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Coaches, in general, don't trust rookies. Unless you Jordan, Shaq, etc. My guy, Quickley, was a leading scorer off the bench a couple weeks ago. Thibs still doesn't trust him as a whole although he has been giving him playing time. He'll start him if injuries dictate. For the most part, Ball, Quickley, Maxey, etc. are better off coming off the bench.
Ball is clearly the best rookie this season. Quickley, Maxey are good but there is a big gap between them and Ball. I have been a Lakers fan forever and I remember Magic Johnson and his rookie season. Not saying LeMelo is the next Magic although Kendrick Perkins said as much today. But some players come in ready to start. Ball is one of those. Magic was. Ball is a rookie but he played with pros in Australia. Without the one and done rules he could have been in the NBA last year.
Its actually perfect for the Hornets coach. Injuries gave him a change to start Ball. And Ball has been the best player on the team much of the time as a starter. He would be benching him only because he is a rookie. That makes zero sense. Most rookies should come off the bench. But most rookies don't get a triple double at the youngest age ever and then get 30+ point games and hit 7 3's in a game all in a short time. As a starter he is hitting 50% of his 3's. Plus Ball is creating a buzz for the team. You have to bench Graham at this point when he comes back. He is shooting 35% from the field, he has one good shooting night then 2 bad ones and Ball is putting up better points, rebounds, steals and assists and shooting better in 8 less minutes a game. Perhaps Graham gets shipped off later this year. I am a Lakers fan but in the east I am a Hornets fan. They are fun to watch. That end of the quarter pass touch pass Ball made that ended up in a bucket was amazing. You are not suppose to make 2 passes and then score full court with 1.6 seconds left like that.
Last edited by Oklazona Bound; 02-09-2021 at 08:58 PM..
They've done a lot better than I expected them too thus far but I'm still not entirely sold. Their perimeter defense isn't very good and Bismack Biyombo isn't the big man they need going forward.
Cody Zeller, Biz, PJ Washington and Bridges play in the front court. They can handle attack of many teams already. But of course they can't stop dominant centers like Embiid or Anthony Davis.
They can crush a lot of weak teams already, who don't have much chance to the playoffs. That means their performance is guaranteed and they are able to win games which should be won.
But for strong opponents, they are still struggling. They may steal some wins occasionally, but still are not on the same level generally speaking. The latest losses to Jazz and Spurs prove that.
Also injuries list is always not empty lately. They need to keep consistency and stay healthy. It's a very young team with a lot of potential to say the least. Third youngest in the whole nation.
They are actually in 1st place in their division. But that is with Atlanta and Miami playing worse than expected. If they make the playoffs with this roster they will go out in the 1st round.
^That's much better than before already. They have never been to the playoff for 5 yrs!
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