I think we might have doubled our dunk total for the season in just one game.
The story of the game (besides all of the dunks) was Richard Jefferson. Inserted back into the starting line-up, he responded with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and tons of energy.
Two things stand out to me about Jefferson and his continued role with the team. One, he really needs to drive to the hoop. I know this is nothing groundbreaking here. But when his first offensive touches are drives to the hoop, he is usually more aggressive the whole game and more confident in every other aspect of his game. But when his first couple of touches are 18-20 foot jump shots (which he usually misses), he tends to disengage and fade into being a complete non-factor.
The second (and probably more important) thing of note is that being put back into the starting line-up also put him back on the floor with Manu Ginobili. There has been a lot of talk recently about how almost all of Jefferson’s success had come in a movement based offense with an All-World creator and passer (Jason Kidd). In other words, Jefferson can’t create for himself; he needs to be the beneficiary of someone else’s creativity. Enter one Manu Ginobili, our best passer and most creative playmaker. It’s no coincidence that Jefferson started playing better after being sent to the bench, because his time overlapped with Ginobili’s. And it’s also no coincidence that his play once again started suffering after Ginobili moved back to the starting line-up.
The two things are not unrelated, either. In the first quarter of the game, Jefferson got two dunks, and both came off plays created by Manu. First, Manu curled off a screen towards the hoop. Jefferson was stationed in the corner. His man moved into the lane to cut off Ginobili, who then fired a pass to Jefferson in the corner. As Jefferson’s man attempted to close out on him, he drove past him and threw down a viscious dunk. The second play was a 2-on-1 fastbreak with Manu and Jefferson. Instead of taking it himself, Manu fed Jefferson at the last minute for the breakaway dunk.
Jefferson does have a lot that he can offer us, but he needs to be used properly. And the best way to properly utilize his talents is to play him alongside Manu as much as possible.
Looking Forward:
So far, so good. We’re winning the games we’re supposed to before we face the brunt of the schedule. The Clippers come to town tonight. Both teams are coming off Friday night games, so we’re both on back to backs. Being at home should help us out. Again, this is a team that we need to beat.
