Thanks, Ntilakilla. I’ve been fascinated by IQ’s runner. It looks like a desperation shot-put heave, but once you get past the ugly it seems well-practiced and very effective. I know others have complained about distance, I’d love to see a compilation of his misses to see if it’s true that the further out he is the more it misses (which seems to be logical). His three-pointer isn’t that pretty, either, but it also goes in. I’m all for substance over style.

I’ve been fascinated with his runner/floater as well for the same reason. When I first saw him heave them up I thought, “Why the hell is he throwing up such a reckless shot?” Then I noticed several were going in and realized that he actually practices it as a go to shot in and around the paint. To me, it seems as if his range with it is around the FT line, and this tendency actually connects to your observation about his awkward looking shot. I am no shooting expert by any means but it seems as if he shotputs (pushes rather than throws) his regular free throw jumper at the FT line the way he shotputs his runners/floaters. That’s the reason why, as many noted, he has a tendency to shoot more line drive type shots than those higher arcing rainbows you see from a Knox or Toppin. It’s a weird shooting habit that actually seems like he’s repeating a similar motion in both instances. I dunno know, maybe it works out for him and helps create a continuity.

All I know is that runner/floater is nice weapon to have in the paint. Tony Parker made an NBA career off them and half of Steph’s game in the paint is based off them. And, as someone else mentioned before here, that shot pairs real well with the alley-oop game because it looks like a lob pass coming out of his hands.

Z-man: It does look like a stronger class than advertised, although quite a few folks said that the lack of star power was offset by a quietly deep group. But that said, it takes a couple of times around the league for teams to have enough film to scout new draftees, and it also takes a couple of times around the league for new draftees to figure out what the can and can’t do at the NBA level and what they really need to work on.

Then there are guys who haven’t played much, either due to players at their position in front of them or injury.

This is EXACTLY what was forecasted. This was not a draft that would have too many superstars but it was very deep in impact players.

As for Quickley starting, I posted the other day that I see the starting lineup evolving so that both Quickley and Burks are starting instead of Payton and Bullock. Suddenly we’ll have outside shooting in that starting lineup.

Starters: Quickley, Burks, RJ, Randle and Mitch
Bench: Payton, Bullock, Knox, Toppin and Noel
The forgotten: DSJr, Rivers, Frank, Iggy, Taj

I think Thibs knows Quickley is better than Elfrid. But he likely doesn’t want to rush him into the starting lineup and will probably wait til at least game 20 to make a move like that.

If you all recall, Rose and Thibs both have repeatedly said that they would reevaluate this team after a 15 game sample size of games played into the season. Our game against Orlando tonight will be #15. I wouldn’t be surprised if some changes are made after then going into our game vs. Golden State.

Elf is a vet and yeah, he’s a one year on a cheap deal but its still a bigger deal for a vet to get displaced in the starting line up, especially when that vet isn’t old. And once that happens, if Quickley does falter, then Thibs looks bad and maybe he loses some of the trust from the other players? And Quickley is probably fine being a back up right now since he’s a rookie, was drafted later and has plenty of time to become a starter after this season.

I think Thibs will wait until Quickley has made the case irrefutable.

ess-dog: I know it’s still early, but for a class that has been roundly panned by pundits, the 20/21 rookies are kicking some ass. Maxey, Ball, Hali, Tate, Isaiah Joe, Wiseman, Tillman, and Achiuwa have all had really strong starts, and our rooks are right there too. It will be an interesting ROY race, that’s for sure.

It does look like a stronger class than advertised, although quite a few folks said that the lack of star power was offset by a quietly deep group. But that said, it takes a couple of times around the league for teams to have enough film to scout new draftees, and it also takes a couple of times around the league for new draftees to figure out what the can and can’t do at the NBA level and what they really need to work on.

Then there are guys who haven’t played much, either due to players at their position in front of them or injury.

Which brings me to the ellipses and lack of caps. I’m actually in favor of them, myself. The style irritated me at first, but now I appreciate it as something different. I say don’t change, djphan. Just cut out the really rude insults pretending to be questions. Because they all can be summed up as variants of, “What are you, a fucking moron?” They don’t fool anyone and often lead to quickly escalating arguments that are personal in nature, rather than about the topic.

So my question to the hive is whether we’re just being weirdly consistently lucky (an oxymoron if there ever was one) with Invisible Sixth Man, or are we playing some kind of great defense that is going to be replicable throughout the season?

I know it’s still early, but for a class that has been roundly panned by pundits, the 20/21 rookies are kicking some ass. Maxey, Ball, Hali, Tate, Isaiah Joe, Wiseman, Tillman, and Achiuwa have all had really strong starts, and our rooks are right there too. It will be an interesting ROY race, that’s for sure.