But I wasn't compairing Demar to JV or Lowry, since we can't replace Demar with JV or Lowry in the Starting 5.
I was comparing him to his replacements (Ross and lesser degree Powell).. neither of which would be able to sustain his level of production, while being given his level of Usage. And yes, his usage could/should be lower, but thats how Casey runs the team, and thats the card we're delt.
What I want from DeMar in the playoffs is playmaking and defense. We need him, but we don't need him to take 20 shots a game when the defense is focusing on stopping him. He has talented teammates. He needs to trust those guys.
Make the plays to get other guys easy shots when the defense is focusing on shutting him down, and play defense!
When the other team is shooting 60+% from 3 and 70+% from the field when you're guarding them, that's a huge problem.
What I want from DeMar in the playoffs is playmaking and defense. We need him, but we don't need him to take 20 shots a game when the defense is focusing on stopping him. He has talented teammates. He needs to trust those guys.
Make the plays to get other guys easy shots when the defense is focusing on shutting him down, and play defense!
When the other team is shooting 60+% from 3 and 70+% from the field when you're guarding them, that's a huge problem.
100% agree on the bolded ... except we're talking about a Dwane Casey team, so we need to check our expectations in terms of massive adjustments being made. Pulling Demar in the 4th was an absolutely perfect decision .. are these types of decisions regular occurances for Casey? Unfortunately not. Casey wants Demar firing like he was in the regular season.
That said, outside of Paul George (and lesser degree George Hill), the Pacers are averaging 34% from the Field, and even worse from 3. So I think the Defense is doing pretty damn good, all things considered. Its just that Paul George is really frigging good.
100% agree ... except we're talking about a Dwane Casey team, so we need to check our expectations in terms of massive adjustments being made. Pulling Demar in the 4th was an absolutely perfect decision .. are these types of decisions regular occurances for Casey? Unfortunately not.
That said, outside of Paul George (and lesser degree George Hill), the Pacers are averaging 34% from the Field, and even worse from 3. So I think the Defense is doing pretty damn good, all things considered. Its just that Paul George is really frigging good.
In game 2 though, when DeMar barely guarded George, he still gave up 60+% from the field and 100% from 3 on guys he was guarding though.
His defense needs to be better. Was happy with Casey sitting him. Even happier with Casey calling out DeMar for playmaking and defense.
My only concern with those quotes from DeMar is that he is presenting those shots as shots he will hit more often if his shooting comes around, even though a vast majority of his shots are coming in extremely pressured/contested situations. He's getting blocked a LOT in the lane, and he's contested on practically every jumper he takes.
He's not just missing shots. He's taking shots that usually miss.
And hopefully he knows that and is just presenting a generic face to the media. Judging by the lack of evolution in his shot discipline between game 1 and 2, I don't have a great deal of faith that that's the case. But here's hoping.
The upside is, yeah, even with the terrible shot selection he probably hits a few more and gets a few calls, but if he wants to have a star-level impact (or even a truly positive impact) on this series, he's going to have to change the way he is playing, not just find some success with the way he is playing now.
My only concern with those quotes from DeMar is that he is presenting those shots as shots he will hit more often if his shooting comes around, even though a vast majority of his shots are coming in extremely pressured/contested situations. He's getting blocked a LOT in the lane, and he's contested on practically every jumper he takes.
He's not just missing shots. He's taking shots that usually miss.
And hopefully he knows that and is just presenting a generic face to the media. Judging by the lack of evolution in his shot discipline between game 1 and 2, I don't have a great deal of faith that that's the case. But here's hoping.
The upside is, yeah, even with the terrible shot selection he probably hits a few more and gets a few calls, but if he wants to have a star-level impact (or even a truly positive impact) on this series, he's going to have to change the way he is playing, not just find some success with the way he is playing now.
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