- Wembanyama is an all-around contributor but even if he wasn’t as polished on offense as he turned out to be, he would have still been a game-changer on defense. Opponents are legitimately afraid to challenge him at the rim.
- Malaki Branham and Julian Champagnie didn’t shoot all that well from outside, combining to make five of 16, but took good shots for the most part. Champagnie also played some good defense while Branham helped on the boards. A decent night for the starting wings.
- Pop used some weird lineups that somehow worked, including one featuring all three of Blake Wesley, Tre Jones and Devonte’ Graham. The point guards didn’t have great stat lines (bad shooting for Tre and Graham, five turnovers for Wesley) but played a part in securing the win.
- Pop also continued to use Collins and Wembanyama together for stretches and the pairing worked well enough. Wemby is at his best at center, but it’s not a bad thing to have those two developing some chemistry for next season because they could complement each other well in some matchups.
- Sidy Cissoko brought the energy on Tuesday, finishing with 10 points, three boards, two assists, a steal and a block. He singlehandedly shook the team out of its stupor by being physical in his first stint, at least for a while. Good night for the rookie.
- How should Sandro Mamukelashvili’s play as of late be analyzed? The season is over and opponents haven’t been at their best, but Mamu has consistently crashed the boards, moved the ball and generally made the right decisions. It’s tempting to take these last few games as proof that he belongs, especially considering how likable he is, but judging players on just a few late-season games seems like a bad idea. For now, let’s just enjoy how fun he’s been and postpone discussing the tough decisions that are ahead.
Source: https://www.poundingtherock.com/2024/4/ ... kelashvili