Preseason Game 1 grades

[PhoSita]

Mickey might be able to play center one day, but not right now.  His body type is closer to Udonis Haslem or younger Amir Johnson, which means he'll get pushed around if he's at the 5.


Also, people going nuts about Jack Cooley grabbing a bunch of boards last night should keep in mind that Jack Cooley's one NBA talent is rebounding.  He was a dominant rebounder at the NCAA level and he can rebound very well at the NBA level.  He's not good at anything else, though, which is why he hasn't stuck on a roster.

[snively]

He's a little like a SG Pablo Prigioni, defensively.   They're not going to stick with even decent athletes, but you can't sleep on them, either.

This is an interesting comparison. 

I've always liked guys who take advantage of the fact that opponents seem to believe they can go at them ruthlessly.  Scal was like that, a bit.  Guys just saw a goofy white dude and assumed they could attack him on every play.  He was never very good defensively, but he wasn't as bad as you'd expect, because he hustled and scrapped and did everything he could to make scoring on him an annoying experience.

Kelly Olynyk could stand to adopt that mentality.  Try to make up for your physical shortcomings on defense by being a pain in the butt.  After all, what made Kevin Garnett an amazing defender was not just his immense skill and talent.  It was hit ability to get into his opponents' heads and make their lives miserable on the court.

I think Scal was actually quite good defensively against 3/4 tweeners - not just annoying.  He was our best defender against Rashard Lewis for example.  And I remember him giving Pierce problems when he was with Chicago. His problem was that he couldn't rebound or score and he could never hit the 3 consistently.

[cltc5]

I'm surprised at how hard people are going after Young... I mean, if an off shooting night means a 4-11 FG night, and if a bad passing night means 1 AST and 1 TO in 30 minutes of play, I'll take it.

Yes, he didn't have a good game, but not to the extent being presented in the OP.

This...

I have been going hard on him since before summer league. I don't think he is NBA caliber. 4-11 FG is a little skewed since one was a nice pass for a dunk uncontested and there was an undefended 15 footer. Except for one other basket that he actually looked athletic he was throwing bricks up. He can't get his own shot. He can't play D. His passes were horrific. I can't wait forever for this kid. Let's see how he does tonight.

Expect more of the same.  Ainge drafted the wrong player, again.  His draft scouting report was the same issue.  He's jeff green without the breakout games.

[JHTruth]

I don't see how anyone gives Smart an A for this game. Too many questionable shots.

Thought he was the best player in the game, but that's a different judgment.

I think Smart is better suited as a shooting guard where there's a little more leeway in shot selection. A 2 is supposed to put it up. I think Smart is potentially a great 2, a dismal PG. Just too wild out there..

[JHTruth]

Really sad---but I've come to realize that Ainge is a helluva Trader---but SUCKS at drafting---he absolutely SUCKS.

I like how Smart went up to all 3 refs after the game and shook their hands---even though he KNEW how awful they were all game long---it was like he was saying F you to all 3.

He gets great value where he picks. He's a tremendous drafter, one of his biggest strengths.

[JHTruth]

Ainge

F   Minus .....failure to draft properly

Draft no center ...for an already TOO short team

It's a shame---but Brad Stevens deserves a Better GM....at least one who knows how to evaluate the players in the draft---Ainge has Blown way more picks than he has hit on.

Really what picks has he "blown"? Seriously? And if you start dialing off picks in the 20's you're just trolling.

If Danny has a weakness it's his FA signings but considering no FA's want to come here whatever I guess..

[ahonui06]

Smart and Mickey both get high marks.

Rozier, Hunter & Young need to show more assertion and awareness. They seemed a bit flabbergasted out there.

[TA9]

Just saw the game (Tough living in Europe ) and holy moly did we struggle on the boards !

Mickey should have been more aggressive on the offensive end. He did good defensively but no way he is going to play C in the NBA due to his size. Grade: B-

I liked how aggressive Marcus was last night, but he forced a lot of bad shots which he could have done better. Grade: B

Hunter was way too passive for my liking. Hope he improves tonight. Grade: D

[JumpingJudkins]

Guess I'm echoing what a lot of people already said ....

Smart looked really good. Took some bad shots, didn't hit a great percentage, but he went to the basket hard and earned trips to the line, which was missing last year. Team was noticeably worse every time he left the floor.

Young did not look like he'd made the steps forward I'd hoped for. Defense was OK, and I think he'll have a lot of days when the threes are falling, but didn't show the ability to get to the basket. On some breaks he pulled up for bad angle jump shots instead of getting to the rim, and when he drove into the middle he forced up off-balance floaters.

Was actually encouraged by Hunter. He played with a kind of calm, seemed to know where he was supposed to be and what to do with the ball. Needs the shots to fall, but he might have a chance to pass right by Young.

Mickey seemed better than advertised offensively, but he simply can't be bullied by the likes of Cooley, or he's going to get mauled by real NBA PFs. Did he box out anyone?

Rozier was fast and seemed able to get by anyone, but made a lot of questionable decisions on offense and defense. Raw tools seem to be there.

Fair shouldn't shoot the ball so much. No one wants to see him.

Ralph Sampson III stinks. I know he didn't play, but when he's the only center on the Summer League roster, that's trouble.

[tarheelsxxiii]

Giving Fair significant minutes over anyone, including Hunter, is just plain stupid. Why showcase guys for other teams instead of developing our own players?