Obviously this question will be better answered over the next 3 weeks, but we at least know more about this squad now than before the season started.
Going in I thought we would be heavily reliant on our offensive scoring to carry us past defensive and rebounding deficiencies. So far, our defense is carrying us past our offensive and rebounding deficiencies.
The good thing is our offense isn't bad and I think our offense will improve as the season progresses. Our shooting will not be this mediocre all year, and will average out somewhere close to last year's overall %. We are more dynamic with Arch, Brunson and Booth (plus Hart) as our main guards. It is clear though that having 3 capable PG's creates an incredible advantage. Not many teams can take out a player like Arch and be lead as good or better with a rookie PG in his place.
Defensively, I realize it is hard to make a clear-cut assessment of this squad given who we have played, but one thing that is clear is we are playing aggressive. We are getting a lot of turnovers and forcing teams to take shots with under 10 to go. The new shot clock helps us tremendously. This aggressiveness plays to our strengths, but it takes us out of position for rebounds at times. I think that is a fair trade-off. We could dial back and protect the paint and be in better position for rebounds, but we would give up more perimeter looks and generate less turnovers.
I concerned about big man depth, and it appears losing Delaney is harder on us than I expected. At the least he could play alongside either Ochefu or Reynolds for a few minutes to give additional beef but also some outside offense. Teams are going right after Ochefu, and it is taking its toll on him early. We miss JVP.
Bottom line, I am not sure how the rest of the season will go, but it is clear that we will play very hard on defense as always, and will live and die by what our guards and wings give us. Ochefu could give us 10 or 15 on some nights, but we will still need most of our production from our perimeter guys. We are much like the 2006 squad in many respects. We need to embrace it as fans. I still think we can beat every single team on our schedule. I am very curious to see how we handle the pressure of the OK game. VA I think will be MUCH easier for the mental state of our boys as we will be in a hostile environment. If we lose to OK, VA will be a game they will look at as something to prove to the doubters. If we beat OK, we go into VA with a ton of confidence. Either way I think OK is the swing game and sets the tone for the rest of the year.
Going in I thought we would be heavily reliant on our offensive scoring to carry us past defensive and rebounding deficiencies. So far, our defense is carrying us past our offensive and rebounding deficiencies.
The good thing is our offense isn't bad and I think our offense will improve as the season progresses. Our shooting will not be this mediocre all year, and will average out somewhere close to last year's overall %. We are more dynamic with Arch, Brunson and Booth (plus Hart) as our main guards. It is clear though that having 3 capable PG's creates an incredible advantage. Not many teams can take out a player like Arch and be lead as good or better with a rookie PG in his place.
Defensively, I realize it is hard to make a clear-cut assessment of this squad given who we have played, but one thing that is clear is we are playing aggressive. We are getting a lot of turnovers and forcing teams to take shots with under 10 to go. The new shot clock helps us tremendously. This aggressiveness plays to our strengths, but it takes us out of position for rebounds at times. I think that is a fair trade-off. We could dial back and protect the paint and be in better position for rebounds, but we would give up more perimeter looks and generate less turnovers.
I concerned about big man depth, and it appears losing Delaney is harder on us than I expected. At the least he could play alongside either Ochefu or Reynolds for a few minutes to give additional beef but also some outside offense. Teams are going right after Ochefu, and it is taking its toll on him early. We miss JVP.
Bottom line, I am not sure how the rest of the season will go, but it is clear that we will play very hard on defense as always, and will live and die by what our guards and wings give us. Ochefu could give us 10 or 15 on some nights, but we will still need most of our production from our perimeter guys. We are much like the 2006 squad in many respects. We need to embrace it as fans. I still think we can beat every single team on our schedule. I am very curious to see how we handle the pressure of the OK game. VA I think will be MUCH easier for the mental state of our boys as we will be in a hostile environment. If we lose to OK, VA will be a game they will look at as something to prove to the doubters. If we beat OK, we go into VA with a ton of confidence. Either way I think OK is the swing game and sets the tone for the rest of the year.
