Its starting to look more and more like Hardy is a pumpkin. A lot of things are excusable because of the lack of quality in the roster, but what is not excusable from the HC is the fact that we come out flat and get into a double digit hole in almost every single first quarter. Runs happen and you cannot avoid them, but if you are only giving up runs at the start then your team, lineups and/or game plan are badly prepared. That doest look random anymore.
Last year there was a chip on the shoulder which at time looked like we got something to build on but sadly now looks like it just made this team overachieve in a big way. There was also leadership and accountability on the court provided by Conley, but that isnt explaining the drastic difference alone. Right now we have mid talent shooting guards running rampart and doing anything except playing team ball and sloppy defensive breakdowns where no wrists get slapped.
THT, Sexton and Clarkson are not winning pieces. KO is a luxury item you can only afford if you are great at defense, and we arent. Collins is putting up box scores that look good but the dude misses 2-4 bunnies per game and cannot defend the rim.
On a more positive note (had to reach to find some):
Ochai is the one player aside from Lauri and Key who looks like a non-gimmicky player who can contribute in todays NBA. Key needs to develop his defense to become a real positive contributor, but I still have very high hopes for his offense as he looks the part in every aspect except reading his own driving lanes and rim finishing, which is something he doesnt do really well.