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Post by obf on Dec 13, 2017 14:28:43 GMT -8
Way to go, Stephen Thompson Jr! I was VERY critical and hard on Stevie to begin the year. It was legitimate criticism, during the first 7 games of the year, for the most part, Stevie shot very poorly, was a Turnover machine, was a black hole on offense and sieve on defense. He was not stepping up as a leader, was shrinking as the stage and pressure mounting, and IMHO was not responding well (at all?) to coaching. However, if I am going to dish it out when he is doing badly I am also going to give him praise when he is doing well... Stevie Thompson has been our MVP the last three games, without him we wouldn't have won any of them (well, maybe still Pine Bluff ), Well done Stevie! Stevies averages over the last three games: FG% | 3P% | Pts | Asists | Rebounds | 57 | 45 | 18.67 | 6.33 | 2.67 |
Critical Improvements that Stevie has made: Efficiency and Getting others involved. As evidenced by his FG% (and more importantly his 3P%) and his assists. Methinks the move to full time PG suits him very well! Is it just a hot streak? Was he just in a funk to start the year? Whatever it is, this level of play will be crucial if we want to win any Pac-12 games let alone try to find a postseason berth somewhere. Keep it up Stevie! Stevie will never be a lockdown defender so all of his value relies on these things, being efficient with his shot and getting other guys good looks as well.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2017 19:53:48 GMT -8
Way to go, Stephen Thompson Jr! I was VERY critical and hard on Stevie to begin the year. It was legitimate criticism, during the first 7 games of the year, for the most part, Stevie shot very poorly, was a Turnover machine, was a black hole on offense and sieve on defense. He was not stepping up as a leader, was shrinking as the stage and pressure mounting, and IMHO was not responding well (at all?) to coaching. However, if I am going to dish it out when he is doing badly I am also going to give him praise when he is doing well... Stevie Thompson has been our MVP the last three games, without him we wouldn't have won any of them (well, maybe still Pine Bluff ), Well done Stevie! Stevies averages over the last three games: FG% | 3P% | Pts | Asists | Rebounds | 57 | 45 | 18.67 | 6.33 | 2.67 |
Critical Improvements that Stevie has made: Efficiency and Getting others involved. As evidenced by his FG% (and more importantly his 3P%) and his assists. Methinks the move to full time PG suits him very well! Is it just a hot streak? Was he just in a funk to start the year? Whatever it is, this level of play will be crucial if we want to win any Pac-12 games let alone try to find a postseason berth somewhere. Keep it up Stevie! Stevie will possibly someday be a lockdown defender but now his value relies on these things, being efficient with his shot and getting other guys good looks as well.
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Post by obf on Dec 14, 2017 9:43:57 GMT -8
Stevie will possibly someday be a lockdown defender I would love if this was the case, but so far in his college career I haven't seen it or even the possibility... It isn't just the effort, either... i think he tries hard, I just don't think he has the lateral quickness and anticipation required. Sometimes hard work and practice can't overcome God Given (or Gary Payton given ) gifts... The hand eye, and more important, signal processing speed required for elite defensive players is just different than what is required for an elite offensive player... The initiator and aggressor gets the advantage of forethought and time, the defender is relying almost entirely on reaction and instinct... Improving your shuttle time may make you incrementally better, but there is no way to upgrade you "ram speed" so to speak... GP2 just sees and reacts to an opposing guards movements faster than his peers...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2017 10:27:49 GMT -8
I would love if this was the case, but so far in his college career I haven't seen it or even the possibility... It isn't just the effort, either... i think he tries hard, I just don't think he has the lateral quickness and anticipation required. Sometimes hard work and practice can't overcome God Given (or Gary Payton given ) gifts... The hand eye, and more important, signal processing speed required for elite defensive players is just different than what is required for an elite offensive player... The initiator and aggressor gets the advantage of forethought and time, the defender is relying almost entirely on reaction and instinct... Improving your shuttle time may make you incrementally better, but there is no way to upgrade you "ram speed" so to speak... GP2 just sees and reacts to an opposing guards movements faster than his peers... ok so you are comparing him to GP II. yeah that's fair.
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Post by obf on Dec 14, 2017 10:50:41 GMT -8
I would love if this was the case, but so far in his college career I haven't seen it or even the possibility... It isn't just the effort, either... i think he tries hard, I just don't think he has the lateral quickness and anticipation required. Sometimes hard work and practice can't overcome God Given (or Gary Payton given ) gifts... The hand eye, and more important, signal processing speed required for elite defensive players is just different than what is required for an elite offensive player... The initiator and aggressor gets the advantage of forethought and time, the defender is relying almost entirely on reaction and instinct... Improving your shuttle time may make you incrementally better, but there is no way to upgrade you "ram speed" so to speak... GP2 just sees and reacts to an opposing guards movements faster than his peers... ok so you are comparing him to GP II. yeah that's fair. I was using GP2 as an example to explain my thinking... Not as a standard that Stevie needs to aspire to, sorry if that wasn't clear. All I have is observations of Stevie playing, and I don't even see a majority of the games let alone all of them, but to my untrained eye Stevie doesn't have the reaction time to become even an average Pac-12 defensive guard, let alone "lock-down" (which was the standard you wanted to set). And really I was giving him an out... I am saying it ISN'T effort related, and ISN'T a practice/work harder issue, it is a physical cognitive issue that can only be very incrementally improved, thus the use of GP2 as an example of someone born with that super hair trigger reaction time response... All of which, as I said, is fine, lots and lots of fantastic, super star guards are much more offensive leaning than defensive... Just look at the Trail Blazers, no one will accuse Dame and CJ of being great defensive players, but they are still all-star, $20 mil a year players, all I was saying is that Stevie needs to bring the offensive value he has brought the last three games going forward because that's what this team and he needs to be successful going forward, both in terms of wins for the Beavers, and for Stevies future NBA hopes.
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