Avery
Well-Known Member
It's been a weird season so far - and one that has been frustrating as a fan to where one would think we were doing awful when at a high-level, we're not in that bad of a place.
Toplines:
- Record is 14-7 (three more home games than road so far)
- #2 in +/- behind GSW
- Strength of schedule is on the lower side with the caveat that this becomes more pronounced as data matures
- #3 seed in the west with a three game lead on #4
- Third best record in the league
Looking at that viewpoint, doesn't look too bad. That said, some definite pain points:
- Struggled in close games and losing to inferior teams
- Poor shooting performances from our guards
- Turnover issues
- Low offensive rebounds and giving away too many as well
Some quick team awards:
- Most Valuable Player: Rudy Gobert. Leading the league in boards and still delivering all-world defense. Offense is simply what it always as is perimeter defense (biproduct of the system)
- Most Improved Player: Bojan Bogdanovic. Not a lot of candidates to be honest. Bojan's shooting percentages are all up this year and he's been the most consistent player night in and night out
- Most Disappointing Player: Donovan Mitchell. Hurts to write this, but is what it is when you're a max player and the face of the franchise. His scoring is down a bit which I'm fine with, but his shooting percentages, especially from three have been abysmal. Add to that his decision making and increased turnover rate and you have a guy that doesn't deserve to make the ASG this year.
- Best New Player: Rudy Gay. Again, not a lot of options, but Rudy's shooting has been a welcome bench addition especially in games where JC has been frigid
The season is still young, but it's obvious so far that GSW/PHX are the class of the league and we'd lose a series against each of them if the playoffs started today - but they thankfully don't. The main things I'll be looking for the next 20 games are:
- Western Conference-heavy schedule. We've played the East quite a bit, but we'll ramp up against our conference opponents more and more which is important for tiebreakers. On that note...
- Beat the teams you should beat. We haven't done this so far effectively. There should be no reason to lose to the Spurs or Pelicans as those L's matter when things get close.
- Improve our efficiency. Make the extra pass. Don't jack up a 28 foot off-balance three with 16 seconds on the shot clock. Live to play another way.
- Stay healthy. This is honestly the most important thing we have outside of W/L. It's a long season and a game of attrition; get your best players to the finish line and anything can happen especially in a superstar-dominated league.
Overall, I'd give us a B. Things could definitely be better, but they could also be a whole lot worse. But if we can net 55 wins and go into the postseason healthy, we've got a chance.
Toplines:
- Record is 14-7 (three more home games than road so far)
- #2 in +/- behind GSW
- Strength of schedule is on the lower side with the caveat that this becomes more pronounced as data matures
- #3 seed in the west with a three game lead on #4
- Third best record in the league
Looking at that viewpoint, doesn't look too bad. That said, some definite pain points:
- Struggled in close games and losing to inferior teams
- Poor shooting performances from our guards
- Turnover issues
- Low offensive rebounds and giving away too many as well
Some quick team awards:
- Most Valuable Player: Rudy Gobert. Leading the league in boards and still delivering all-world defense. Offense is simply what it always as is perimeter defense (biproduct of the system)
- Most Improved Player: Bojan Bogdanovic. Not a lot of candidates to be honest. Bojan's shooting percentages are all up this year and he's been the most consistent player night in and night out
- Most Disappointing Player: Donovan Mitchell. Hurts to write this, but is what it is when you're a max player and the face of the franchise. His scoring is down a bit which I'm fine with, but his shooting percentages, especially from three have been abysmal. Add to that his decision making and increased turnover rate and you have a guy that doesn't deserve to make the ASG this year.
- Best New Player: Rudy Gay. Again, not a lot of options, but Rudy's shooting has been a welcome bench addition especially in games where JC has been frigid
The season is still young, but it's obvious so far that GSW/PHX are the class of the league and we'd lose a series against each of them if the playoffs started today - but they thankfully don't. The main things I'll be looking for the next 20 games are:
- Western Conference-heavy schedule. We've played the East quite a bit, but we'll ramp up against our conference opponents more and more which is important for tiebreakers. On that note...
- Beat the teams you should beat. We haven't done this so far effectively. There should be no reason to lose to the Spurs or Pelicans as those L's matter when things get close.
- Improve our efficiency. Make the extra pass. Don't jack up a 28 foot off-balance three with 16 seconds on the shot clock. Live to play another way.
- Stay healthy. This is honestly the most important thing we have outside of W/L. It's a long season and a game of attrition; get your best players to the finish line and anything can happen especially in a superstar-dominated league.
Overall, I'd give us a B. Things could definitely be better, but they could also be a whole lot worse. But if we can net 55 wins and go into the postseason healthy, we've got a chance.