3rd Quarter Collapse

With Fultz having dramatically improved his FT% and mid range game since leaving Philly, I’m hoping that it’s just a matter of time before his 3 point shot improves as well. The turnovers are a rookie-season guard issue imo. He’ll get better with taking care of the ball as he matures.

Here’s what I disagree with in regards to Bamba: In players that have played 50 or more minutes, Bamba ranks 6th in block %. When Bamba is off the court, we give up a eFG% of almost 53%, rather than the eFG of 48.7% given up when Bamba is on the court. Our steal percentage is up by 0.8% and our block percentage is up by 2.1% when Bamba is on the floor. The opposing team’s offensive rating catapaults by 5.3 points when Bamba isn’t on the floor. While there’s some questions about foul rate and his ability to transfer his defensive ability with more minutes, inside of his role, I would make the argument that Bamba is already a very good, and possibly elite defensive center. While I agree that Bamba’s game isn’t aesthetically pleasing, at all, I think he’s on the path he should be on. He’s showing his defensive value within his bench role while also improving upon his offensive contributions. All of Bamba’s points should be either three pointers or close range dunks, and that’s what he’s doing. You’d like him to shoot better— I don’t like attributing a 10 game sample on shooting since it lends itself towards recency bias, but you’d like for his 32.4 three point FG% to climb up into the 35-36 % range ideally— but overall, as his shot develops, this is the role where Bamba ought to be. I understand the criticism of Bamba; as TMF says, he looks like a baby giraffe on the court lol. However, he’s shown me enough to where I’m not so willing to part with the end goal line up of Fultz-scoring SG-Okeke-Isaac-Bamba. The defense is there, the shot and strength down low will come with time, and with his ability to alter shots, that’s all I really need to consider him valuable enough to not include him in trade packages.

Fultz has had some bad turnovers tonight, but Ross has to pressure Booker. Not sure why he was trying to get Fournier on him considering the scenario.

Bamba has had a few mismatches with smaller players that Fournier and Maggette either didn’t notice or ignored. It’s Bamba, so it could end horribly, but I would’ve liked to see us use Bamba more in this depleted bench unit.

Offense for the starters looking sloppy. Rubio’s has had a couple nice steals off of Fultz, but it there’s been some passes into no mans land as well. Gotta clean it up.

Starting. I think he’ll be starting in 1 and 1/2 to two years, but that’s just me projecting his development.

He’s never going to be an offensive asset, but I think he’s capable of being a baby Gobert with a three point shot. He’s still a year away in terms of processing the game at an NBA speed, but he already alters a ton of shots and you can see development from the start of the season to now. Don’t know about elite, but I think he’s going to be a great fit for our team with Isaac and Fultz

Outside of Fultz, the whole team has been pretty bad.

Would be nice to have this game in order to pull ourselves out of the 8th seed. Also a game we should just straight up be able to win with Levert ruled out and Irving still dealing with his shoulder, but who knows with this team.

Fournier’s shooting has been really off

They were missing Winslow and Waiters, and were playing on the back end of a back to back, so they weren’t at full strength. Still, I don’t think that takes too much away from the performance of the team. Hopefully this serves as a catalyst for some consistently good play. Tankathon has Miami with the 4th easiest remaining strength of schedule, so I think they’re a legit top four seed.

Spacing. I feel like Bamba’s outside shooting is more preferable to the difference in mobility between Birch and Bamba. It feels like it’s often 4 v 5 when Birch is on the court, while Bamba’s shot stretches the defense. I also don’t think Birch is all that much more quick than Bamba, but that’s just my eye test; you could be right since I haven’t been paying too much attention to the difference in foot speed between Khem and Mo.

I’m hoping that it’s because of Bamba’s minute restriction. If it isn’t, I just straight up disagree with Clifford lol

DJ is too bad for Clifford to ride him for so long. He consistently plays him for a long stretch from around the 6 minute mark in the third to around the 4 minute mark in the 4th and I can’t understand why. His defense is bad and he’s shooting under 40% from the field

If we went all out and played our starters 40 minutes, I think it’s possible. With the way Clifford is coaching? It’d take a close to perfect game.

Eh, the Nets have the 4th hardest schedule remaining. There’s a solid chance we could jump into the 7th seed down the line.

I don’t know if there’s a front office mandate to keep the minutes below 35 for the starters, but we need to change the rotation. There shouldn’t be a minute where one of Fultz, Fournier or Vucevic isn’t on the court with the bench unit; the offense just isn’t there without one of them to keep a steady hand.

Birch is bad

Solid job to not let Milwaukee run away with the game early. Good to see Gordon have some success early as well

We also have a whole sample size of games this season where he started and didn’t play up to the level that he showed in the 2nd half of last season, and was arguably outplayed by Bamba throughout the entirety of that stretch where Birch played starting minutes. Seeing how that sample of games is more recent, I think it makes sense to use those games rather than going all the way back to last year.

Feels like a whole quarter has been played in these last two minutes

Coming off of a 1-6 stretch, I don’t get how we can come out this lethargic. It’s a close game, but jeez, we kind of need this win.

Let Isaac and Fultz develop, hope Bamba develops into a starting caliber center that can take over for Vuc, transition into a high pace, defensively elite team centered around Fultz-Isaac-scoring wing. Right now, we’re stuck in purgatory with Vuc and Fournier but getting playoff experience has value

Even after this disastrous road trip, we’re still in the 8th seed. I know it’s not where we want to be, especially with Milwaukee looming in the 1st seed, but there’s worst places to be in December.

We can criticize the offense— it’s certainly worthy of criticism— but this team isn’t going to win giving up 57 on a half. The defense has been going downhill the past month and isn’t even top 10 in defensive rating. If we’re going to turn it around, it’s going to be when this team remembers it’s identity and plays defense like it has to.