GT #48: HEAT @ Bullets 7 PM (MSN/980 AM)

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

The good Poole giveth, and he taketh.

Can I get an amen?

[nir2610]

Great game by Kispert.. Good game by Deni and Gafford..Bad game by Kuz..awful game by Poole

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

11-37 from the Green Light Duo...

[nir2610]

Poole with 6/21 and 16 pts.. Deni with 6/8 and 15 pts. 13 shots more , i dont say Deni should have take 13-14 shots but god..the shot selection in this team . and still only lost by 8 pts

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

Great game by Kispert.. Good game by Deni and Gafford..Bad game by Kuz..awful game by Poole

No, no, Kuzma was awful too. 36 minutes, 5-16 field goals, and 4 rebounds is awful for your starting PF.

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

Washington sports reporters asking Keefe the tough questions... "Why did Wright only play 6 minutes?"

[NatP4]

Honestly, if we had a normal fan base Poole should be booed every time he touches the ball until he plays to an adequate standard.

People on this board were excited about the Poole trade lol

[NatP4]

Why the hell did Johnny Davis only play 2 minutes? What is this team doing?

[nate33]

Great game by Kispert.. Good game by Deni and Gafford..Bad game by Kuz..awful game by Poole

I didn’t watch the game, but it’s worth noting that Poole had 10 assists and just 1 turnover.

[badinage]

8 shots.

Deni got only 8 shots up.

Meanwhile: Kuz + Poole took 37. 37. 3-7. And made 11.

Deni was 6-8 (for 15 points).

Even if he had taken just 5 or 6 more … maybe hit 3. That’s still a terrible shooting night from Kuz + Poole: 11-31. A lot of attempts for not much result. But: a ball game that comes down to the final possession or two, and maybe they pull it out.

[AFM]

Not sure what Deni fans really want. And I'm not singling you out badinage, its unclear what you meant tbh, but ultimately it's up to Deni to be more aggressive. It's not Kuz or Poole's fault that Deni is perpetually gunshy.

[badinage]

^ What I mean: He moves the ball. Almost no one else makes the extra pass. He does — and he doesn’t get the ball back. And guys don’t tend to look for him. Should he hunt shots? Sometimes, sure. But I like a guy who plays the game and makes the right play. Here, that often means he doesn’t get shots. Even when — like tonight — he’s making them! 6 of 8? He’s on. Get him the ball a little bit — not a TON, just a little bit. There was a game a couple weeks ago — he had 18, he was in a rhythm, had just scored twice in two or three possessions. And did they look for him the next time down? Did they try to feed him for a while? Ha. If only.

[nir2610]

Not sure what Deni fans really want. And I'm not singling you out badinage, its unclear what you meant tbh, but ultimately it's up to Deni to be more aggressive. It's not Kuz or Poole's fault that Deni is perpetually gunshy.

Keep throwing bricks from 3 when you are already 1-10 is not being aggressive, its being stupid

+what badinage said above me..

[RinseRepeat]

Why the hell did Johnny Davis only play 2 minutes? What is this team doing?

this is why certain franchises like us are perpetually frozen in mediocrity. They prioritize building trade value of their veterans, despite trades actually being pretty rare in the NBA, over developing young players. To me, if you're going to shamelessly tank, might as well play the young guys since it should be treated like a fact-finding mission. Can they play or not. We already have our answer with the vets. And any trade value vets have is already pretty well-established at this point so showcasing them really doesn't make much sense.

[RinseRepeat]

Not sure what Deni fans really want. And I'm not singling you out badinage, its unclear what you meant tbh, but ultimately it's up to Deni to be more aggressive. It's not Kuz or Poole's fault that Deni is perpetually gunshy.

Deni plays the game the right way. He isn't gun shy. He's shooting within the flow of the offense. If everyone played like that we'd get better looks and our efficiency would increase. Forcing shots when he may not be comfortable with certain looks in certain situations won't help him or us. Kuz and Poole should be trying to emulate him not the other way around

[MOSH]

Both Kuzma and Poole have terrible vision. If they have the ball, they will spend too long with it until they have to take the shot because there's no better option. Often times they won't make the extra pass.
Deni was free a few times for a 3, but poole just took the shots instead, without making the extra pass.
Sure, Deni can be more aggressive, but even that won't help in a game like yesterday.

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

^ What I mean: He moves the ball. Almost no one else makes the extra pass. He does — and he doesn’t get the ball back. And guys don’t tend to look for him. Should he hunt shots? Sometimes, sure. But I like a guy who plays the game and makes the right play. Here, that often means he doesn’t get shots. Even when — like tonight — he’s making them! 6 of 8? He’s on. Get him the ball a little bit — not a TON, just a little bit. There was a game a couple weeks ago — he had 18, he was in a rhythm, had just scored twice in two or three possessions. And did they look for him the next time down? Did they try to feed him for a while? Ha. If only.

This.

Just in last night's game along, there were so many moments where Deni was clearly open or had some sort of advantage, and teammates just look him off. Poole and Kuzma are habitual offenders of this. There was a moment on a break that Deni was running with Poole and Deni had a decent angle to the rim and Poole acts like he's not even there and Deni just stops at the top of the key because he knows Poole isn't passing him the ball. Anecdotal, yes, but a microcosm of the offensive hierarchy on this team.

No one is saying that Deni has the offense arsenal that Kuzma has at this point, what people are saying is that there are some on this board that think Kuzma is the second coming of Alex English. That the notion that Poole and Kuzma only shoot because no one else will/can take those shots or are aggressive enough is utterly, nonsensical stupidity at this point. Guys are open, guys are clapping there hands because they are open, guys shoulders slump when they see that Poole or Kuzma have no other objective other than to get a shot up. Kuzma and Poole have TS%s of .541 and .521 on the season respectively, some have to stop fooling themselves that they are somehow special scorers. Lebron James and Stephen Curry ain't walking through those doors so Kyle and Jordan can get another championship ring.

Do the Denis of the world have to shoot contested fadeaways, launch 37 footers with 18 seconds on the shot clock, and go 1 on 3 no matter the result to make you believe they should get more shots or have a larger role in the offense?

[nate33]

Why the hell did Johnny Davis only play 2 minutes? What is this team doing?

this is why certain franchises like us are perpetually frozen in mediocrity. They prioritize building trade value of their veterans, despite trades actually being pretty rare in the NBA, over developing young players. To me, if you're going to shamelessly tank, might as well play the young guys since it should be treated like a fact-finding mission. Can they play or not. We already have our answer with the vets. And any trade value vets have is already pretty well-established at this point so showcasing them really doesn't make much sense.

Spare me. Davis practices with the team. They know damn well what Davis can and can't do. They won't play him because he can't shoot. He is shooting 24% from 3 in his NBA career, and just 10% from 3 in the freaking G-League. A defense with any kind of scouting report will cheat off of him to protect the paint, making it very difficult for his teammates to score. While he is a competent ball handler and defender, he is not so overwhelmingly good at either of these functions that the team can afford to endure his horrific impact on spacing. It would be one thing if he was an Ausar Thompson type of rebounding/defending menace, but he isn't. He is just a guy on defense.

[NatP4]

There’s not even a large enough sample size on Davis to make such concrete statements like that.

It’s a rebuilding/tanking team, you play and develop your young players. It’s just common sense

[mhd]

There’s not even a large enough sample size on Davis to make such concrete statements like that.

It’s a rebuilding/tanking team, you play and develop your young players. It’s just common sense

This FO didn't draft him. They don't have any allegiance to him. Fact is that Bilal is the priority for development. After that, Poole (including because of the contract), Jones, Kispert, Wright, and Shamet are all better players. If we are giving developmental PT, then it should all go to Bilal. Shamet has played really well this year and he can shoot. Maybe Davis knocks some rust off in the G league, ut the first two games have been atrocious by him down there. Jared Butler looks like a much more promising young guard vs Davis.