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Current Individual Non-strengths: What Needs to Improve
Key Players:
Terrence Ross – should be more assertive, aggressive, and truly involved in the flow of the offense. He has absolutely disappeared in games. I’ve said it before, but he reminds me of former Sonic Derik McKee, who had all the talent in the world but would often be more of a spectator. He needs to step up and be a greater part of things.
Darnell Gant – be more of a presence in the middle. He’s supposedly worked on his inside game. It was one of his goals going into this season. Instead, he’s again on the outside shooting 3’s. He needs to do more dirty work under the bucket.
C.J. Wilcox – To his credit, he has displayed a more all-around game, but the outside shot is still his bread-and-butter. Shooters can be streaky. This description is spot on when it comes to Wilcox this season. His woes have mostly come on the road when the team could have really used his talents. This will likely improve on its own as he becomes more comfortable playing in unfamiliar venues.
Desmond Simmons – a current weakness is his passing. He can misread where a teammate will be as he releases the ball. Part of this may be becoming more familiar with them and their tendencies. I expect him to get more minutes, so it is even more critical for him to improve in this area.
Aziz N’Diaye – His last game was a vast improvement. The ball did not bounce off his hands. I wish someone would spend some quality time with him. Have a large bag filled with a number of items, and have him catch them as they are thrown in his direction: ping pong, Nerf, beach, Wiffle and bombardment balls. Extra credit can be earned from saving falling kittens from trees, capturing greased pigs, and practice passing bags of popcorn in a dark movie theater -- anything to improve those palm and finger issues.
Abdul Gaddy – I’m not as critical of his game than others. I wish he would continue to work on keeping the dribble into the paint and take a mid-range jumper or dish. Romar has referred to him as a “calming presence,” but I wish he could become more aggressive.
Tony Wroten – his game, at this point in time, is a mixture of the amazing and the dumbfounding. He needs less razzle dazzle, and more of the fundamentally sound, when it comes to his passing. Tony turns over the ball too much. He takes too many risks on defense, and should depend more upon basics. His FT shooting must improve.
As fans, I believe we often expect too much out of players. We want them to be polished and perfect. Reality is much different. Most players are not world-beaters out of the gate. Players can improve, but it can be a long road. Mix this with impatient fans, and….
I was frustrated with IT’s FG percentage his first year. John Brockman’s FT shooting was an early concern. QPon’s lack of confidence and assertiveness was a problem. Each of these players improved over time, some later than others.
Let’s see what happens with this group.
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