LivingLegend wrote:BlueKnickers wrote:NardDogNation wrote:martin wrote:Yep
We need a Kolek upgrade
So disappointed. Kid lost his confidence. Playing like crap lately. If he doesn't pull it together he'll be headed back to the bench
The Kolek point is off-base even if he's had a few poor games.
We have an ENTIRE front line (KAT/OG/Mikal) who can't function cleanly with the ball in their hands (piss poor handles all over the place) add in the fact that Deuce can't/doesn't create ANYTHING other than tough pull up jumpers and very tough running left-handed layups and we basically have a team that doesn't function properly. Throw in Mitch and his hands -- Jalen is mostly a scorer but you see how much he does when he's gone and lastly Josh who is often good but also often makes mind-numbing passes / decisions.
Been saying for 2-3 years -- we need some guards/wings who can walk/dribble/chew gum.
We're both right then, because while Kolek has been playing poorly in recent games he is also a traditional PG who thrives when his teammates know how to fill their spaces on the floor. Prior to this rough patch, Kolek made the correct pass 90% of the time which is great. It may be a simple pass, but the right one that keeps the rhythm going. With the team looking so FUBAR lately it is too much for Kolek to bring order to this mess. But Brunson wasn't either I should note.
This is becoming a coaching issue, because Brown started out on what I expected was the right foot. He emphasized quick decision making, moving the ball immediately, moving off the ball and finding the open man. And it worked. Our offense was often scorching. And that did mask early defensive deficiencies.
Brown trusted the veterans to execute without running set plays because with the right veterans those simple rules on offense should be enough. But this crew has lost the script and now they are settling for ISO and standing around watching as often as not. Not what I want to watch. I hated it under Thibs and I'll hate it under Brown if this continues for much longer.
So it's a coaching issue now, because the trust Brown gave to these veterans is being taken for granted and abused. They play sloppy and without focus as if the demands of the schedule have made them age prematurely.
Brunson is not quite the alpha we may be looking for after all. Clutch as he is, he is still first and foremost a gunslinger. He is otherwise a fairly stone-faced guy who may not be able to get guys like KAT on to the same page. And Hart is a lead by example leader, but maybe not a locker room lawyer. If he's off the court his impact is negated.
Bridges is a pacifist in the middle of a long brutal military campaign and while OG has outbursts where he does what he can to carry us he can be erratic and go along with bad play by his teammates. Neither are leaders.
KAT is a hot mess. I won't repeat what has been already said, but one thing for sure is he has no leadership abilities.
Because the team's veteran status has failed to produce leadership from within it now falls back on Brown to impose more structure. And that can blow up everything too. So this is going to be a rocky season.
Still, Kolek lost focus too and I expect more from him simply because his game is grounded in good fundamentals. He lost focus and has been making bad decisions he did not make earlier. He can fix that even if the team remains broken for now.
