[Grades] Grades v. Clippers 2/21/2015
- Thread starter Bricklayer
- Start date
Cousins has a long list of great skills like good hands, mobility, strength, touch, power and an outside shot. He has functioned as a point center and shown great passing skills for a big man. His rebounding is really good. His defense has improved a lot. He continues to get better and more dominant.
There are really only four things that need improvement:
1. Handling the ball less and reducing turnovers especially at high speed.
2. Not forcing the ball into double teams.
3. Maintaining his composure when he doesn't get fouls called. If I were coaching a team against Cousins I would have them bang on him, grab his jersey, hook him, and anything else to bother him, because he gets so emotional about physical play. He is a big strong man and needs to act like it.
4. Playing better defense against guys like Tyler Zeller that run the floor and move without the ball, especially backdoor plays.
There are really only four things that need improvement:
1. Handling the ball less and reducing turnovers especially at high speed.
2. Not forcing the ball into double teams.
3. Maintaining his composure when he doesn't get fouls called. If I were coaching a team against Cousins I would have them bang on him, grab his jersey, hook him, and anything else to bother him, because he gets so emotional about physical play. He is a big strong man and needs to act like it.
4. Playing better defense against guys like Tyler Zeller that run the floor and move without the ball, especially backdoor plays.
Aren't a high percentage of Cousins turnovers out of situations where he trys to generate contact to draw the foul and doesn't get the call?
I won't worry about Cousins. What I would worry about, is that we finally put him into the situations, where he can be effective. And this is more up to the coach, than to Cousins as a player.
Example: Tyler Zeller for Boston. Zeller is not a very good allround Center. But he can finish the pick&roll, if you don't ask him to do to much: Set pic, roll, 1 dribble, finish with layup or hookshot.
There is no reason at all, that Cousins should not be able to be effective in those kind of situations. But we never set him up like that.
Is this Cousins fault?
In a few games this season DC and DMC focused on playing high pick&roll with the outcome of an open midrange setshot for Cousins. He converted this shot on a great percentage - at least as far as I remember. But still most of the time, we ask him to play from the high post, with no pick&roll involved and with the outcome of a contested jumpshot or a shot created off the dribble.
Just take a look how Portland sets up Aldridge or Leonard right now . Those guys get a ton of open jumpshots per game.
To cut a long story short, from my point of view it's not about Cousins development as a player, that eventually hampers him to become a Top-10 all-time Center, but more about the way Cousins is used by our coaches.
I won't worry about Cousins. What I would worry about, is that we finally put him into the situations, where he can be effective. And this is more up to the coach, than to Cousins as a player.
Example: Tyler Zeller for Boston. Zeller is not a very good allround Center. But he can finish the pick&roll, if you don't ask him to do to much: Set pic, roll, 1 dribble, finish with layup or hookshot.
There is no reason at all, that Cousins should not be able to be effective in those kind of situations. But we never set him up like that.
Is this Cousins fault?
In a few games this season DC and DMC focused on playing high pick&roll with the outcome of an open midrange setshot for Cousins. He converted this shot on a great percentage - at least as far as I remember. But still most of the time, we ask him to play from the high post, with no pick&roll involved and with the outcome of a contested jumpshot or a shot created off the dribble.
Just take a look how Portland sets up Aldridge or Leonard right now . Those guys get a ton of open jumpshots per game.
To cut a long story short, from my point of view it's not about Cousins development as a player, that eventually hampers him to become a Top-10 all-time Center, but more about the way Cousins is used by our coaches.
This year, 41% of Cousins' turnovers are bad passes. Lost ball turnovers account for 30%. 19% are offensive fouls. 10% are "other".
I don't know if you would consider some of the "lost ball" turnovers to occur in the attempt to generate contact, but the offensive fouls (and at least some of those are moving screens) are in my mind the only turnovers that really fit that category.
I don't know if you would consider some of the "lost ball" turnovers to occur in the attempt to generate contact, but the offensive fouls (and at least some of those are moving screens) are in my mind the only turnovers that really fit that category.
See, I have a real issue with stupid formulas lumping together real stats to try to create something the statlumper likes as an overall "advanced" stat. On the other hand I have a sincere appreciation for the capabilities of the new sportvu stats -- real stats, just in more detail.
And what I REALLY wish we had there was a splits on those turnover numbers, because I'm willing to bet the skyrocketing turnovers in Jan/Feb were to a very great degree all added bad pass turnovers. I other words, in the early season it would not surprise me to see the numbers be 25% bad passes, 40% lost ball, 25% offensive fouls, 10% other. And similarly in Jan/Feb it would not surprise me if the splits were not as high as 50% bad pass, etc. etc. I truly think the huge spike in Cuz TOs has been highly correlated with us making a conscious decision to turn him into a high usage passing post, and in him beginning to get doubled and tripled so hard that the kickout passes from those situations have also skyrocketed.
And what I REALLY wish we had there was a splits on those turnover numbers, because I'm willing to bet the skyrocketing turnovers in Jan/Feb were to a very great degree all added bad pass turnovers. I other words, in the early season it would not surprise me to see the numbers be 25% bad passes, 40% lost ball, 25% offensive fouls, 10% other. And similarly in Jan/Feb it would not surprise me if the splits were not as high as 50% bad pass, etc. etc. I truly think the huge spike in Cuz TOs has been highly correlated with us making a conscious decision to turn him into a high usage passing post, and in him beginning to get doubled and tripled so hard that the kickout passes from those situations have also skyrocketed.