1.I hope Tatum's wrist is ok
2.Irving played hard and his touch was back some but not quiet there yet, a liability on D
especially team defense
3.Kawhi didn't look like a superstar, very solid all-star level wing to me, not a good passer so we
can consider to double when he switch on Kyrie or whoever need help
4.Brown defended Kawhi pretty well, he is good at these one-on-one defense, jumpers are
promising but ft still very inconsistent as well as passing
5.AL defend Kawhi the best, but Valanciunas has his number, and on offense he didn't do much
6.Hayward took a huge step back to his all-star form tonight, best thing in this game
7.Rozier, he should drive (and kick)more on nights his shots ain't wet which isn't a rare thing
It's clear their offense likes to attack the paint and play inside-out games (and Kawhi iso), you can almost be certain they will pass out the first drive, first to corner and to the 45 angle.
It worked great against us so far, we need shot blockers (and rebounders) to welcome those drives in order to counter, maybe put Williams out there
In match-up perspective:
Morris x -not a good team defender to handle their ball movement and will mostly be contested jumpers on O
AL Δ -only but huge problem is Valanciunas always beat him on the boards, should be on Ibaka
Hayward O -Very effective on both ends against Raptors
Rozier x -not until he can attack the paint as Kyrie, should play only when he is hot
Kyrie O -I will take his O over his lack of D
Tatum O -just too good to not play
Brown O -put him on Kawhi
Baynes Δ -good presence in paint against Raptors, put him on Valanciunas but can't be on Ibaka if his shots are falling
Smart Δ -perfect on D but will need a rim running big to unlock his bread and butter PnR game, otherwise a minus on O
Overall a tough loss but not too much to worry about as we all know Brad will find a answer and now we have the final missing piece in Robert Williams