I think reminding myself that this team is going to be frustrating to watch…and that we have multiple players playing out of their comfort zones…is probably something I need to regularly do.
And then look for improvements as the season progresses. I’m focusing a lot on how poor our perimeter defense is, it’s a hot button for me. And I’m sure that’s causing me to miss other important improvements.
Mack played better today. Looked different. If he had looked like this in game 1, I think the questions on his ratings would be limited.
Kelel, as good as he’s been, is improving. His position defensively, and on the boards is getting better, namely.
Kaleb continues to show signs of solid play. Which, if that continues, will be a good sign of improved consistency.
I think the ship has sailed, this year, for Woody to open things up and play more outside/in, offensively. I wish he had forced that more this year. But I think if he had, we may have more than 1 loss… I just think our style markedly changing, this year, was more important than a few more wins. But again, obviously not going to happen. And even less likely if X is out for any extended time.
Back to my hot button…it remains a huge concern to me. There have been signs of improvements the last 3 games. But man, there’s still some really crappy stretches too. I think having a solid perimeter defense, in this day and age, is probably the single most important thing a coach could work on. But maybe Woody has different thoughts on that…and doesn’t feel the need to focus on it as much?? I actually hope that’s true, because if he is focusing on it…well, that means he’s not great at teaching/coaching it.
All in all, we are getting better. We’ll find out in the next 4 games where that puts us against elite competition.
