison earlier in his attack. Is that correct? It's tough for Reke to learn although my faith in Smart is quite high at the moment.

Do we really have a coach that can teach youngsters? Man, do we need that. Wish Coachie was still around but his career had to end at some point.
 
What he is saying is, when driving, and in general when playing PG. Certain rotations happen and lanes open up naturally if the defenders to what they are supposed to. Driving a specific way, using a pick and roll, these create options for the PG which develop before they get into the air on a drive. He is trying to get him to identify those options 10 feet from the basket, instead of after he commits. If you watch top PG's their drives are controlled. Nash is possible the best ever at this, but a player like Stockton would have an opening then sit down in the opening and wait for those natural passing lanes to develop (much like a receiver sitting down in the zone). Chris Paul is probably the best mix of that in todays game. He can take it hard to the basket, but he can also do a controlled drive.

The natural progression of this will be more assists, fewer turnovers and more mid range jumpers/floaters. This is something Tyreke will have to work on in the off season.
 
JB_kings said:
This pretty much shows that you can't judge Tyreke now and claim he won't get much better. Because essentially now is when Tyreke has really started to get the teaching he needs.
Click to expand...

Not just Tyreke, but the team in general. Maybe Smart is all talk, but from what he's said since receiving the head coaching position, he seems like he truly understands what is wrong with this team.
 
macadocious said:
What he is saying is, when driving, and in general when playing PG. Certain rotations happen and lanes open up naturally if the defenders to what they are supposed to. Driving a specific way, using a pick and roll, these create options for the PG which develop before they get into the air on a drive. He is trying to get him to identify those options 10 feet from the basket, instead of after he commits. If you watch top PG's their drives are controlled. Nash is possible the best ever at this, but a player like Stockton would have an opening then sit down in the opening and wait for those natural passing lanes to develop (much like a receiver sitting down in the zone). Chris Paul is probably the best mix of that in todays game. He can take it hard to the basket, but he can also do a controlled drive.

The natural progression of this will be more assists, fewer turnovers and more mid range jumpers/floaters. This is something Tyreke will have to work on in the off season.
Click to expand...



This kind of advice is doubly key for Reke, because his driving ability draws SO much attention from opponents, it bends the whole defense. Smart is trying to show him where all those bends are occuring so he can deliver the ball smartly and on time ot the open guys. Reke is no pure PG, but there has always existed for him a chance to a really effective one simply because his offensive abilities are so potent people have to pay far more attention to him (and thus less to his teammates) than they do to Luke Ridnour for instance. And really I'm not sure exactly how people have missed the improvements already. You can see it both in the numbers and in plays he makes every game now -- drives specifically looking to set upt he pass. Waiting for doubles before swingin it etc. Those are the ways great players dominate games -- draw all the attention to themselves and make shots easier for everybody else. Not that half our guys can knock down an easy shot mind you.
 
Bricklayer said:
This kind of advice is doubly key for Reke, because his driving ability draws SO much attention from opponents, it bends the whole defense. Smart is trying to show him where all those bends are occuring so he can deliver the ball smartly and on time ot the open guys. Reke is no pure PG, but there has always existed for him a chance to a really effective one simply because his offensive abilities are so potent people have to pay far more attention to him (and thus less to his teammates) than they do to Luke Ridnour for instance. And really I'm not sure exactly how people have missed the improvements already. You can see it both in the numbers and in plays he makes every game now -- drives specifically looking to set upt he pass. Waiting for doubles before swingin it etc. Those are the ways great players dominate games -- draw all the attention to themselves and make shots easier for everybody else. Not that half our guys can knock down an easy shot mind you.
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He has doubled his assist totals from the beginning of the season. If the shots off his passes were just made with 5% more accuracy he would get a couple more assists per game.

I think he looks fantastic, and this development will be huge for when he is 28-32 and his ability to drive is diminished by age and wear and tear.

I really could not be more pleased with his progress. What we need to see him work in is a 1-2 game with Cousins. I have been very frustrated with the ability of the Kings guards to use a screen properly. They either start going to soon or dribble so far away from their man the screen is ineffective. Some of the mistakes they are making are things I would coach to an 8th grader. It just shows how young and raw they really are, and how little coaching they have received since they came into this league.
 
"he can deliver the ball smartly" ;) Groan. I have a feeling the puns will be flowing freely.

Anyway, I take it Tyreke and the rest are being taught how to recognize what the defense is giving them far before they get to the rim or wherever else they are planning to go. It makes sense to me and I have never claimed to know the x's and o's of basketball. This is a bit exciting as guys like Tyreke can demolish a defense with this new (to them) info. I'm sure it will apply to Cuz also as he seems to make up his mind what he's going to do before he even receives the ball. Cuz is a quick learner. It'll be interesting to see how this evolves as this awful year continues. Gee, I wonder if Salmons can learn? Now THAT would be earth shattering. I am not looking to have this thread sidetracked to Salmons but seriously, this is info good for all.
 
macadocious said:
He has doubled his assist totals from the beginning of the season. If the shots off his passes were just made with 5% more accuracy he would get a couple more assists per game.
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He makes 40 passes a game to teammates who miss the open shot?

[/statistical poke]
 
Glenn said:
"he can deliver the ball smartly" ;) Groan. I have a feeling the puns will be flowing freely.

Anyway, I take it Tyreke and the rest are being taught how to recognize what the defense is giving them far before they get to the rim or wherever else they are planning to go. It makes sense to me and I have never claimed to know the x's and o's of basketball. This is a bit exciting as guys like Tyreke can demolish a defense with this new (to them) info. I'm sure it will apply to Cuz also as he seems to make up his mind what he's going to do before he even receives the ball. Cuz is a quick learner. It'll be interesting to see how this evolves as this awful year continues. Gee, I wonder if Salmons can learn? Now THAT would be earth shattering. I am not looking to have this thread sidetracked to Salmons but seriously, this is info good for all.
Click to expand...

Basically, by showing Tyreke (and others) how to read the defense allows them to make the pass to an open teammate earlier in the drive. Regconizing where the help is coming from (and who is now open) lets you make the pass to the open player BEFORE the defense get to you. This makes the pass easier, and makes it harder for the defense to rotate to the open player. If a second pass can be made quickly, you usually end up with a wide open shot and a good chance at an offensive rebound (with defense in disarray).
 
I think Coach Smart has clearly been good for Reke. I've seen definite improvement in his game.

I think Smart has been great for Cousins, too. Anybody notice how much his demeanor on the court is changing?
 
Yep. Young Demarcus is growing up right before our eyes.

I watched the Warriors pre-game show. It was very interesting to hear how much potential the Warriors announcers see with our young guns. I just wish some of our own fans could be as optimistic.

:)
 
VF21 said:
Yep. Young Demarcus is growing up right before our eyes.

I watched the Warriors pre-game show. It was very interesting to hear how much potential the Warriors announcers see with our young guns. I just wish some of our own fans could be as optimistic.

:)
Click to expand...

I think most of us see the potential, we just want to see it start paying off. People are frustrated because we aren't seeing any signs of it paying off yet.
 
IfAt1st said:
If this was completely true, than the management of the Kings absolutely, without a doubt, HAS to go.

Because IF they knowingly employed Paul Westphal THAT long, AND didn't get/allow one of the assistant coaches to coach Tyreke on some of these things... well, what the hell good is this management/coaching combination?!

There's no way a competent organization would waste 2 years of development for their franchise player.
Click to expand...

Kind of why I wouldnt be too bummed out if GP was fired. Westphal was Petrie's guy, and Westphal was also a TERRIBLE teacher of the game. For a rebuilding team, that coaching hire was a major f-up.

Also, we are not a competent organization.




I like Smart. I have some issues with his coaching (he uses small ball a lot, but that could be because of our crappy roster), but I think he is a good teacher of the game. Reke and Cousins are improving, the team is slowly starting to show signs of running an offense (albiet an extremely simple one), if it wasnt for our crap roster, I think we'd be seeing even more headway.
 
Last edited:
kennadog said:
I think Coach Smart has clearly been good for Reke. I've seen definite improvement in his game.

I think Smart has been great for Cousins, too. Anybody notice how much his demeanor on the court is changing?
Click to expand...

Yes, I have. He's just got to keep it up.
 
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