Jazz @ Pacers

Not that these are two great teams or something lol, but I was able to make it to the game tonight, so thought I’d share my thoughts:

Roy Hibbert – The Jazz had no answer for him. He got what he wanted all night. When he’s confident, he’s one of the better centers in the league. He only had one block tonight, but probably changed about 20 shots. 

Lavoy Allen – Had a great game with 12 points and 15 rebounds in 27 minutes. I really like his game. Very good on the offensive glass. Good defender. Good motor. Very good size/strength and girth. Solid mid-range shooter. Can play both the four and the five. Even when David West returns, Frank Vogel needs to get him minutes.

Solomon Hill – He’s getting better and better. He’s really worked on his ball handling. His jumper isn’t consistent, but he can get to the basket. He loves contact and plays very physical. He put Gordon Hayward on a poster tonight… Dunked on him with the left and made him fall.

AJ Price – He scored 22 tonight and made some big shots. He’ll probably be cut once George Hill and CJ Watson are healthy, but I can’t see why another team wouldn’t pick him up as a 3rd guard. Reports are he was considering going to China before the Pacers signed him. 

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Gordon Hayward – I’ve always been a big fan of Hayward and believed he could be an All-Star in the NBA. He’s improved a ton. It’s not like he was defended by Paul George tonight, but he still scored 30 and made it look pretty easy. He didn’t force anything and played a great team game. He coasted in the first half, but really picked it up in the second. He pretty much did it all. Defended. Rebounded. Got his teammates quality shots. Scored off of the dribble and off of the ball. He’s really put in a lot of work on his body and it’s showing in his confidence. He’s more athletic than people think.

Derrick Favors – Had a rough night defending Hibbert and was frustrated. He had 13 points, but on 13 shots. 

Enes Kanter – He doesn’t look as big/bulky in person as he looks on tv lol. His jumpshot was money tonight. Great hands. He has skill offensively, but his defense isn’t that great. 

Alec Burks – He showed some creativity off of the dribble and made a few tough shots, but wasn’t too impressive tonight. 

Trey Burke – He couldn’t buy a bucket, but kept shooting… He’s not a defender. He’s small and I didn’t see the effort at that end. Price was tearing him up. 

Dante Exum – He didn’t show me anything tonight. I didn’t even really see anything that like jumped out at me. I’ve watched both Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker in person this season, and they both showed things that jumped out at me. Like I couldn’t figure out like what Exum is good at. I know he’s fast, but I just didn’t see anything else. He’s very raw. I will say that his jumpshot mechanics don’t look too bad.

Rudy Gobert – He’s tall and long, but the little lob play they throw to him didn’t work tonight against Hibbert/Mahinmi. He’s too skinny and doesn’t have the strength to play physical really. He didn’t make an impact tonight.