Free from Kemba, we are starting to defend like a Thibs team.
True.
Still, more than just defense.
Kemba had a tendency to dominate the ball, offensively.
RJ and Evan had a tendency to kind of camp out in the corners when Kemba was pounding the ball. And Julius was out of rhythm.
Now, RJ is initiating the offense, by going into attack mode, and drawing defenders going to the paint. It has resulted in him being way more in rhythm as a scorer.
Likewise, Evan getting better looks in rhythm via kick outs from RJ and Julius, and nice screens. And Evan is also initiating offense by attacking the rim. How many assists did he have against the Wiz?
And Julius, while still hit or miss from three, has been playing more muscle ball, which draws defenders, and can create kick out opportunities [and turnovers].
Another consequence of deleting Kemba, and our reliance on long threes and a camp out offense, is that because we are attacking the pain, we are getting a lot more rebounds.
We outrebounded the Wiz by an astounding amount, like 60-35 or something in that neighborhood.
Julius is being tasked less with initiating the offense, and more with drawing defenders and getting Annette Funicello's attention with his Muscle Beach Party.
Damn shame Cam Reddish got hurt. He was on a postive arc, and the current attack mode suited his game.
Still, Grimes came back, and McBride got some burn.
Anyway, a very serious test this evening. Gobert and Mitchell typically kill us.
Would like to see more offensive efficiency from RJ and JR. As hot as Fournier has been, they don't need to be taking 40+shots. Spread it around.
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