Not only does size kill but with injuries we just have guys needing to play a lot of minutes and I think that showed down the stretch. Combined with Utah’s fantastic decision to go into multiple zone looks and our inability to break it down successfully, we just let it slip away. That said (unlike Biff) I think Utah is a pretty solid team. They’re going to be at least a bubble team if they stay healthy.
On the positives: Carr is much stronger inside and has worked on his back to the basket game. Marion and Parker are not only efficient out there, they appear to positionally understand basketball and where they should be/what their role is. Neither is trying to do too much out there. Parker is way more active on D than I expected and he doesn’t force his outside shots. His confidence as a ball handler is also ahead of where I expected and that pocket pass to Carr when he drew the double team from the corner/elbow area was sexy. He doesn’t look like a freshman. Marion similarly gets that he’s in there to play D, provide length inside, and junk it up. I’d like to honestly see both guys try to be a little more aggressive when it comes to scoring. Sure Carr, Cam, and Sallis have been efficient but i don’t think Marion’s 7% usage rate on offense playing almost 70% of our minutes is high enough.
