I'll update it as the preseason games roll along...
Pierce, KG, Allen... leaving off from their hot streaks in the LA series. Keep it going!
Scalabrine... crowd gets on him to shoot mockingly whenever he has the ball, and when he does fire, it's off. Always. Seriously, and this guy looks more out of shape than I've ever seen him before. And that's saying a lot. The body type card can only be played so much.
Pruitt... I know Tommy likes this kid, the coaching staff might be mishandling him. Pruitt is kind of like Mike James in that the offense he creates centers around his ability to knock down the 3 point shot. I know Mike James isn't exactly someone to aim for but Pruitt's game reminds me of his in some major respects. Pruitt isn't going to make it as a guy who's only being called two or three plays. Still my favorite pick for being cut.
Miles... I don't know what the 80-90% claims are grounded in with regard to his explosiveness because in all objectivity it's more like 10-20%. Still, he isn't the worst player on the team. But he also doesn't seem to want it. That's the impression I get from watching him. He's made a few good plays but on offense he kind of just stands around not taking an active part in the offense like I'm used to seeing everyone else doing even when they are not necessarily expecting to take shots.
T. Allen... I still see some of his bad habits re-appear from time to time, he still overdribbles and thinks too much when he is in traffic trying to create but all in all you have to be impressed with what he's manufactured in this preseason as a scorer and a versatile guard who also has reasonable vision. I haven't really studied his on the ball defense but it's not really something that can be seriously evaluated in preseason action. JMO.
Rondo... here's an interesting case, hopefully he just plays this way in the preseason but I've seen little out of him. He forces steals and turnovers but he seems too tentative to create his own offense like he was in spurts throughout the playoffs. Honestly we all saw to what extent Rondo is able to positively impact his team when he commits to driving the ball to the basket. But I think part of the problem with Rondo's conceived effectiveness is that the passes he's making isn't resulting in made shots by the recipient. So his assists column isn't sexy.
O'Bryant... here's a guy who I think will make a GREAT backup center to Perk. But I'll be honest, I don't feel good about him taking jumpshots and what not. I don't care what Tommy says, it just doesn't look good. At least Perk's 5 foot hook shots have a 60% of going in. But the O'Blount nickname should be eradicated until further notice because unlike Blount he hustles for the ball and seems to have a better instinct for making the right play for his position than advertised prior to signing here.
Perk INC
Cassell INC
House... he's been on FIRE... seriously. The people who continue to suggest that he should be benched in favor of Cassell or something because he doesn't have a handle should re-think their stance because House gives you so much and he's a straight out baller who gives you consistent three point shooting (For the most part) and he keeps the defense honest with his constant movement on the offensive end. Defensively he is no pushover either.
Walker... Okay, here is my most surprising one... I think this guy is O-V-E-R-R-A-T-E-D. I hope I'm wrong, but I'll say it anyways. This guy is very athletic, but he is a stinker on offense and he seems to have no clue as to how to score. The raw athletic tools are there, but I don't see the other attributes that supposedly make him a great prospect. I think he's OK. Honestly I'd prefer seeing Giddens out there. Giddens likewise has shown me little on offense (the 2 airballs didn't help his case) but he rebounds well for his position and I'm intrigued by his ability to play lockdown defense, something Walker I think at this point is not polished enough to do.
I might be missing a player or two or three, but these are all the guys I wanted to mention because they're noteworthy. Whether you'd like to believe it or not, this team is drastically different from the '08 titlebound team. There is so much more youth, which could mean more up tempo play, points, and boundless action... OR it could also mean more careless play, which I've seen more of with the departure of guys like Posey and PJ Brown and addition of young guys. Thoughts?
Topic: Here are my own impressions of players up to this point in the preseason (Read 4130 times)