This post is a little late considering that it is from the Sixers game last Wednesday, but I still think that this is something we need to look at. This game Chris Douglas-Roberts had one of his “old games.” What I mean by this is that he was being efficient, attacking the basket, and getting himself to the foul line.
Before we get to the post, yes I know CDR finally got minutes and yes Devin Harris and Yi were out, but that isn’t why he was so successful against the Sixers. In my opinion, there is only one reason why CDR was so productive was that he was aggressive.
Even without the basketball, Chris Douglas-Roberts looked different. The past 30 or 40 games, CDR was kind of just standing in the corner, not really looking for the ball. Here, CDR just looks different. He is looking for an opportunity to cut, and as soon as he gets the ball he knows what to do with it. He quickly swings it to Hayes who knocks down the jumper.
Here, CDR enters the ball to Brook Lopez and cuts to the rim, getting the pass, and finishing at the basket. This is something that the Nets ran all of the time in the early part of the year, but it is something that hasn’t been done (with CDR and Brook) in a long time. Recently, after CDR makes his pass, he kind of just stands and watches. Here, he makes a quick cut to the basket and scores.
Now maybe seeing those two baskets go in got CDR feeling good, because he was then attacking the basket the whole game. In the two videos above, CDR gets the ball and he looks to get to the basket. In previous games, he has seemed hesitant, slowing the ball up and waiting for help before passing it up. Here, he just goes to the basket (no matter how many defenders are back helping), getting a bucket on one and foul shots on the other.
Now once a player starts seeing the ball go in the hoop, things just become easier for them on the offensive end. Here CDR, a scorer not a shooter (usually), knocks down the jumper because he has been in a good rhythm throughout the game.
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This is what is really frustrates me about CDR. When he wants to be, he can be a very good scorer. He just isn’t aggressive all of the time. I know the CDR fans here are going to say something along the lines of “he doesn’t get plays called for him like Courtney Lee does.” That is the beauty of having a scorer like CDR, he should be able to get his points on his own. Just watch the videos above, there aren’t any plays called for him up there, yet he was still successful. He can be productive in this system, he just needs to be aggressive.
