Frankly I don't give a **** about exciting to watch, as long as the results are there, which they aren't. I think Coach Smart deserves a lot of credit for some things - he's definitely worked wonders for Cousins (which in itself is an undervalued achievement) and his stressing team-play can only do our youngsters good in the long run. I also think that it's unfortunate that the roster is as imbalanced as it is. That said, I'm not seeing any sort of outstanding coaching in the sense of having real plays ran, watching improvements in our defensive schemes, finding ways to make use of our players (other than Cousins) etc. Jimmer is a shooter - why don't we run plays to set screens to get him open? I haven't seen much player development under Smart, as in - what are our players getting better at? Tyreke WAS getting better at running the point and finding guys, then Smart moved him to SF. JT's improvement only came with the hiring of Clifford Ray. Has Cousins' control of fouling improved? Post moves? Cousins is putting up his numbers in very much the same way Evans did in his rookie year - out of sheer talent and unstoppable-ness, often going one on one where his ability to put the ball on the floor allows him to get past his defender, or his rebounding skill that allows him to get multiple putbacks, not out of a system that allows him to get easy looks or create shots for others.
I have not seen any effort whatsoever from Smart to put guys like Evans, Jimmer, heck even Thornton, in positions where their talents can be close to maximised. That I believe, is a huge part of the gripe here. It's not so much a problem with smallball as it is the effects that going small and playing guys out of position has on the long-term development of the team and players.
A good coach finds a way to use his players' strengths one way or another. If he wants a player to work on his weaknesses he runs plays designed to give that player practice in that area. I like how he tells Jimmer, "shoot!", but doesn't run plays to free him up to get good looks. I like how he tells Tyreke to move more off the ball, and to take the shots given to him, but doesn't instruct the offense to giev Tyreke the ball or designate plays such that Tyreke ends up with open mid-range shots. No, his system is push the ball, shoot a lot of shots, pick and pop with Cousins, let Cousins go 1 on 1, let IT go 1 on 1, let Thornton go 1 on 1, score off putbacks, let Salmons go 1 on 1, let Isaiah Thomas find a way to help pick the offense up. There is hardly any regularity or consistency in our offense. Like many have said, he plays the guys like it's little league, and everyone is supposed to just find a way to score.
All that said, I am realistic - this is a young team. I don't expect them to execute like the Spurs with multiple passes and intentionally set screens, but I do wish I could see some sort of effort to move in that direction. And by effort I mean one originating from the coach, one that isn't dependent on guys being willing to pass the ball. I want stuff drawn up such that they HAVE to move the ball, or get benched for not executing the play correctly.
It's weird, because to me things seem fairly simple. You design plays and adjust them to suit whatever strengths you have at your disposal. Defense clogs the paint when Tyreke has the ball - put him out there with Garcia and Jimmer, set some screens, get Tyreke open for a 18ft set shot (we've seen him hit this) or have Jimmer coming off a screen at the 3 point line and Garcia in the corner, giving Tyreke the option of driving or passing the ball to an open shooter (since the defense will have to rotate). Pick and rolls weren't working because we have no good outside shooter? Erm, then what did we draft Jimmer for? Put him in a position to receive that kick out!
And if all that doesn't work, I'll raise my hands and say that at least they tried something that seemed logical. I will not blame the coach if guys get open shots but simply don't make them, and I won't blame him for moving away from that thereafter.
