Preseason Game # 2 Reactions

[ChillyWilly]

Hayward is a notoriously slow starter. Kind of how some great baseball players are terrible in April just one of those things.

[playdream]

1.Larkin is horrible this game, uncontrolled and over dribble, almost lost the game for us shouldn't shoot that much if you can't make it(even when you are open) , and he is also a huge liability on defense, worse than IT, if he keep playing this way he won't get any mins

2.Nader is physical limited especially against athleltic defender but he has the attacker mentality, he will have a role on the bench, how big is upon to his work ethic

3.Semi didn't have many opportunity to show himself cuz Yabu is eating the mins for good reason, still shows he is a better scorer than Yabu while Yabu is a better rebounder and more active

4.Irving's O needs nothing to say, and he isn't a liability on D which is HUGE, once he is comfortable running the team he should put more energy on D or at least when it matters

5.Tatum's defense is surprisingly good, Simmons(and anybody else) can't do nothing against him, plus the rebounding...just keep him healthy and he will have 25+ mins this year

6.Theis will be our jerebko 2.0, which means plenty of mins from the bench

7.Brown is good, still a long way from "break out" (it's Smart's turn this year, very bright future), right now he is like Butler, a threat near the glass and shoot open shots plus good defense, not much more



Tatum's ankle is the only thing that bothers me but he is light on his feet and young so it shouldn't be a big thing

[Csfan1984]

I thought I'd go different with reactions.

PG
Irving +
Rozier =
Larkin -

SG
Brown =
Smart +
Nader -

SF
Hayward +
Tatum =
Semi -

PF
Horford +
Yab =


C
Baynes +
Theis =

[jpotter33]

Hayward is a notoriously slow starter. Kind of how some great baseball players are terrible in April just one of those things.

We should also not forget that he's now in a COMPLETELY different system, one that's going to benefit his style of play much more. IIRC, Utah was the slowest paced team in the league, where these first two preseason games we've looked like the old Phoenix "7 seconds or less" teams offensively and want to push the ball each possession. That's a big change to get used to.

[slamtheking]

takeaways from game 2:
- Larkin looked as unimpressive this game as he looked impressive in game 1
- Nader killed them.  too focused on himself and not team ball.  ready to move on to another option.
- Yabu and Semi need at least another year to get to a point where they might make a contribution.  Won't expect anything from them this year.
- Theis is a solid pickup.
- Tatum looked good.  real good.
- Brown is getting better.  should be a solid player this year.  could really break out next year
- Smart is justifying my man-crush on him since we drafted him.  if he keeps this offensive skill going the people who've been pining for Randle can finally be told to give it a rest.
- Baynes - my new man crush.  I won't be checking him out in the shower like Tommy did but I really lie what Baynes does when he's on the court

[nebist]

We do realize 20 year olds are not finished products as players and can, you know, actually improve, right?

[PhoSita]

- Lineups featuring Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are fun. 

- Marcus Smart looks legitimately improved as a shooter and overall as an offensive player.  But, it's preseason.

- Kyrie, Horford, and Hayward look like as expected, though they already appear to have some chemistry

- Baynes is a nice addition, though not somebody we want playing more than 18-20 mpg

- Guerschon Yabusele is about 50 pounds and a much quicker release on his jumper from being an NBA player.

- Terry Rozier looks ready to be a regular contributor.  I've had my doubts about him as a 1st round prospect, but this might be the year he turns into a reliable piece.

- Larkin, Nader, Semi, Theis ... these appear to be standard end of bench fare.

[Eddie20]

We do realize 20 year olds are not finished products as players and can, you know, actually improve, right?

Who are you referring to? Semi will be 23 in December and Nader is already 24 (1 year younger than Kyrie).

[PhoSita]

Missed this one too unfortunately.

Any impressions on Philly?

Redick and Amir will help them win games, or come closer to it.  Both valuable vets that know their role.

McConnel is the same - a perfectly fine 10-15 minute point guard who does point guard things.

Simmons is fun in the open court but he has work to do before he can be a good halfcourt player.

Okafor is NOT a lost cause.  Yes, he still stinks on defense, but he's got uncommon size and skill.  He's persona-non-grata in Philly but I hope he catches on somewhere.  He can help somebody off the bench.

Covington is a guy I'd be fine having off the bench as a 3/4 for 20 minutes or so.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Bayless is Bayless ... a score-first veteran who helps you score points and not much else.

Nobody else really made an impression for me.

[Darío SpanishFan]

We can't expect our 13th and 14th rotation guys to be stars.

We can't expect 2nd round rookies to be prepared to be in the rotation. Many people chosen there don't even make an NBA roster.

Only preseason.

Calm down.

[OhioGreen]

Couldn't watch game last pm--have it recorded, but fans have to remember that one of the 9-14 guys on this team, IMO, would do fine paired with four starters/veterans.  They look much worse in congregate with four other end of the bench players/rookies!  Add in playing against opponents who have the same kind of squad on the floor makes things alot more helter skelter and disorganized.  I think a guy like Theis would make a great option for the starting lineup!  Switch him and Baynes, and I believe the transition would be flawless.(not suggesting this, cause Baynes has been good!)  Just saying(besides it being only TWO preseason games), cut these newer guys some slack.  I think they'll all be fine and grow with this young team into a real complimentary squad!

[tstorey_97]

The ONLY pre season hype/observation that matters:

Baynes 17 MPG -- 5 RPG -- 11 PPG

Early NBA MVP candidate. You can see Steven's effect on this guy already. We're going to swap him straight up for Davis at the deadline.
We just have to get this guy enough shots to eclipse McHale's records.

Take the ball away from Irving and Hayward and get Aron Baynes popping at 17 feet...he's quite simply, unstoppable.

[Snakehead]

Missed this one too unfortunately.

Any impressions on Philly?

Simmons is fun in the open court but he has work to do before he can be a good halfcourt player.

Okafor is NOT a lost cause.  Yes, he still stinks on defense, but he's got uncommon size and skill.  He's persona-non-grata in Philly but I hope he catches on somewhere.  He can help somebody off the bench.

Agreed with those.  Simmons can't really be a PG right now (a lot of forwards who can pass get overhyped like this, especially coming out) but in the open court he really moves and he makes some nice passes.  He has vision and did make a nice drop off pass to the post at one point, as well as a pass out to shooter one handed on the break I thought was nice as well.  Hopefully they can just let him play in the flow of the game because I can see him being a playmaker maybe like a Lamar Odom in that way.  He just can't shoot a jumper at all so he is limited until he finds other ways to score.

Okafor I like off the bench for a team.  He slimmed down and looked better getting up and down the floor.  People love to preach small ball but there's still value in a guy like that.  He knows how to score the ball and I saw him hit a nice long 2 as well (not that it's an ideal shot, but it shows he can score from a lot of spots for a big man).

[Alleyoopster]

Missed this one too unfortunately.

Any impressions on Philly?

Redick and Amir will help them win games, or come closer to it.  Both valuable vets that know their role.

McConnel is the same - a perfectly fine 10-15 minute point guard who does point guard things.

Simmons is fun in the open court but he has work to do before he can be a good halfcourt player.

Okafor is NOT a lost cause.  Yes, he still stinks on defense, but he's got uncommon size and skill.  He's persona-non-grata in Philly but I hope he catches on somewhere.  He can help somebody off the bench.

Covington is a guy I'd be fine having off the bench as a 3/4 for 20 minutes or so.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Bayless is Bayless ... a score-first veteran who helps you score points and not much else.

Nobody else really made an impression for me.

Overall, they look pretty good especially with two or three of their starters on the bench.

If I'm a Philly fan my biggest impression would be Embiid still on the sideline before the season  begins. He's like owning a Lamborghini and not being able to drive it because it spends almost 90% of the time in the shop. It runs great once on the road, but if you have to go back and forth to work everyday, it can be a frustrating experience.

My guess is they are hoping they can get him playing most of the first half of the season and then trade him for an impact player or a high draft pick. Signing him to a long term $200 million contract would be suicidal....at least in my opinion.

Chances are they'll stick with him during his option year because of his 'potential' and wide fan appeal. I would consider dumping him if I could get a top ten pick in return.

Or, if they keep stock piling number one picks, eventually they'll be able to make the playoffs without him. Then, they might consider just playing him just during a playoff run. Might be an idea worth considering. They'd have to check with Hinkie first to make sure it's part of the Process.

MIGHT also be concerned about Fultz's health. He missed the last part of his college season. Injured during the preseason and out again at the start of the preseason. I gather he'll be playing on Monday. So, maybe the latest injury is a non-factor? 

Other thoughts...Sessions is the real deal....great shooter. Always liked him. Although, I believe he was out much of last year too... I could be wrong? Will he last the year? Simmons was out all of last year too. Will he hold up?  Amir's feet...omg. Am I missing anybody?

Emika Okafor looked good too....for a player out of the league for 4 years or so. He moves well and has a high motor. May be a good find for this team sans his foul shooting. If he's healthy enough to stick, he might prove to be more valuable than the last 4 bench players on the Celtics combined.

[Alleyoopster]

1.Larkin is horrible this game, uncontrolled and over dribble, almost lost the game for us shouldn't shoot that much if you can't make it(even when you are open) , and he is also a huge liability on defense, worse than IT, if he keep playing this way he won't get any mins

2.Nader is physical limited especially against athleltic defender but he has the attacker mentality, he will have a role on the bench, how big is upon to his work ethic

3.Semi didn't have many opportunity to show himself cuz Yabu is eating the mins for good reason, still shows he is a better scorer than Yabu while Yabu is a better rebounder and more active

4.Irving's O needs nothing to say, and he isn't a liability on D which is HUGE, once he is comfortable running the team he should put more energy on D or at least when it matters

5.Tatum's defense is surprisingly good, Simmons(and anybody else) can't do nothing against him, plus the rebounding...just keep him healthy and he will have 25+ mins this year

6.Theis will be our jerebko 2.0, which means plenty of mins from the bench

7.Brown is good, still a long way from "break out" (it's Smart's turn this year, very bright future), right now he is like Butler, a threat near the glass and shoot open shots plus good defense, not much more


Tatum's ankle is the only thing that bothers me but he is light on his feet and young so it shouldn't be a big thing

Watched the last quarter of Friday night's game again. Hadn't noticed that Semi gets to the hoop quite efficiently. I believe he missed two of three shots in close. To get those types of shots isn't easy. His misses may have been due to rookie nerves. His defense is decent too. Wouldn't discount him yet.