How can we improve it? Look at what happened tonight: Our two starting guards (Jalen and Fred) went 1-15, the rest of the team 7-17, for a total of 8-32 (24 points). Meanwhile, the Blazers shot 18-44 from three (54 points). I mean, I'm happy if we have great defense and all, but that's a 30-point difference you have to overcome. We have the fourth worst 3-point percentage in the league, and that is with Alpi often kicking out the ball for wide open shots. Weren't we told that Ben Sullivan was this 3-point shooting guru? Why isn't Reed Sheppard playing more? Might it be worth giving Cam more run? He was pretty good at some point last season. Or play Aaron Holiday more minutes instead of Jalen. If nothing else helps, try to trade for some better 3-point shooters, even Garry Bird or someone.
Well the 2 guys who shoot the most have one guy who can’t shoot and one guy who has sucked from 3 this season, it’s pretty simple.
Reed, Holiday, and eventually Cam need more run. Second night of a back to back tonight. I thought Ime would at least give Holiday some burn. We can't pass up open 3's. So we either hope that our shooters improve, or hope for a trade that brings in a shooter. Tari has an off game and we lose to the Blazers. We can't keep depending on he and Amen to save our offense by getting second chance opportunities. This has to be rock bottom in terms of the collective shooting for this team. That's the only silver lining here. No where to go but up.
Green and Sengun and VF and Brooks and Smith need to make more of them in the half-court offense. It's not that complicated, they either do or they don't
Cleveland has made about 60 more, on very similar volume. That's 10 points more per game we have to make up, by "grinding it out on defense". Life would be so much easier if we could shoot threes better.
Upgrades are needed at multiple positions and I’m afraid we’re not getting any this year. We’ll have to suffer through these ups and downs (again) the entire season. Felt like Amen settled in around late December last year. If Reed can do the same, we might have a chance for internal solution. Cam and Aaron require honourable mention as well. The more we rely on Jalen’s 3 point, the more frustrated we will get.
On an average game basis I think FVV will be ok, he can impact the game in other ways. Jalen has always been both the problem and the answer with his shooting. I don't see a trade happening that significantly helps our outside shooting unless it's a big name that will move Jalen out of the starting lineup. I think that's unlikely. But, we shouldn't be moving assets for players that will take minutes away from our young perimeter guys on the bench (Amen/Reed/Tari/Cam). I don't wanna see some middling bench 3pt shooter come in and stunt the growth of our core guys. I'd honestly rather just lose the games. We're ahead of schedule sitting at 3rd in the West. In the short term the only answer is more Aaron Holiday. He's been great all year. The only reason he isn't playing more is that we're developing Reed - which I'm ok with, we just have to accept the impact of that. Reed is the answer in the future, just not right now. Great 3pt shooters actually shoot. Even if you doubled Reeds minutes and he was playing more than Tari you would get a wopping extra 0.8 3s a game. I've been against him playing in the gleague because he's so much better than that but I'm starting think he needs to go down there just to learn how to get shots up as a pro. If he's waiting for the perfect look, he's never gonna get it at this level. He needs to learn to take the shots that maybe he would have passed on in college. I personally wouldn't expect a massive change in this space until the summer. Jalen is hard to move until then and I think the only other position considered non core is backup center.
What is it you do here, Sullivan? Hehe, that's like blaming the hitting coach. Just remembering how excited we were when Ime got him on board. Amen is at 30% so that's good.
Spida is a different animal. He has OCD with a great work ethic, specially in the offseason. Our culture doesn't demand that, the culture is set by your best player.
Whitmore has underdeveloped brain. He’s not fit to participate in activities that require working within a group. I remember watching a clip on Youtube about a guy with Down syndrome who became a lawyer. Cam achieved something as significant as that guy did by simply getting drafted, but expecting more from someone who suffers from r****dation is cruel. I’m not saying we as a society should leave them behind. Just keep him on the bench, give him a towel, and make him wipe the others’ sweat. It'll make him happy.
Addressing the 3 point shooting is a valid criticism but this is a disingenuous argument. Why people hold the shield up for him is mind-boggling to me. It's even worse than the KJ Martin shield. That guy was terrible and people just heartbubbles over it anyway. I don't get it. Cam played himself out of the league. That's your answer? The guy who refuses to play defense, stands in the way at the top of the key and shoots every shot at the rec league ass level he's at right now?
Jalen and Jabri are the worst culprits. Fred and Dillon are working their way back up, would be good and Jalen and Jabari followed suit.
