HangTime wrote:Darko's coaching is showing.
Imagine him with better talent next season.
There was a stat this year that surprised me and didn't surprise me. It was when he played like 9 games in a row for the first time in his career under Darko.
For those who've said he's had a chance here, especially under Nurse...that stat should tell you he didn't.
This game was probably a blip, but after watching, it wasn't like we went crazy from 3 or anything, everything just came in the flow of the game and he mostly took what the defense gave him. The main difference was he was taking and hitting his midrange pullups off the screen and roll and he got to the line more than usual. He was just playing and Detroit had no one else who could score reliably, so Monty let him keep going with a green light. He wasn't even hogging it, his teammates just sucked. I don't think he's the type to commandeer a team to showcase himself like Fred did, so a game like this was a result of the stars aligning where he was free to look for his offense, he was feeling comfortable game wise and the team he played wasn't doing a good job defensively.
But it was refreshing to see him just go out there and play ball, not trying to prove anything. Atlanta's defense also sucks, which helps.
I said before that him never scoring more than 30 here after going for multiple 20+ point games in his rookie year was an indictment on Nurse. He's a potential microwave scorer who was told not to shoot, not to shoot runners or mid-range shots, to play off-ball, not to use screens. He just couldn't play freely here, and by the time Darko arrived, the damage was done.
Also, him having playing with Lowry, Fred, Schroeder, Brunson, and Cade and for different coaches probably doesn't hurt his development. I hope he sticks somewhere. I would even bring him back.
I'm just glad Nurse is gone. I can only imagine what he would've done to Gradey's career after some early struggles.
