More touches for Tyreke in crunch-time??

[PoundForPound]

Have any of you ever been watching a Kings game in the fourth quarter and suddenly thought to yourself, "why isn't tyreke on the floor?" Personally, I see that when there is under 5 minutes, the teams' offense stutters. Another thing I noticed is that it happens especially when Reke isn't on the floor or isn't getting touches. We go through offensive possessions where he's on the court but isn't even touching the rock. Now, we know what this kid can do when he gets the ball in crunch time. And when he does, it's almost always too late. He starts getting the ball with just under 2 minutes left. Give the ball to Reke and get out of his way! How does this reflect Westphal's coaching?

 

[bajaden]

Have any of you ever been watching a Kings game in the fourth quarter and suddenly thought to yourself, "why isn't tyreke on the floor?" Personally, I see that when there is under 5 minutes, the teams' offense stutters. Another thing I noticed is that it happens especially when Reke isn't on the floor or isn't getting touches. We go through offensive possessions where he's on the court but isn't even touching the rock. Now, we know what this kid can do when he gets the ball in crunch time. And when he does, it's almost always too late. He starts getting the ball with just under 2 minutes left. Give the ball to Reke and get out of his way! How does this reflect Westphal's coaching?

While I agree with you about getting the ball into Evans hands more when the game is on the line, I'm not going to get too critical of Westphal's coaching. Considering how the team is playing overall, its hard to find too much fault. I think were still just a work in progress, and what you want to see will eventually evolve.

 

[captain bill]

I probably haven't watched as many games as you, but in the last two games Reke has had a hand in just about every play under 5 minutes, or at least it seemed that way. And the defenses knew it. Last play of NO game I saw coming from my couch- Reke goes to the basket, defense collapses on him, instead of kicking out for an open shot he misses a lay-up.

It's good for Reke that he has confidence and can be a closer, but it's just as important to have a team that can close out a game, and to have many options to go to at the end of a game, including non-stars (see: Robert Horry).

 

[Asaf]

I probably haven't watched as many games as you, but in the last two games Reke has had a hand in just about every play under 5 minutes, or at least it seemed that way. And the defenses knew it. Last play of NO game I saw coming from my couch- Reke goes to the basket, defense collapses on him, instead of kicking out for an open shot he misses a lay-up.

It's good for Reke that he has confidence and can be a closer, but it's just as important to have a team that can close out a game, and to have many options to go to at the end of a game, including non-stars (see: Robert Horry).

I agree. The last thing the Kings need right now is to develop excessive dependence on Tyreke. Westphal is right on the money in trying to make this a real TEAM rather than a group of players clearing the way for the superstar. A team needs to have as many players as possible who can take the final shot in the game. Having just one option means the opponent's defense knows where the ball is going to go and what they need to do to stop him. This is exactly what happened, for those who remember, in the first game at NO at the beginning of the season.

Paul Westphal knows exactly what he's doing, and in my opinion this team is on its way to becoming one of the most exciting teams in the NBA.

 

[PoundForPound]

I agree. The last thing the Kings need right now is to develop excessive dependence on Tyreke. Westphal is right on the money in trying to make this a real TEAM rather than a group of players clearing the way for the superstar. A team needs to have as many players as possible who can take the final shot in the game. Having just one option means the opponent's defense knows where the ball is going to go and what they need to do to stop him. This is exactly what happened, for those who remember, in the first game at NO at the beginning of the season.

Paul Westphal knows exactly what he's doing, and in my opinion this team is on its way to becoming one of the most exciting teams in the NBA.

I see your point, but all the good teams in this league have that one player who the ball goes to when the game is on the line. As bad as you want a team game, you need that player.

 

[SacKings7]

I agree. The last thing the Kings need right now is to develop excessive dependence on Tyreke. Westphal is right on the money in trying to make this a real TEAM rather than a group of players clearing the way for the superstar. A team needs to have as many players as possible who can take the final shot in the game. Having just one option means the opponent's defense knows where the ball is going to go and what they need to do to stop him. This is exactly what happened, for those who remember, in the first game at NO at the beginning of the season.

Paul Westphal knows exactly what he's doing, and in my opinion this team is on its way to becoming one of the most exciting teams in the NBA.

I disagree. Excluding the Pistons a few years back (Billups was/is great in the clutch, but he's NOT a superstar), every championship team needs a true superstar to carry them. When you find that superstar, THEN you build the team you want around him. Sure, it's nice having a few players being able to take the final shot. But without a superstar, there aren't gonna be too many of those final shots that mean anything.

 

[Eclipse]

It could be my imagination, but up until recently, I felt like there were too many cooks in the kitchen during crunch-time. Too many ill-advised and forced shots by players who thought they were the "man." Then, for better or worse, starting a couple of games ago, I've noticed that Tyreke became the go-to guy (most likely due to Westphal's request). Realistically I don't think Tyreke is quite ready to be the "man" yet, but I do think it's a step in the right direction, and that it should happen sooner than later. As he recently said, shooting and kicking-out (passing) are the hardest parts of the game for him right now, so don't expect him to make the right decisions consistently when the pressure is on, but at least he is aware of his weaknesses and is working on them. So as he gains experience in this role, he will know better when to shoot, when to drive, when to kick-out, and when to pass to the teammate with the hottest hands.

 

[Asaf]

I disagree. Excluding the Pistons a few years back (Billups was/is great in the clutch, but he's NOT a superstar), every championship team needs a true superstar to carry them. When you find that superstar, THEN you build the team you want around him. Sure, it's nice having a few players being able to take the final shot. But without a superstar, there aren't gonna be too many of those final shots that mean anything.

It's great to have a superstar, and I think Tyreke is growing and on his way to fit that description. However, my concern is about a team becoming to reliant on that superstar and him being the ONLY option, which makes the team play in the last minutes ridiculously predictable. Statistically speaking, the chance of a shot taken by a superstar in the last seconds with 2-3 guys on him to go in is far smaller than the chance of a shot taken by an open guy, who may not be as great a player as the superstar, but is wide open since his guy is busy double teaming the superstar.

 

[USNAVY15]

I would rather see a well executed 2-minutes rather than Tyreke Evans 1 on 5

 

[PoundForPound]

I would rather see a well executed 2-minutes rather than Tyreke Evans 1 on 5

The problem with that is that the kings dont execute well during the ends of close ball games.

 

[Kingster]

I probably haven't watched as many games as you, but in the last two games Reke has had a hand in just about every play under 5 minutes, or at least it seemed that way. And the defenses knew it. Last play of NO game I saw coming from my couch- Reke goes to the basket, defense collapses on him, instead of kicking out for an open shot he misses a lay-up.

It's good for Reke that he has confidence and can be a closer, but it's just as important to have a team that can close out a game, and to have many options to go to at the end of a game, including non-stars (see: Robert Horry).

Agreed. I don't want the team co-dependent on Tyreke. And I don't want Tyreke at this point to have the entire burden on his 20 year old shoulders. I like Westphal's approach of team ball.

 

[Asaf]

The problem with that is that the kings dont execute well during the ends of close ball games.

That's exactly why Westphal is making them confront this problem. They will never learn how to close out these games if they just expect Tyreke (or KMart when he comes back) to do it alone, which most definitely will not work in most cases. It's a young team and the only way they can learn is from experience. Once they will learn how to do it they will be one of the most dangerous last minutes teams in the league.

 

[VF21]

That's exactly why Westphal is making them confront this problem. They will never learn how to close out these games if they just expect Tyreke (or KMart when he comes back) to do it alone, which most definitely will not work in most cases. It's a young team and the only way they can learn is from experience. Once they will learn how to do it they will be one of the most dangerous last minutes teams in the league.

Exactly.

I think people are forgetting that this is a young team, barely able to walk, that has exceeded our fondest dreams and expectations already this season.

People really need to just take a deep breath and relax and let them learn the lessons they're learning.