Tank Tank Or Tank Tank Tank?

I'm going to live edit this post while I catch up. I couldn't watch the game last night.

So far 7:00 min left in the 1st and Randle has been fine. Good reads, tough defensive match-up, one block on a jumper. Zubac and Ingram looking great early. Then gets blocked by Monroe twice on two bad takes. He got beat down the floor by Monroe even if it didn't amount to anything. Alright he's pulled at the 2 min mark and he probably gets a B from me thus far... I'm excited to see where his tank gear comes into play.

So far everyone looking more engaged. I like Russell's activity thus far. Russell saw the clock!

Okay here we go... Randle back in with about 9 min in the 2nd. Immediately misses a rebound he should have had if he'd boxed out Giannis. He gets beat twice in a row by Giannis, both tough plays. Foul on the 2nd one and it's a foul he gets away with a lot, definitely a foul though. I haven't liked his demeanor in the game thus far. Boy I haven't seen Russell looking this sharp in weeks. I like it. Russell had one of the few moments I can say I heard someone communicate on defense on the perimeter. Who is this guy?? I like him! So far Randle looking worse this quarter, but still not terrible. Right now he's at a C in the 2nd. Meanwhile Russell and Nance Jr. are just not on the same page at all. I like that they're talking though. Randle misses a tough flying hook shot on a short clock. Shouldn't have been put in that spot, but even so that shot was... yikes. Good hand-off assist to Russell. Zubac got butchered by Giannis on the arm there. What the heck?Randle had a decent read pass off the pick and roll. Should have probably gone to Zubac. No rim protection from Randle. The usual. Julius misses 3 boards because he doesn't box out. Wow then he defends Giannis well, fights two Bucks for the board, pushes the ball himself, and gives a beautiful dish to Zubac on the run. Damn. Where has that been all game? Draws a bad foul from Middleton and goes 1 and 1 at the line. Then Randle with the horrible defense after a screen. Awful. D'Angelo slides into 2nd. One of the worst jump balls I've ever seen. Julius with an awesome effort from the outside! Interesting. Julius finished with two strong efforts inside to get boards. To end the half he gets a B/B- because his defense is so hit or miss and his effort play to play is inconsistent. He looks tired like he had a long night or something.

Ingram looks so damn comfortable shooting these days. Randle reads the double pretty well, but then loses aggressiveness until he throws the ball out of bounds. Close, but no cigar. Then gets abused by Giannis on the other end. Boy the game comes easy to Giannis. Clarkson is a horrible PG. Great charge draw from Ingram after the terrific closeout from Nick Young. Ingram is a different guy on the court today than he was even a few weeks ago. Randle leaves Giannis for a three. So far he's got a D in the 3rd. Then a turnover. Clarkson with his head down completely. Yuck. Great post lead pass to Zubac from Randle. Giannis takes it to the hole on Randle playing too far off. Julius takes Clarkson out on a screen. Clarkson hits the side of the board. Yikes. Giannis boards then beats 2 Lakers to the rim somehow. Julius pulled at 5:45 or so. I'd give him a D for that quarter. Sheesh. Love the team energy here right now. Lots of good ball and man movement. Ingram and Russell's aggressiveness has been refreshing. The score doesn't reflect how hard they're working. Nance working through that wrist. Love it. Oh snap! FIREWORKS! Who would have thought Nick Young would be the heart of this team? Madsen says something then says "good job bro" to Nick Young. I like it. Show some fight. Russell tossed too? Wow. Luke says that's horses***. I want Nwaba to make a bunch of shots in a row so we can say "he's Nwaba Grilling him!" Anyone else creeped out by the babies singing?

NWABA TAKING OVER! Man Clarkson is a bad defender. There's absolutely zero spacing out here. Boy Terry still talking to people like he's relevant. Alright Julius back in with 7 minutes. Okay play offensively, but he didn't know the clock. Got to shoot it instead of giving it to Nwaba. Clarkson. Is. An. Awful. Defender. Randle doing a decent job of daring Giannis to shoot over the top. INGRAM TAKES IT TO EM. Julius gets in on the defensive end. I hate Julius's general defensive stance. Julius dancing through the key. What are you complaining about? Awful play by Julius who telegraphs his pass. Good defense from Snell. Hm. Flop a little by Snell, but still a bad play by Julius. Momentum seems to have changed here. Terrible double by Julius for absolutely no reason. I keep wondering why Nwaba is out there, but we've got no one else. Good defense by Julius then an out of control take. He needs to calm down. Nance very late on the read. Damn. Julius picks up a technical foul late. Jeez man. Get your head together. Ingram is having a terrific game. NWABABABA. Julius gotta make that free throw.

Okay game wrap. I don't blame Julius for the loss himself, but when Russell gets tossed and Nick gets tossed, Julius should have gotten more aggressive. If I have to point at one guy, then yeah Julius, but I think Clarkson and Nance Jr. and the fact we had nobody who could shoot late were all big factors.

 

I accidentally turned it into my own Gameday thread while I watched the game.

 

He definitely was a problem at the end of the game. Definitely. He lost his cool and because of it the momentum switched as his teammates fed off that chaotic energy. You can't pick up a late tech like that. You can't rush shots. With Russell out, he's the most talented player we've got and he has to understand that and affect the game positively. Instead he only took 6 shots and made one? Really? I like 12 rebounds and 8 assists, but he should never have 4 points in a game unless he gets thrown out or hurt.

 

Ironically I did wait until this long a** gif finished a few times.

 

Semi Ojeleye is the guy DraftExpress has us taking at #28. He's a kid I have said has a very interesting physical profile and by interesting I mean he's an absolute effing tank. The kid is built like Karl Malone. He's probably more of a small ball four than a three, but he's got some potential to stretch the floor too. He's not necessarily the sharpest tool, but he's interesting. I'd need to hear from him in an interview and see how he competes in workouts. Here's his DE profile.



edit- here's his "areas to improve" from DE as well. Like I said, he's got a lot to learn still.

 

Dude's got a brutal physique.

 

Beat me to it.

 

He plays a very different game. He's a career 42% three-point shooter, not anywhere near the rebounder Randle is. Adequate on D, super strong, gets to the line, and he's supposed to be very intelligent. His dad's a doctor, and his mom's a nurse. Would likely be a stretch 4 in the NBA, it looks.

 

No they're very different.

Ojeleye is probably a better shooter already than Randle is. I'd say Ojeleye is more explosive in space, but Randle is better in basically every other area. Randle is a better rebounder, ball handler, decision maker, he's faster, quicker, and smarter on the attack. Ojeleye profiles more as a less talented Marvin Williams. I think Ojeleye could be a very good prospect late in the 1st and would make Nance Jr. or Randle expendable depending on what you could get in return for a trade for either of those two. Randle as a centerpiece and Nance Jr. as an ancillary piece.