Post Game Thread Boston vs Orlando

[dboss]

I'm a basketball junkie!

There were 5 players that I had my eye.

The rookie Olynyk came out on fire dropping 9 pts in the 1st period.  He did not appear to be nervous.  We saw a full arsenal of offensive moves including knocking down deep jumpers, taking his man off the dribble and finishing two times with his left hand, post up back to the basket 8-12 feet out on the baseline...result turnaround jumper, post move deep, head fakes and drop step, jump hook from the right side, free throws, great high picks and descent defense and rebounding.  Now that is quite a bit for his first game.  

The only weaknesses that I saw which is consistent with the predarft scouting report was his turnovers and him getting beat a couple of times when his man turned to the middle for a sweeping hooks.

Message for Cow...Yes I originally stated that I did not particularly like the pick but in subsequent posts I felt that he would be able to help this team.  After watching him today it is clear that he has a very advanced offensive game.  His defense will improve as he learns defensive techniques.

Fab Melo should take Olynyk out to dinner because fab was stuck on 4 rebounds in the first half and no points.  Both of Olynyk's assists were to melo in the post.  Melo made back to back jump hooks from the right side and that seemed to get him going.   Melo ended up with 9 pts and 8 rebounds.  If we got that from him on average I think we would all be happy.  Melo also displayed a nice baseline jumper which was disallowed because one of the Celtics committed an offensive foul and there was the face up jumper he made and got fouled on.  His form at the line is reasonably solid.

The rookie Pressey will need to slow down a bit.  He made 5 unforced turnovers.  He appears to be quick and has a good handle.  He scored 11 and dished out 4 assists.

Iverson is a big kid but it is pretty hard to tell if he even knows how to score the basketball.  he missed his only shot.  He muscled his way to 4 rebounds and also made a great block coming over from the weak side.

The other surprise player that I think really has a shot to make this team was Tony Mitchell.  This kid is really athletic and appears to have a mid range game on offense.

There was a few stretches in the game where Olynyk did not get the ball.  He was clearly the best player on the court for either team.

I can see now where he could definitely play the stretch 4 but also be a factor getting to the rim.

The big unknown is at center.  Fab Melo played fairly well but has a lot of work to do on defense.  He seems to be out of position a lot.  But I think these are correctable issues.  He clearly has the athleticism to play center.  I will go so far to say that he will be at least as good as Perkins was. He will definitely be better offensively.

So that's my take.  What's yours.

dboss

[sinus007]

Hi,
My take from the first game is that 13 is better than 22.
I don't know what's going to happen in the rest of the Summer league games and beyond, but my impressions of this game is that KO is head and shoulder above FM. If KO continues to play as he played today he can play off the bench come November.
The other players of note are Pressey, Iverson, Mitchell and Granger.
On the other side I was impressed with Oladipo. Frankly, I don't understand Cavs.

AK

[112288]

KO looked like the real deal.........reminds me of Dirk....let us hope he continues to progress each game.


Like this kid Tony Mitchell, lot of energy and athleticism .......like to see if he also can continue what he showed today.

Melo....I am afraid is a bust.....1 year D league experience.....with his body he should have been ripping down rebounds and being an animal.......I guess his name fits his basketball.

Not sure of the rest, tomorrow will paint an even bigger picture of who's staying around.

Remember tomorrow at 3PM NBA Channel.

112288

[bobheckler]

1.  I hoped/expected 15 and 5 from Kelly.  What I got was 25 and 7.  He got beat a few times off the dribble, but overall his defense was good, especially in the low blocks.  What I liked in particular was that he was doing most of his damage against Andrew Nicholson, a player we thought Danny should have taken last year (instead of Sully, can you believe that?), who has a year of NBA experience under his belt and will be Kelly's opposite number in the regular season.  Always nice to win matchups.  The $64 question is  "can Kelly keep doing this?".  Even if he is a 15 and 5 regular rotation bench player, I'd still be happy.  So far, after just one game, once again, Danny foxed us.

2.  Tony Mitchell was the #2 scorer.  He showed reliability from both corners and some outstanding athleticism.  He's 6'6".  I'd love to see if he can play 2.  He's a bit short for 3 in this league now, but at 2, with that athleticism, could be spectacular.  He could be a victim of the numbers game here, but he's auditioning for a lot of scouts at this summer league and there's a good chance he'll get an invite to veteran's camp from one of them if yesterday's performance is indicative of what he can do.

3.  Jayson Granger didn't have a good shooting game, but he played tenacious defense against Oladipo.  Most of Oladipo's damage was done against Courtney Fells, who had an up and down day.  Some good, some not so.

4.  Ok game by Iverson.  Nothing too impressive.  One thing I liked, that didn't make it into the boxscore was the number of loose balls he picked up.  That means he was around the ball and in the thick of things a lot.  

5.  Melo looked completely lost out there in the first half.  No progress from last year at all.  He looked better in the 2nd half.  He gets lost on defense, which is supposed to be his forte, all the time.  He had a couple of baby hooks for shots (assists to Kelly) from 2'.  He should be dunking those, not easing them in.  He got bailed out on a jump shot from 14' by O'Quinn.  The shot went in and the foul.  NOT his shot, though, he got lucky.  Melo is too Mellow.  He doesn't play with anger, intensity or with a chip on his shoulder.  He dunks the ball when it's a wide open shot, but when he's among the trees he eases them in instead of trying to throw the ball into the basket WITH the defender if he gets in his way.  We can't give up on him, due to the sorry, sorry state of our center corp, but he doesn't inspire me.  I understand he's late to learning the game, but his lack of intensity bothers me longterm.

6.  Abramaitis did a lot of little things that you want to see, showed some nice IQ, but he's not making the team.  He'll play overseas next year.

7.  I never heard of Darius Johnson-Odom before this, but he didn't impress me much.

In the end, we have room for KO and maybe Danny can make some moves to create slots for 1 or 2 more players.  At least one of them has to be a center.  Yesterday didn't impress me that Melo or Iverson could/should be on of them.  Considering Melo was given a season of low-pressure seasoning so he could come in to this season strong, that's not good.

bob

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[bobheckler]

Iverson's block.





bob

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[bobheckler]

ORLANDO- Late in the first quarter,Kelly Olynyk caught the ball at the top of the key with some airspace, but instead of taking the open 3-point shot, he hesitated, put the ball on the floor and was whistled for a travel.

“If you’re open, shoot the ball,” shouted Celtics summer league coach Jay Larranaga.

Olynyk scored a game-high 25 points for the Boston Celtics summer league team but, following the game, teammates and coaches alike called for the 7-footer to be more aggressive offensively.

“He’s a guy that redshirted last year by choice,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters at the Amway Center in Orlando Sunday. “And then, all of the sudden, on a team with really good basketball players, he kind of rose to the top and became the best one. Sometime that adds to…you’re willing to be passive towards others.

“I don’t want him to be reluctant at all shooting the basketball.”

Unable to play while he continues to rehabilitate from back surgery, Jared Sullinger played the role of mentor/coach on the Celtics bench. He was vocal both with the players on the sidelines, and with the coaching staff in the huddle.

Following the game, Sullinger said he’s trying to convince Olynyk to be more aggressive, especially during the Orlando Pro Summer League.

“Every time he touches (the ball), he should look to score,” Sullinger said. “When he’s got open shots, he’s got to shoot them. Sometimes, he’s going to have to shoot contested shots.

“I just think he needs to be more aggressive, more assertive, and let these guys know he came to play. We really want him to the be the focal point of the summer league team.”

Despite hitting seven of his first eight shots, Olynyk only attempted four shots in the second half. There were multiple open three-pointers that Olynyk passed up to either drive, or swing the ball around the perimeter.

This is not to say Olynyk was tentative; he was far and away the best player on the floor Sunday, and that included the No. 2 overall pick Victor Oladipo. Olynyk displayed the superior footwork and ball-handling that made him a lottery pick on many occasions.

Sullinger, Stevens, and Larranaga all praised Olynyk’s skill-level and basketball IQ, which is the biggest reason they want him to be more assertive.

“He needs to know we have the utmost confidence in whatever decision he makes,” Larranaga said, “because he’s such a smart basketball player.”

He posted up, he beat defenders off the dribble, and was unafraid to throw his body around in the paint, picking up 6 fouls (in the summer league, a player doesn’t foul out until he has 10 fouls) and 7 rebounds in 26 minutes. Still, Olynyk did not seem completely comfortable, or instinctive, when catching from behind the NBA three-point line. It’s three feet further back than the men’s collegiate line and, though Olynyk’s shooting range certainly extends beyond the line, it’s still an adjustment.

“It’s something that I’m trying to focus on,” Olynyk said. ‘I’m by no means where I need to be; I still need to improve, so I’m just going to keep working on (my 3-point shooting).

“It’s a ‘just shoot the ball when you’re open’ kind of thing. I think I’m kind of an unselfish player at times-sometimes to a fault. I’ve got to work on that.”


bob


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[sinus007]

Bobh,
Thanks for the article.
Actually, it was a nice move by KO: everybody expected him to shoot but he decided to drive and got way ahead of Orl defense. Unfortunately he forgot that his name's not Lebron and got whistled for travel.
Also, I like his quick realization, on a couple of occasions, that he's higher than his defender and can shoot over him.

AK

[bobheckler]

http://www.csnne.com/blog/celtics-talk/melo-hopes-make-most-fresh-start-cs


Melo hopes to make most of 'fresh start' with C's
July 7, 2013, 6:30 pm



(USA Today Sports)


ORLANDO, Fla. — Boston center Fab Melo felt opportunities to play would be few and far between last season as a rookie.

But as the injuries mounted on the Celtics roster which included season-ending back surgery to fellow rookie big man Jared Sullinger, Melo found himself on the outside looking in with little to no hope of playing.

There were stretches in which Melo admits he didn't feel part of the team.

"I wasn't playing," Melo said after Boston's 95-88 summer league loss to Orlando on Sunday. "I couldn't feel part of the team like that."

A new season, a new head coach and for Melo, a new opportunity to prove his worth to the C's.

"It's a fresh start for me," Melo told CSNNE.com this week. "And I will be better than I was last year; I will be better."

He better be; otherwise Melo's NBA career will be over sooner than later.

On many levels, the first-round pick of the C's in last year's draft is at a crossroads.

A solid 2013-2014 season will wash away many of the doubts that exists about his NBA future. But if he's as ineffective now and looking out of sorts as he did as a rookie, the Celtics may be ready to pull the plug on the Melo experiment.

They almost did last season, preferring to include him in a trade for Jordan Crawford with Washington shortly after the C's lost Leandro Barbosa due to a season-ending knee injury. But the Wizards had no interest in Melo, instead preferring that veteran Jason Collins be included.

And it's not like the C's haven't added players to potentially replace Melo on the team's roster this season, either.  

In last month's draft, the Celtics drafted 7-foot Kelly Olynyk in addition to acquiring a second-round pick that was used to acquire another 7-footer, Colton Iverson of Colorado State.

Newly hired C's coach Brad Stevens was in attendance at Boston's summer league game against the Magic on Sunday.

"The thing that impressed me today was the way he tried to communicate defensively," Stevens said. "I thought he was very active. I thought he was very engaged. He made a couple of big jump hooks right in front of us, with a soft touch. And he's a guy with size that can play in and around the paint and the rim and screen and defensively, it looks like he has a pretty decent feel for what's going on.

Added Stevens, "First impressions were good."

Conditioning appears to still be an area that Melo needs to continue working towards improving, but there were a number of subtle improvements to his play.

He had eight rebounds against the Magic, which does not include the shots he was able to alter around the basket that don't necessarily show up among the final stats but are nonetheless important to a team's success.

Along with his nine points and eight rebounds, the C's were also plus-6 with him on the floor - tops among all Celtics players.

Melo had successful stints with the Celtics' D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.

In 33 games, he averaged 9.8 points, six rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game which earned him a first-team spot on the D-League's all-rookie team and the league's all-Defensive squad as well.

For the Celtics, Melo appeared in just five games while averaging one point in just 3.8 minutes per game.

"I kind of expected that," Melo said of having a limited role with the C's last season. "It didn't affect me a lot. It just affected me for getting better."

But his time in the D-League afforded him a chance to get some much-needed court time which both Melo and the C's were hoping would be invaluable to his growth.

Mike Taylor, head coach of the D-League's Maine Red Claws, knows better than most how far Melo has come since the C's selected him with the No. 22 pick in the 2012 NBA draft.

"Fab made a lot of strides in good areas," Taylor told CSNNE.com. "The big thing was just playing basketball, reading the game, getting a better feel for the game."

And Taylor knows that there are some who are down on Melo for not being a high impact player already, despite him being so new to the C's and the game of basketball (he began playing just seven years ago).

"Big men in general, it usually takes a little longer to develop," Taylor said. "And some guys are late bloomers. But Fab in particular, learning the game, picking up the game at a later age than most players, it's going to take him some time."

In two seasons at Syracuse University, Melo established himself as a solid rim protector and defensive force. But while with the Orange, he played almost exclusively in a zone defense while most NBA teams are more man-to-man.

That, along with his lack of basketball experience, has contributed to some degree in him developing at a relatively slow rate.

"You look at what he did for us, first-team All-Defensive team and first-team All-Rookie, he had a great year for us," Taylor said. "But it's a work in progress. It's going to take time. He's learning how to work, picking up things on how to play. He made a lot of good strides this year."

And while the expectations of him by others is relatively low, Melo is confident that he has made enough progress to be someone the C's can turn to at times this season.

"It's not like last year," he said. "I didn't know what to expect. Now I know what to expect; just try to feel comfortable, play basketball and have fun."


bob


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