well, in his first game back he got a very bad end-of-clock-hot-potato attempt that was quite short, and then a slightly better look that missed by like, 3 full feet. and we STILL looked good with him on the floor. he like, boxed out and stuff.
He makes a difference when he’s on the floor. Team just has a different vibe as soon as he gets out there.
Rebounding a lot better with him in the lineup. Fun to watch him play even though that jumper remains broke
The defensive playbook just opens up with him in the game. We can blitz and trap much more, AD can come cover at the 3 pt line because Vando will crash for the board. Picked up everyone on the Suns roster. Possibly at the same time. Can't confirm. He was getting us second looks, a real weakness we've had on the roster. 4 offensive rebounds in his first 7 minutes.
Even if he cant hit shots, he’s just on another level out there defensively. He’s like the Tasmanian Devil with all the ground he covers. Looks like he also picked up a lot of upper body muscle while rehabbing.
As long as we're healthy, our wing length and depth should carry us; it doesn't even matter if Vando/Cam/Rui get 12 points, or 5. As long as they get better hitting wide open shots and playing solid defense by committee, we're going to be very difficult to deal with in the playoffs. LeBron looks completely rejuvenated and I would trust him to lead the team and score as much as needed, while AD anchors the interior defense and finishes around the rim with great efficiency. It's not exactly the flashiest modern basketball, and for the most part we're not going to style on anyone, but we'll grind those wins out when we have to.
They won’t. They’re about to get harassed like they haven’t been all season and are going down hard. We’ve got our team finally, save Vincent, that we waited for all summer and fall. Right now, this point in the season (until something changes) LeBron is playing “like” a best player in the league and MVP and we have 4 BEASTS on defense, him included with his IQ and when he ratchets up his intensity as needed. PLUS other above average-good defenders. And HIM.
Keep it up - eventually want him to start but if TP hits his shots...then I'm fine with Vando off the bench
In watching Vando's mins in the win over IND: has to feel maximally annoying to be guarded by him: all in your jock one second, sagging off, then psych! back hand-checking you like mad. You just wanna get rid of the rock. When you try to drive he's establishing position as if he's reading your mind. What a pain he is! On offense, when our guys hit him in the corner he acted like he'd jack up a 3 - which IND would welcome - then he drove the baseline and missed a dunk. As he went up I'm thinking, "No way! We get some offense from him too?" He reads the passing lanes and reacts like his wingspan is 14 feet long. Vando is in that elite class of players who do all kinds of stuff for you that never ends up in the boxscore. If it gets to where he starts and plays 32 mins, he'll have nights of 3/8/4 with 2 steals and a block...and it will be spectacular overall play. My gawd: if he could only hit that corner 3 at like 38%...Last season he regressed (of course: it's the Lakers!) from his high at Utah of 33%: he hit it 30% for us last year, and we're still waiting for his first made 3 this season. He seems like that kind of player who can improve on 3s if he really works for a long time. But he'll never be a great 3 shooter. Just not that kinda guy. That said: you wanna watch some D: do nothing but watch Vando's minutes. My gawd...His style of D is very high in energy expenditure, and it may not be optimal energy, but it sure is crazy fun to watch! I do worry about his heel. This is the Vando thread. Cam has his own thread, and a lot of what I'm saying about Vando as a defensive player applies to him, too. Different styles, stellar outcomes on defense for both.