I was one of the people who mocked Kia Picanto when coach Joe Lipa tried to defend their trade of Christian Standhardinger.
I thought it was a lame excuse for trading a player that was so good, that he will be one of the top 15 players in the league, right away.
And that is still a fact up top this point. But, his statement about playing an unconventional way could be nearer to the truth than anyone expected.
The way they played in their first three games was not normal.
They Played Small Ball for Almost the Entirety of the Games
Can you name the starting forwards of Columbia Dyip? Okay, I know it is hard because their players are basically 2nd rounders that you may have never heard.
They started Eric Camson, Rashawn McCarthy, and Jackson Corpuz. None of those guys are taller than 6'4. Actually, Rashawn McCarthy may not even be a 6'1 and he was playing the SF position.
They do play a real center other than their import and that guy is Russell Escoto. Escoto did not even play in their first game and only totaled 18 minutes in their last two games.
In short, they are really playing small and they are not even blinking about it.
Their Offense is all about Three-Point Shots
They are not really super crazy about three-point shots but they averaged 35 attempts per game. The great thing is, they managed to hit 11.33 attempts per game. Which means their efficiency is 32.7%. It doesn't look good but if you transpose that to two-point shooting, that is around 50%.
They Play Really Fast
Coach Joe Lipa stayed true to his words. His team is really playing so fast. It is so fast that they averaged 117.3 points! That number is NBA-territory!
What makes playing small-ball for the entirety of the game is the fact that smaller guys are much accustomed to playing that kind of pace. Which helps them mathematically, because bigger guys will feel the stress of running those miles, much earlier than the smaller guards.
The slower their opponent, the nastier the guards of Columbia can be.
One number that will make their pace standout is the 28.7 points per game that they are producing through fastbreaks.
They are basically playing a pace that will not slow down anytime soon.
They Partnered it with Hounding Defense
To complement their blink-an-eye-and-you-die offense, they play defense that wants to take the ball from their opponent. They stole the ball 41 times in their first three games!
That is a hell of a production! If they can continue to force turnovers that much, expect Columbia to continue their good play.
When you can force turnover, it will feed the pace and may lead to fastbreak points. Turnovers also pressure the opponent into playing much faster.
SO, ARE THEY LEGIT?
They are playing well but take note, they can have a good conference and they can still get the #1 pick in the draft.
Don't believe them as a legit contending franchise unless they managed to reach the playoffs in two of the three conferences or enter the semifinals.
Comments
Post a Comment