Samson Folk & Trevon Heath get together to answer listener questions.
For more on Gradey Dick, watch Es’ video.
“If anybody goes over on me, I’m good. That is the easiest thing ever. When people go over on me, and have to chase me off the ball screen, then I’m good. If I get someone coming up, and the roller is rolling and he gets behind the big, and his guy helps? It’s over with.” Shead said. “When people start going under and trying to make me shoot and trying to take away all my options, then that’s where it starts to get tricky.” The numbers bear that out, as Shead’s efficiency drops to the bottom third of the NBA when he faces a coverage that doesn’t have his primary defender going over the screen. Shead wasn’t so sure that teams would default to chase coverage as often going forward.
“The game will show you what you need to work on. I don’t know if they’ll guard me the same as last year, so once we get into the season the game will show me what I need to work on more.” Shead said. “I’m trying to get a more consistent three ball. A tighter handle. You know, getting a handle on the pace of the game. Try to be more in shape. If Quick’s in foul trouble, or if I’m actually playing well Darko can leave me out there.”
“Now the player who is Toronto’s best individual creator is Brandon Ingram. He likes the same areas of the court as Siakam, is a huge but slim forward who likes the ball in his hands, and enjoys the same playtypes. And outside of him, the Raptors don’t have anyone to hold up the tentpoles of the offence. Barnes has had plenty of chances, and has improved in a number of areas, but still isn’t ready to be the primary engine of a successful half-court offence. Quickley has never been consistently successful in big numbers of isolations, and his drives haven’t unlocked enough for teammates.
Thus in many ways the entirety of the success of this team’s core rests on the shoulders of Brandon Ingram. From this perspective, he is bearing in many ways the same load as Siakam did before him. I am suspicious of whether Ingram can out-perform Siakam in the same role.”
Have a blessed day.
