Bucks @ Suns Sunday game thread 3-8-20

[82CardsGrad]

Book has become incredibly unclutch at the end of games.

The dude scored 36 pts on just 23 shot attempts... he missed just 6 shots all night!
I hope he stays that “unclutch!”

 

[BC867]

Yeah, but he is streaky.

He will look god awful again in a few games.

But even when he looks "awful" (not getting a triple-double),
he runs the Point. So the Suns can't put it all on Booker to
be the backcourt. And draw double teams even more.

Until they come up with someone better, Rubio fills a need.

 

[elindholm]

Didn't the Suns sweep the Bucks last year? It must drive Bucks fans crazy.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

The dude scored 36 pts on just 23 shot attempts... he missed just 6 shots all night!
I hope he stays that “unclutch!”

Reading comprehension. Try it.

he for sure got them to the place where they could win, but then he turned the call over repeatedly and couldn’t hit a shot down the stretch as the bucks threatened. This isn’t unique to this game.

again, this isn’t opinion. This was an observation.

 

[Hoop Head]

Reading comprehension. Try it.

he for sure got them to the place where they could win, but then he turned the call over repeatedly and couldn’t hit a shot down the stretch as the bucks threatened. This isn’t unique to this game.

again, this isn’t opinion. This was an observation.

He wasn't "unclutch" so much as he wasn't as effective as he was in the first half. He missed 1 shot and had 1 turnover in the 4th quarter but both of those things happened with a double digit lead and 3 minutes or less to play. He didn't miss any FT's either so I'm not sure how you saw him repeatedly turn it over or miss shots.

The game was pretty much iced when he made his mistakes since there was an 11 point lead when the turnover took place, with just 3 minutes to play. The missed 3 happened when the Suns had a 13 point lead and 2:13 to play. When there is that much of a lead and that little time, no statistical measure considers plays clutch or unclutch.

 

[Superbone]

He wasn't "unclutch" so much as he wasn't as effective as he was in the first half. He missed 1 shot and had 1 turnover in the 4th quarter but both of those things happened with a double digit lead and 3 minutes or less to play. He didn't miss any FT's either so I'm not sure how you saw him repeatedly turn it over or miss shots.

The game was pretty much iced when he made his mistakes since there was an 11 point lead when the turnover took place, with just 3 minutes to play. The missed 3 happened when the Suns had a 13 point lead and 2:13 to play. When there is that much of a lead and that little time, no statistical measure considers plays clutch or unclutch.

Not to mention the fact that the Bucks changed their strategy on him in the 2nd half and double-teamed him every time he touched the ball.

 

[Phrazbit]

Reading comprehension. Try it.

he for sure got them to the place where they could win, but then he turned the call over repeatedly and couldn’t hit a shot down the stretch as the bucks threatened. This isn’t unique to this game.

again, this isn’t opinion. This was an observation.

The next step in his growth needs to be cutting down on sloppy turnovers. At least three or four times tonight he tried to throw the ball pass the ball through opposing players.

 

[95pro]

Reading much of the comments about Okobo, i've been saying the guy sucks and needs to be benched in favor of Carter. What's funny is that Okobo shows slightly better stats, because my eye tells me something else. Might be playing because of an analytics thing?

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

He wasn't "unclutch" so much as he wasn't as effective as he was in the first half. He missed 1 shot and had 1 turnover in the 4th quarter but both of those things happened with a double digit lead and 3 minutes or less to play. He didn't miss any FT's either so I'm not sure how you saw him repeatedly turn it over or miss shots.

The game was pretty much iced when he made his mistakes since there was an 11 point lead when the turnover took place, with just 3 minutes to play. The missed 3 happened when the Suns had a 13 point lead and 2:13 to play. When there is that much of a lead and that little time, no statistical measure considers plays clutch or unclutch.

There were at least 3 turnovers that I saw. How the nba identifies them (or doesn’t) doesn’t mean they didn’t occur and they weren’t books fault.

he missed his only shot. Which also brings up the point he only took one shot. I know the counter is he was doubled, but go back and watch it, he wasn’t every time down the court. And when he was all he created was turnovers.

as for the game being outta reach, they cut it to 6 with 44 seconds to play. That’s not outta reach.

you can make excuses for book all you want but it’s clear this year he’s not making the plays stars make down the stretch of games that either win close games or slam the door shut on those we should win comfortably. It is what it is.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Reading much of the comments about Okobo, i've been saying the guy sucks and needs to be benched in favor of Carter. What's funny is that Okobo shows slightly better stats, because my eye tells me something else. Might be playing because of an analytics thing?

Its easy to see when he comes into the game. The offense sputters because he repeatedly passes to the other team and his defense is weak. He tries, but he just looks out of his league. Watching when Okobo plays convinces me the Suns would do better playing 4 on 5, his turnovers are that costly.

 

[gimpy]

You are right. It is what it is.

Booker scored 30+ points. AND WE WON! Sit him. Let someone else take his place.

Maybe, uh, uh uh, who did you say?
SMBFH

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

There were at least 3 turnovers that I saw. How the nba identifies them (or doesn’t) doesn’t mean they didn’t occur and they weren’t books fault.

he missed his only shot. Which also brings up the point he only took one shot. I know the counter is he was doubled, but go back and watch it, he wasn’t every time down the court. And when he was all he created was turnovers.

as for the game being outta reach, they cut it to 6 with 44 seconds to play. That’s not outta reach.

you can make excuses for book all you want but it’s clear this year he’s not making the plays stars make down the stretch of games that either win close games or slam the door shut on those we should win comfortably. It is what it is.

Passing the ball to Diallo, who then fumbles it, is not on Booker. The play where he drove the baseline and passed it to the free throw line (TO) would have been much better had the teammate not just stood at the three point line at the wing at an impossible angle. Looked like he expected him to be cutting. The entire team has to be active when Booker gets double-teamed and they have to work on it. I think they get a bit stagnant, and the whole offense sucks when it is "hold the ball for Booker to run by and grab it". So many turnovers/double-teams/stalled offense on that set. And that is the coaching, plain and simple. I would love them to run more down screens, rub screens, double screens, and such for Booker to get shots off, but this team is still very young when it comes to basketball IQ.

 

[Ronin]

You are right. It is what it is.

Booker scored 30+ points. AND WE WON! Sit him. Let someone else take his place.

Maybe, uh, uh uh, who did you say?
SMBFH

Those 30 points weren’t “empty calories” either. Booker and Middleton were going after it. It was really fun to watch.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

You are right. It is what it is.

Booker scored 30+ points. AND WE WON! Sit him. Let someone else take his place.

Maybe, uh, uh uh, who did you say?
SMBFH

Yes because that’s what I said. Exactly. Best argument ever - put words in someone else’s mouth. Lame.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Passing the ball to Diallo, who then fumbles it, is not on Booker. The play where he drove the baseline and passed it to the free throw line (TO) would have been much better had the teammate not just stood at the three point line at the wing at an impossible angle. Looked like he expected him to be cutting. The entire team has to be active when Booker gets double-teamed and they have to work on it. I think they get a bit stagnant, and the whole offense sucks when it is "hold the ball for Booker to run by and grab it". So many turnovers/double-teams/stalled offense on that set. And that is the coaching, plain and simple. I would love them to run more down screens, rub screens, double screens, and such for Booker to get shots off, but this team is still very young when it comes to basketball IQ.

Yes I’d agree with this.

but I also expect my max contract guy to be able to take over and close a game.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Yes I’d agree with this.

but I also expect my max contract guy to be able to take over and close a game.

I think I heard almost the same complaints about Lebron until his second season in Miami. And that's not to suggest that Booker is or will ever be anything close to Lebron.

 

[Hoop Head]

There were at least 3 turnovers that I saw. How the nba identifies them (or doesn’t) doesn’t mean they didn’t occur and they weren’t books fault.

he missed his only shot. Which also brings up the point he only took one shot. I know the counter is he was doubled, but go back and watch it, he wasn’t every time down the court. And when he was all he created was turnovers.

as for the game being outta reach, they cut it to 6 with 44 seconds to play. That’s not outta reach.

you can make excuses for book all you want but it’s clear this year he’s not making the plays stars make down the stretch of games that either win close games or slam the door shut on those we should win comfortably. It is what it is.

You are seeing things that didn't happen or attributing plays from another quarter to him in the 4th. Diallo didn't play with Booker in the 4th, Booker subbed in for Diallo at the start of the 4th. So the turnover ArizonaSportsFan mentioned came at a different time.

There were 3 turnovers in the 4th for the Suns, 1 was Booker's, as mentioned, 1 was Mikal's on a bad pass with 44 seconds to play, and the other was Baynes with an offensive foul.

Booker also went 2-3 from the field with an offensive rebound and a steal, plus 2-2 from the FT line. So he attempted more shots than you're claiming as well.

The lead may have gotten to 6 but that doesn't fall on Booker. The Suns killed a lot of clock waiting to take shots until late in the shot clock and when they didn't kill the clock, the Bucks fouled. For once the Suns played smart towards the end but the Bucks kept hitting big 3's. So it may have gotten closer but the Suns did their job at the FT stripe to keep it from becoming close enough to lose. You can't blame Booker, or anyone, for not shooting in the final minute when it got closer because the Bucks were fouling right away.

Nobody is excusing his turnover issue. He needs to cut down on them but they weren't the problem you're making them out to be with the game on the line last night. He's no longer the PG though and shouldn't be getting as many turnovers as he does, even if that means getting fewer assists, because I think that's what will need to happen for him to cut back significantly. He needs to quit trying to create for others so much.

 

[itlnsunsfan]

He's no longer the PG though and shouldn't be getting as many turnovers as he does, even if that means getting fewer assists, because I think that's what will need to happen for him to cut back significantly. He needs to quit trying to create for others so much.

I agree with this. He had a very good game, but there were multiple instances where I shook my head and said "Can't make that pass Book".

 

[AzStevenCal]

I agree with this. He had a very good game, but there were multiple instances where I shook my head and said "Can't make that pass Book".

I said that a few times last night on passes that actually worked. Those bounce passes down low in a heavily crowded lane might look nice when they succeed but they fail far more often than they succeed IMO.

 

[Mainstreet]

Part of Booker's evolution as a star is passing the ball but his career assist/turnover ratio of 4.7 to 3.3 needs to improve.

I'm not sure who to compare Booker, but the career assist/turnover ratio of Bradley Beal is 4.0 to 2.3.

 

[GatorAZ]

Part of Booker's evolution as a star is passing the ball but his career assist/turnover ratio of 4.7 to 3.3 needs to improve.

I'm not sure who to compare Booker, but the career assist/turnover ratio of Bradley Beal is 4.0 to 2.3.

He’s just not a good passer which is fine as long as he’s not well below average. He’s still talented enough to get assists since he’s always draws the most attention.

 

[Raze]

Nobody is excusing his turnover issue. He needs to cut down on them but they weren't the problem you're making them out to be with the game on the line last night. He's no longer the PG though and shouldn't be getting as many turnovers as he does, even if that means getting fewer assists, because I think that's what will need to happen for him to cut back significantly. He needs to quit trying to create for others so much.

Great post Hoop.

Every off season Book has come back and increased one area of his game:

2nd year: Scoring (+60% increase from previous year)
3rd year: Rebounding (+41%)
4th year: Assists (+45%)
5th year: Efficiency (TS went from .584 to .620)

I would hope that this year Monty will encourage Book to work on ball control. He is far too loose with the ball. He often will dribble into the heart of the D only to lose the handle. I don't mind TO's when a player is trying to make something happen with a pass. But Book is racking up TOs by dribbling off his own leg or leaving the ball in open space where a good defender can swat it away.

I would think a realistic goal for him next year is to keep his assist numbers around 6.5 while dropping his TOs to about 2.5 per game (if he lands at 3 it would still be a marked improvement).

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

You are seeing things that didn't happen or attributing plays from another quarter to him in the 4th. Diallo didn't play with Booker in the 4th, Booker subbed in for Diallo at the start of the 4th. So the turnover ArizonaSportsFan mentioned came at a different time.

There were 3 turnovers in the 4th for the Suns, 1 was Booker's, as mentioned, 1 was Mikal's on a bad pass with 44 seconds to play, and the other was Baynes with an offensive foul.

Booker also went 2-3 from the field with an offensive rebound and a steal, plus 2-2 from the FT line. So he attempted more shots than you're claiming as well.

The lead may have gotten to 6 but that doesn't fall on Booker. The Suns killed a lot of clock waiting to take shots until late in the shot clock and when they didn't kill the clock, the Bucks fouled. For once the Suns played smart towards the end but the Bucks kept hitting big 3's. So it may have gotten closer but the Suns did their job at the FT stripe to keep it from becoming close enough to lose. You can't blame Booker, or anyone, for not shooting in the final minute when it got closer because the Bucks were fouling right away.

Nobody is excusing his turnover issue. He needs to cut down on them but they weren't the problem you're making them out to be with the game on the line last night. He's no longer the PG though and shouldn't be getting as many turnovers as he does, even if that means getting fewer assists, because I think that's what will need to happen for him to cut back significantly. He needs to quit trying to create for others so much.

Jesus forget it you’re attributing things to me I didn’t say and moving goalposts. I know what I saw and what I’ve seen all season.