martin wrote:Did not expect this

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://twitter.com/JCMacriNBA/status/1394748218408415234

Is Randle a better defender than AD? Surely not. However his defensive metrics are better and I think the eye test tells us why. He's an utterly exhausting nightmare to deal with on offense, so when it comes to scoring you dont have much in the tank and I think the #s youre seeing are painting that picture.

I have really been watching Randle closely the 2nd half of the season for how teams adjust, how much he's got in his legs, everything....

He's an amazing player. He often uses a high and loose dribble at half court but he's covering deceptive ground and he's quickly closing in on the 3 point line. Cant leave him open so now your big has to pop out and guard 20 feet out OR Randle has a wing on him and that is NOT going to go well because I am quite sure he uses that loose handle to lure in guards where they are then greeted by a train. Then he goes into his moves or kicks it to Reggie who just ordered steaks for later, hits "send", tosses the iphone to IQ, catches Randle's pass and drills another phucking 3.

Feels like Randle's been around a bit, but remember he was an above the rim player elite college player and he's 26 right now. Getting a player like we did with Randle is fantastic. Its rare. Lowry comes to mind. Good player at Houston, 2nd year w/ Toronto he broke out, made his first AS game at 28 and went to the next 6 and deserved to.

It happens but its rare. Grant in Det is another close example and one of the few guys I would give up draft cap for (like Obi and our #1s this year)

Anyway Randle is a phucking gem and I am proud to watch him.

I bought a 5 game package last year and went to all the games. My son was 16 and we went because it was a train ride and outing with my guy. I saw up close how bad this pretty much same starting crew was and I am so glad to see them all playing so well.

We have a true foundation with RJ/Randle. A pair of 2-way guys who can shoot, get buckets, bang, move the ball... so good. Another star would be huge. Then these pieces like Rose, IQ, Reggie, etc really hurt you

fishmike wrote:

martin wrote:Did not expect this

Tweet was deleted or there was problem with the URL:

https://twitter.com/JCMacriNBA/status/1394748218408415234

its a weird stat
http://www.82games.com/2021/20NYK15.HTM
Randle's opponents have a very modest EFG .491
By contrast Anthony Davis hold opposing PFs to .522

Is Randle a better defender than AD? Surely not. However his defensive metrics are better and I think the eye test tells us why. He's an utterly exhausting nightmare to deal with on offense, so when it comes to scoring you dont have much in the tank and I think the #s youre seeing are painting that picture.

I have really been watching Randle closely the 2nd half of the season for how teams adjust, how much he's got in his legs, everything....

He's an amazing player. He often uses a high and loose dribble at half court but he's covering deceptive ground and he's quickly closing in on the 3 point line. Cant leave him open so now your big has to pop out and guard 20 feet out OR Randle has a wing on him and that is NOT going to go well because I am quite sure he uses that loose handle to lure in guards where they are then greeted by a train. Then he goes into his moves or kicks it to Reggie who just ordered steaks for later, hits "send", tosses the iphone to IQ, catches Randle's pass and drills another phucking 3.

Feels like Randle's been around a bit, but remember he was an above the rim player elite college player and he's 26 right now. Getting a player like we did with Randle is fantastic. Its rare. Lowry comes to mind. Good player at Houston, 2nd year w/ Toronto he broke out, made his first AS game at 28 and went to the next 6 and deserved to.

It happens but its rare. Grant in Det is another close example and one of the few guys I would give up draft cap for (like Obi and our #1s this year)

Anyway Randle is a phucking gem and I am proud to watch him.

I bought a 5 game package last year and went to all the games. My son was 16 and we went because it was a train ride and outing with my guy. I saw up close how bad this pretty much same starting crew was and I am so glad to see them all playing so well.

We have a true foundation with RJ/Randle. A pair of 2-way guys who can shoot, get buckets, bang, move the ball... so good. Another star would be huge. Then these pieces like Rose, IQ, Reggie, etc really hurt you

Nice post. I like your detailed explanation on the effect his offense has on his defense. Adding that 3 certainly opened up his game.

Also agree on JGrant. A big 3 of Barrett/Grant/Randle at these contract values would still leave quite a bit of room to fill out the 10 man rotation.

fishmike wrote:Randle's opponents have a very modest EFG .491
By contrast Anthony Davis hold opposing PFs to .522

Is Randle a better defender than AD? Surely not. However his defensive metrics are better and I think the eye test tells us why. He's an utterly exhausting nightmare to deal with on offense, so when it comes to scoring you dont have much in the tank and I think the #s youre seeing are painting that picture.

I have really been watching Randle closely the 2nd half of the season for how teams adjust, how much he's got in his legs, everything....

He's an amazing player. He often uses a high and loose dribble at half court but he's covering deceptive ground and he's quickly closing in on the 3 point line. Cant leave him open so now your big has to pop out and guard 20 feet out OR Randle has a wing on him and that is NOT going to go well because I am quite sure he uses that loose handle to lure in guards where they are then greeted by a train. Then he goes into his moves or kicks it to Reggie who just ordered steaks for later, hits "send", tosses the iphone to IQ, catches Randle's pass and drills another phucking 3.

Feels like Randle's been around a bit, but remember he was an above the rim player elite college player and he's 26 right now. Getting a player like we did with Randle is fantastic. Its rare. Lowry comes to mind. Good player at Houston, 2nd year w/ Toronto he broke out, made his first AS game at 28 and went to the next 6 and deserved to.

It happens but its rare. Grant in Det is another close example and one of the few guys I would give up draft cap for (like Obi and our #1s this year)

Anyway Randle is a phucking gem and I am proud to watch him.

I bought a 5 game package last year and went to all the games. My son was 16 and we went because it was a train ride and outing with my guy. I saw up close how bad this pretty much same starting crew was and I am so glad to see them all playing so well.

We have a true foundation with RJ/Randle. A pair of 2-way guys who can shoot, get buckets, bang, move the ball... so good. Another star would be huge. Then these pieces like Rose, IQ, Reggie, etc really hurt you

TripleThreat wrote:

fishmike wrote:

Is Randle a better defender than AD? Surely not. However his defensive metrics are better and I think the eye test tells us why. He's an utterly exhausting nightmare to deal with on offense, so when it comes to scoring you dont have much in the tank and I think the #s youre seeing are painting that picture.

The Knicks have a better team defense around Randle. Anthony Davis is a better athlete and has much better fundamentals. But he also gets better calls on the floor with free contact/hard contact.

What has taken a leap for Randle, and surprisingly so, is his timing. That usually doesn't happen at this stage of a professional athletes career. Alex Smith was one unusual case in the NFL. Randle has always had the physical ability, but there was a mix of increased commitment, increased discipline, increased will and then it hit head on with drastically improved timing on the floor.

When it does happen, usually the player is unlocked via a series of "master cues" For those who do compound lifts here, it's like finally figuring out to do squats in your power rack by considering your midfoot as a "master cue" What it means is Thibs most likely gave Randle individual positional coaching much in the vein of what he did for Noah. The leaps Noah made were based on timing. When to intuitively move his feet just slightly to consistently stay in the lane but avoid a violation.

Effective containment in any sport is less about your opponent and more about understanding how to use the space around you. Space is a constant, your opponent changes. If you understand space, your opponent is reactive. When you try to hit checkboxes on a tough individual matchup, then you are the one who is reactive. The person who reacts does not dictate the pace.

Understanding space is like leading a dance partner with brutal close contact. This is why I wanted Saddiq Bey and not Obi Toppin.

2 ancillary issues

1) How player react to no crowds is going to be different. Randle just might do better in this kind of scenario. It's hard to say at this point.

2) The league has quietly lifted their foot off the gas pedal on PEDS testing. With the pandemic and unknown roster attrition, they didn't want to add more variables. Randle may have had the benefit of cycling at what is his optimum versus timing them against the "random" in season tests.

/thread