If playing Layman off of Harkless brings out the best in both. I am perfectly willing to gaslight them both in a Machiavellian web of intrigue... I still think Layman is making enough gradual improvement to win more playing time eventually.
He made a noticeable difference last night - gonna need that more consistently. Aminu's defense on KAT was also huge.
He did play well for sure. I noticed while they were in time out and he was sitting on the bench, as he was playing, he was on the end not listening or focusing on what was being discussed, in fact he was looking elsewhere like he wanted to be noticed. I have thought for a few years based on what he's said and what I seen last night that he knows while he's on the court, he's the last option in the offense and he's like a wandering steer. I remember last year right after the break, they were running plays for him and he took on a whole different court demeanor and was productive. He's a race horse and he needs to run.
Do that over and over and over again, and I will get excited. 1 good game don't mean his motor is running smoothly. That being said, I did appreciate his quality effort last night.
Harkless in December: 26.2 MPG 8.1 PPG 4.1 RPG 1.1 BPG 0.9 SPG 55.8% FG 50% 3PT Could he be rounding into shape, or is this just inconsistent Moe being inconsistent Moe? I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, just because of how much time he missed, and also because of how desperate we are for a good small forward. Against the Clippers, I also saw the team make it an emphasis to get him the ball, especially in the post. I remember how well he played last time we played largely through Nurk. Reminded me of that.
It’s probably fair to ask whether that inconsistency has to do with being isolated in the offense. It’s hard to stay consistent when the only looks he consistently gets are three pointers, something his game was never really built on. Not saying he’s innocent, but he almost always produces when he’s involved in the offense. That usually coincides with Nurkic being more of a playmaker.
I think what I like about playing Moe, is if chief gets switched off his guy Moe can step in and take him and we do not have a drastic drop off in defense.
What I hate about harkless and aminu is neither is an offensive threat off the bounce. Add that with an inconsistent shot like they have and playing them both results in 6 points in 8+minutes.
Aminu has been very solid on the dribble drive this year, and is finishing at a very good clip. His ball handling and finishing ability are probably the two most improved skills on the team.
Harkless JUST developed a go to move off the dribble for the first time in his career. He's never been a "give him the ball and get a bucket" type of player. This season I've noticed he is physically stronger. He's finishing better through contact. He has 2 new post moves. He's gotten better.
well, that's ok though because CJ is a threat off the bounce to be accurate, he's a threat off the bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce...and what he threatens is the sanity of a lot of Blazer fans sorry...that was such a fat pitch over the bad-joke-plate I couldn't resist swinging for the fences...don't hate me for the foul ball