Pretty much what I've been saying all offseason - making the 3 at a higher rate forces defenses to honor that rather than backing off and inviting it. He can get by defenders or create enough space to make a play when they try to put the pressure on. Not making those shots, defenders can back off and it's much more difficult to drive. I do believe that taking / making more mid range is also critical .... as is making better decisions on when to take that middie or go all the way to the rim.
@Verbal Christ (post # 6150) And that's with Jalen getting off to a slow start and short arming a couple of shots.
Didnt catch the game, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that 25% is not an ideal shooting percentage.
I missed the 1st quarter where he was 0-5 but he looked great in the 2nd. Looked very smooth in sets and seemingly took the right shots/reads. Had an end of half turnover where OKC sent a triple team to take the ball out of his hand, which is something he has to get better at recognizing and passing out of. 3rd quarter i think he took the correct shots just missed them. Defense looked decent again but i seen him staring at the backboard on shots more then id like instead of boxing out or going and getting it. Didnt feel like a bad game but didnt feel great.
9 of his 12 shots were 3-pointers and the Thunder are pretty good. Packed the paint while still being able to run the shooters off the 3. They give up that mid range which is the least efficient shot. Smart team. Cam Whitmore was 1 - 6 from 3 and took 10 shots total.
I'll try to watch a replay at some point, but the interwebs are saying OKC has the best defense in the NBA and that they blitzed Jalen and doubled Sengun and we did not have an answer. Appears Udoka is also being cross examined compared to the OKC coach who was running great play after great play while we just resorted to AAU ball from the half court and rarely even looked to run. No SteveO or Freddy played a role. Shot making is one of those things however that dont really need much context they either go in or out. 9 out of 12 shots from the 3pt line is not the formula for success in my opinion.
Agree with this assessment. Oklahoma is an elite defensive team and have Jalen and SGA who are both exceptional offensive players. They will be the no. 1 seed again this year barring injuries. Jalen Green has to have better awareness to get rid of the ball when double teamed. Our season really depends on Jalen taking the next step. I’m not making any pronouncements after 2 pre-season games where the only consistent plus for the team was Sengun’s offense and Amen’s defense. I’m hoping Ime settles quickly into who is in the rotation so that they can get some offensive cohesion before the start of the season. It is going to be a real dog fight to make the playoffs. I still see this season as a development season, but by the second half we need to have a pretty good understanding of who are the keepers.
Totally agree. Silly to sit back and hope Jalen Green becomes something he's never promised to be. He's not close to being an excellent shooter. From the day we drafted him, he was supposed to be the guy that gets to the rim. The idea that he is good when shooting well is completely backwards. Jalen Green plays well when you get people out of the way because he then just needs to beat his own man to get 2 points. All the C's and the guys who want to be in dunkers spot and the mediocre midrange people need to move out. Steven Adams can't shoot but he GETS IT. He tackles Jalen's defender and gets the F out of driving paths. I thought we would need a stretch 5 but actually maybe we just need someone who gets it. When you at least semi-clear the paint, you are removing his biggest obstacle (matching strength of big men in the paint and in the air). When it comes to beating his perimeter defender he is elite. He can beat pretty much anyone his height or taller. MDA would know exactly how to take advantage of a massive mismatch. This is how it has always been when he shows out including that stretch in the first preseason game: 1) Paint is clear and spacious, he drives relentlessly against a hopeless perimeter defender like Lou Dort. 2) They have to double team or sag off because you just can't keep up with him or recover in time. 3) Now he can take shots near the 3PT line without effort and he hit over 38% of those last season. Not when he's 6+ feet open from 30 feet out. Straight up and down at the 3PT line. 4) The only way this has ever been stopped is to double team him early and aggressively. At the very end of last season, he got better at passing off quickly but still needs work. So instead of asking a non-shooter to be a good shooter, take advantage of what he's elite at. The shooting will work as a counter-move. It will never be his go-to. Counter moves have no impact of your own teammates are in your way for your primary move. The other team will just let you keep driving into a crowded paint or take a 3 many feet away from the 3PT line. Also we have to run first. There's absolutely no urgency to run the Sengun/FVV PnR. Give them the last 15 seconds of the clock. Let this team ATTACK FAST in the first 5-10 seconds on every play. If it doesn't work, go to halfcourt play. Don't want to judge too early because the guys are still getting in game shape and we haven't played serious starter minutes yet. We may have to reduce the overlap between Sengun/Jalen. Maybe Jalen can spend more minutes with second unit. I'd love to see him out there with these guys: Adams Tari Whitmore or Mcveigh (whoever is better defender) Green Sheppard Really looking forward to next 2 preseason games. I want to see if Udoka has done some homework. He can't have 3 consecutive seasons of not understanding the offense for half a season.
They definitely blitzed a lot and it was something we struggled with. 9 out of 12 shots isnt the diet i want to see but ultimately of that's what the defense give him he has to take it. Just make more
Only part of Reed Sheppard's game that looked good to me was his work in the mid range. Which is even worse chances for success than living at the 3-point line statistically speaking. I can say Jalen Green works best with Steven Adams screens. Probably everyone else as well.
Like @Hemingway said before you its up to Jalen to have that awareness. I hate it when he starts games jacking up 3's. HATE IT. He's not that type of guy. He needs to see the ball go in a few times and build up that confidence. We should do a better job of getting him easy buckets and have some set plays perfected to get him free using motion and picks vs just giving him the ball and having everyone else watch what happens. I would like to believe Udoka is just doing what every other coach in every other sport does during preseason games and that is stay vanilla and like you mentioned use it as conditioning. If the blueprint to defend us is going to be to rush Jalen and double Sengun then there needs to be a 3rd scorer on the floor with them.
Thanks finally somebody that is being realistic about Sheppard. He needs to be Curry good at 3 pt shots (with great range) to become a lead guard. I hope he proves me wrong and 2 pre-season games isn’t really a very good measuring stick for any of our players, but I don’t see him with a significant role this year unless he becomes very prolific at deep threes.
Jalen was never touted to be a good outside shooter. He's competent, but needs to work up a lather and get into the swing of a game before he starts launching them. He's a natural scorer, but needs some space and lanes to work counters and get some buckets between zones. Once he gets hot they start to drop, but if he's clanking off the jump then it tends to be a rough game.
Green still struggles off the ball and in decision making......and his shot making is spotty....He has until Trade deadline but I would bet my house the Rox will trade him if he isn't a lot better by December. And I think if the decision had to be made today, he would be gone. There is no way in god's green earth he is a number 1 option..... DD
Best part of the game last night was Sengun going 11/12 from free throw line. If he's going to be doubled nightly he MUST make his free throws. Your desire to rid the team of Jalen notwithstanding a non shooting Sengun will only take this team so far.
We’ll always have a massive coaching disadvantage against okc, he’s probably the best in the league at this point
