1. Anthony Davis is among the elite players in the NBA, and not many people outside of New Orleans knows this, but he still has a ways to go. Tim Duncan and Lamarcus Aldridge both seem to be a lot stronger, more savvy, and to put it simply, meaner. There were instances where Davis seemed to be guarding them well, and seemed to be in good position against them in the low post, but yet, they seemed to be able to make baskets out of sheer will. I'm looking forward to seeing Anthony Davis dominate hot-shot big men in the NBA, but he isn't quite there yet. Those days are coming. He will be a great one.
2. I like that Monty finally inserted Ryan Anderson into the starting lineup, but many times, I've noticed him guarding the opposing team's best post player. Against the Clippers, he was usually defending Blake Griffin, which he did a good job doing, and against the Kings, he was the primary defender of Demarcus Cousins. The question I ask is, "Why?" Is Monty protecting Anthony? Does Monty feel like Anthony isn't ready for it? Does the defensive system simply call for the player playing Anderson's position to guard the player playing Cousins' and Griffin's position? I don't know.
3. As season progresses, I find myself loving Jrue Holiday's game progressively more. He doesn't have the flash that a lot of the more popular point guards have, but he is just as effective. To me, his game is rather quiet, and almost goes unnoticed. That's because he always seems to make the right decision, but doesn't look spectacular doing so. Last year, I found myself sighing in annoyance every time Greivis Vasquez dribbled, then hoisted a bricked shot without getting his teammates involved. I never feel that way when Jrue shoots. Every time he shoots, even in misses, I always feel like it's the right decision. I love his three point shot, and feel like he needs to shoot those more.
4. Eric Gordon needs to be more aggressive in the second half of games. He always seems to start games on a tear, driving to the basket, and making three pointers from the catch and shoot, and looks awesome doing so, but he seem to disappear in second halves. I would like to see him get more aggressive, and I would like to see him get the ball more, but I can understand why he doesn't, because many times, he is sharing the court in the second half with Tyreke Evans, which he doesn't do in the first half, and Tyreke needs his touches also, as does Jrue Holiday. In the second half of games, I would love to see more spot up threes from Gordon, off of Tyreke's dribble drives. Gordon is a fantastic shooter, and that aspect of his game is under utilized.
5. Again on Eric Gordon. Is it just me, or does he get screwed by the refs? Eric is so aggressive going to the hoop, and many times, he is absolutely mauled by defenders, but the refs rarely call fouls, so it seems to be rare to see him go to the line. Is it because he is shorter? I'm not exactly sure why, but it's an absolute travesty, because many times that can be the difference in a close game.
6. Brian Roberts is annoying. I can't explain it, but bad things happen, and the second team always seems to lose their lead when he is in the game as a point guard. I'll give it to him, we have seen significantly less of his "dribble-dribble-dribble-dribble-dribble-dribble-dribble-dribble-dribble-dribble-dribble, shoot (a mid range shot)" while other guys stand around. He deserves a small bit of credit for that. But still, he never seems to pass it to the right guy. And when he does, it does nothing to set them up for a decent shot, or does nothing to enable them to make a play. He is a poor defender, and it's never uncommon for an opposing point guard to simply blow by him for a basket. Brian Roberts is a solid contributer for a bad team, but should never be playing on a good team.
I just don't understand why Monty Williams likes Brian Roberts so much. I acknowledge that Austin Rivers is not as much of a scoring threat, but at least, he would get out of the way on offense, and allow Tyreke, Ryan Anderson, Jason Smith, and Anthony Morrow do their things. At least Austin Rivers is capable of guarding somebody at an acceptable level. The second team offense seems better able to hold leads when Austin Rivers is in the game, instead of Brian Roberts.
7. I like Alexis Ajinca. He just needs to foul less. I like his passing from the low post. He snags a lot of rebounds. Unlike Steimsma, he is actually capable of making a basket when he has the ball in his hands, so that's already a significant upgrade. If Steimsa gets minutes when he is healthy again, somethings wrong.
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