And I'm not going to unload as hard on Brunson right now, but it would be a bad assumption to think he can elevate this team by himself. He's not that kind of guy. Being clutch is cool, but that is something entirely different and only useful if you have the full foundation in place to contend for a ring. He's not quite a leader that some people think he is. He's pretty much a SG playing PG and it does not always lead to an effective offense as a whole. He's not a plus defender so as long as he tries to play D I'm already inclined to give him a pass for that compared to the other starters. But our offensive chemistry is completely hit and miss with no consistency and often with zero cohesion. Part of it is how Brunson plays and some of it may be Brown not running plays for the other guys, especially KAT. That first half was a joke for KAT. How can he not be fed the PnR at least half a dozen times a game? If Brunson can't bring himself to make it happen, then Brown needs to make him do it.
24 assists is just not good enough against a great defense. That and getting out rebounder is a sure loss
We will struggle against the Pistons and OKC because we lost out toughness identity with Thibs. Maybe Brown can eventually figure out a new identity but that has always been the question with him - he can coach but things always go south sooner than later with him. And it doesn't help you have Brunson and KAT with poor offensive games while they give you so little defensively.
We should be #4 in a few days, and possibly #5 soon after that.
Last year we could blame injuries and needing to build chemistry.
This year we’re just showing what we are.
