Layups, Dunks, Bombs, and Bricks
By Sam Dunkley
Every few weeks, I’ll talk Linndale basketball with whomever I may come across. I recently covered a local high school basketball game for The Basketball Times, and the players (and in some cases, their parents) had thoughts and opinions they freely shared about Linndale basketball. These nuggets were then divided into one of four categories stated in the title of this column.
I don’t understand why they think (Midas) Kops is a guard. He’s a bad volume shooter and he’s loose with the basketball.
We start off dropping bombs. Kops is in a weird space. He has gifts that play well at guard and forward, but he’s better suited to guard (for now). Granted, it’s a small sample size (4 regular games as guard) but he’s shooting a bit better at guard and significantly better from deep. The turnovers are a function of high usage and various combinations he’s played with. Expect those to drop over time. For now, the numbers are a bit ugly. The constant changing lineups don’t do him justice either. Having said that, he’s got to be better.
Bolibok hasn’t looked like a scorer yet. I heard the players call him Petey Buckets.
This one is a brick. He’s played one game with us. His shot blocking showed, and he had his highest game rating on the season. Know what else has showed on the year for him? His scoring. His shooting line is .500/.508/.627; the kid is shooting 50% from the field and a tick better from deep. On the season, he’s averaging 25.2 points per game. Let’s give him some time, but beware some growing pains. Averaging 0.6 assists to 2.6 turnovers means he has a serious ball security issue. Plus, did you see the San Dominica game?
That second unit scares me. Strong enough on defense for a bench bunch, could be a little stronger. Stronger than they appear on the boards, but Hatfield and Pemwieser need to be stronger. The ball security on that unit is atrocious.
This one is an easy dunk. I concede that point. Yet, the defense on that unit is strong and will get stronger. The offense will improve. Ball security is a real concern, though. Pasman, Enfes, Hatfield, and Pemwieser doesn’t seem scary initially, but that’s a complementary unit as well, ball security aside. Expect the 2nd unit to change, depending on team needs and whatever the team’s training rotation looks like. The unit is in flux, but I’ve heard more changes are coming.
Joy Beko for point guard.
This one is a both a layup and a brick. 4 assists to 0.7 turnovers per game is great, but you’d want his ball handling and passing to be a bit better. He definitely would be a non traditional point guard. I’ll bet Pio Reina has something cooked up for that occasion. You also have to plan what to do with Carlos Frias. He's been pretty good, too.
Pemwieser is way overrated. He needs to be out of here.
On the surface, one might think this is a layup. I think this one deserves a closer look. A lot of fans think he’s been a bust, after being advertised as a unicorn. He shoots .470/.478/.706, averages 5.4 boards a night and 8.7 points a night in 21 minutes per contest. He may not be an everyday starter on this team, and he is not without flaws, but at the very worst, he will anchor the 2nd unit. He’s clearly still acclimating himself to playing center, but in the last game he started he was serviceable with 10 points and 7 rebounds. The game before that, Pio pulled out a wrinkle, with Pemwieser at small forward on offense and center defensively. He went for 20 points, 10 rebounds and a huge three pointer to tie the game late in the 4th quarter. As unpopular as it may be, Pemwieser is going to be a key player going forward. He most definitely is the team’s unicorn. This is the brickiest of bricks.