I’m thinks chatman needs to be Irvin’s backup at the 3 next year. He doesn’t handle physical play all that well. I agree, Wagner could be much better than he is right now if his leash was longer. The way beilein talked him up last summer I’m not sure why he has been cut off. The guys in front of him are not that much better than him AT ALL. dj and wagners upside is higher the donnal Doyle imo
Have to disagree here, Irvin downright awful on defense whether it be the post, perimeter or rotation duty…he’s simply a poor defender.
The post is somewhat understandable because of the size issue but Zak fails to push the opponent outside the paint/or gain position. Perimeter D is just horrid, guys blow past him at will on straight line drives all the time. He blows backside rotations frequently as well.
His rebounding is acceptable al things considered based o lack of size…but he is simply too challenge athletically to be a good perimeter defender and lack the motor to make good rotations
You think he’s done poorly doenlow? I’ve been ok with his post d. Outside I agree. But I felt he’s done solid downlow
Even when Wagner misses his foot work and moves look great. I feel like he should have been getting Doyle’s minutes. I believe he would have developed into a nice low post scorer and a weapon had he been given a chance.
Horrendous…once the ball enters the paint you can chalk up 2. Needs to do much better fighting for position because he lacks the size and athleticism to deter shots
He doesn’t have the size to play post d. You guys have to see that. He is a 2/3. He is nowhere near a 4 but chatman has failed. If you guys remember chatman started his first career game at the 4. He is supposed to be that guy. Irvin is kind of forced to play it right now. Although I’d like to see Wagner n dj out there more, beilein doesn’t I guess.
Our interior d has been weak but there hasn’t been s ton of games where I felt we got destroyed on the block or on put backs. I’ve felt like it’s been more that guards get to the rim with ease and no one there to alter their shot. We haven’t done well on the block but I figured we’d struggle as usual being undersized. I’ve been more upset that Irvin hasn’t made the big men pay on offense to even out the disadvantage,
Chatman has been b playing solid. He should get all of dakichs minutes along with the five we’ve been giving him. Him and wagner should both get 10-15 a game. He’s given us a mini spark ibgbink he deserves a chance to show us more.
I agree. Chatman comes in and plays well and then 2 minutes later gets taken out. It makes no sense. I want him in more for Robinson. Chatman plays good d too. We are starting to see the tools he possesses
I agree with your assessment for the most part, but I don’t question his motor/effort (can’t tell if you equate motor to effort or not). I think he fights pretty hard to gain position - several times a possession - but he eventually loses that fight because he’s just overmatched. I think we’re in agreement, a spade is a spade, and Zak is minus-defender no matter the position he’s guarding.
I agree that he has battled for position once the ball is swung to his side…but that’s far too late when facing a size mismatch. Zak has to beat the opposing 4 to the spot while running down the court and impede progress…he does a poor job in that regard
IMO Irvin has been a major disappointment in terms of perimeter defense! Hasn’t really been much better inside. Some of this may have to do with the injury but he just cannot stay in front of anyone. He has very little lateral movement and it shows up every game.
And to stay on topic, I believe MAAR, along with Walton , are by far the best perimeter defenders.
Well this has gone a long way since I last posted.
Finally, someone acknowledges his shot selection. There’s no way that he isnt aware of how inefficient the 2pt jumper is. Even if he isnt the best rim-finisher, every attempted layup (or 3pt jumper, for that matter) is a more efficient shot than an 18 ft jumper.
This point might be irrelevant if you think Zak is terrible at all facets of defense, but is anyone else surprised that Duncan hasnt spent time guarding the opponent’s 4? Duncan is even slower than Zak and has an extra 2 inches on him. Maybe practice reps have shown that Duncan would be an even bigger liability on post defense. Regardless, between film and practice, the staff must feel that Zak guarding the 4 is the best option we have. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but everyone, including JB, has acknowledged that he isnt ‘meant’ to be playing that kind of defense.
I’d rather him take 10 3s a game than 20ft jumpers. I understand the back is probably affecting his attacking the rim but mud range for an inconsistent shooter isn’t the answer. Get close to the rim and shoot the ball. I love Irvin but he just doesn’t look right at all. Hopefully this offseason he can get in better shape and gain some athleticism. Also, he may just not want it. He did decide to go home for thecsummervinstead of working out with his teammates. Still have no idea about that decision but I’m guessing that’s why he doesn’t look any better either.
I bet the impending surgery played into him not staying for the summer. But I agree, his mechanics and fluidity dont look the same as last year, in more areas than just his shot. It just seems like the surgery doesnt explain his shot selection. It also isn’t like JB to let it continue for so long. Any midrange game in JB’s offense has always been off of curls, not pulling up after the pick has been set on a high ball screen(Trey, maybe being the lone exception). Hopefully an offseason of recovering and lifting/conditioning will be enough to get him confidently attacking the rim. But I think itll take coaching for him to fix the shot selection.
He hurt himself during the summer while he was at home I believe. I’m not 100% sure though.
Tonight’s game at Wisconsin was further proof of why we should avoid creating the narrative that next year’s leaders will be Irvin and Walton. MAAR had a quiet game offensively as he again deferred to the “leaders” who launched a barrage of off-balance mid-range jumpers. Meanwhile, Irvin turned the ball over 5 times and Walton chucked a lot of bricks. If the team has any hope of being competitive going forward it will be by foregrounding MAAR’s ability to create. If MAAR had been the focal point of the offense, the result would have been better IMO. Maybe not a win, but better.
I still get the sense that MAAR is in the lineup as Caris’ replacement rather than a card-carrying starter. Even if Caris was 100% I would start MAAR at the 2 (alongside Caris) ) to maximize our playmakers.
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