Thoughts On The G-League Ignite’s Loss To The Oklahoma City Blue
December 3rd, 2021
By Alan Lu
Today, I took the time to watch the G-League Ignite play the Oklahoma City Blue once again. Unfortunately, they had trouble keeping up, as the Blue were bolstered by the strong overall play and scoring of D.J. Wilson, Olivier Sarr, and their wing players throughout the night. The Blue’s wing players made threes and scored on strong drives to the hoop, Wilson and Sarr thrived at scoring in the post and also made threes to space the floor.
On the G-League Ignite, no one seemed to particularly stand out overall, but Dyson Daniels and Fanbo Zeng seemed to play well in this game. Jaden Hardy and Michael Foster had also some very good moments. Overall though, the G-League Ignite struggled to shoot, and they also generally had trouble with turnovers and in defending shooters in their loss to the Oklahoma City Blue. For those that are interested in the box score of this game, here is the link.
(Photo: Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports, via mjdonline.com)
Dyson Daniels had a solid showing in this game. He showed his versatility as he made shots from all over the floor, and he also played well on both sides of the ball in his team’s loss. Daniels shot the ball very well, especially from downtown. He showed that he can make threes, both off the catch and dribble. He also excelled at scoring on hustle plays. He ran in to score on athletic tip slam, and he also did a good job of scoring on strong drives in transition.
Plus, he also managed to score on a floater after dribbling off of a screen, while drawing an extra free throw afterwards. He struggled to score when he wouldn’t get foul calls, as he would take tough shots that would lead to misses. He also displayed decent playmaking skills in this game. He is an unselfish player that can kick balls out to shooters to set up scoring chances for them, and he can make an assortment of passes to get his teammates the basketball. On the downside, when posting up once, he threw an inaccurate lob pass that sailed out of bounds. There was another play where he lost the ball as it slipped out of his hands another time.
He also did a very good job of rebounding the basketball. Daniels was able to chase down balls to help his team get multiple boards on both ends of the floor. He also played solid defense in this game. He would his hands on passes, and poke balls away to help his team get steals and deflections. He also would apply heavy ball pressure to help force passing turnovers, and he also would contest shots to force misses. However, he would tend to over-help in the paint, and it would lead him to be late to contest shots, which would lead him to allow three-point baskets to his opponents. He also bit on a pump fake and closed out too hard, which led to another three-point basket to his opponent. In addition, his lack of size can make it difficult for him to defend in the post, as he ended up allowing a score to taller player once.
Overall, Dyson Daniels played well in his team’s loss to the Oklahoma City Blue. He is a versatile player that was able to help his team in a variety of ways in this game. He’ll still need to be a more consistent shooter and scorer in games, but his solid playmaking and defensive skills, combined with his size and ability to play the point could enable him to be a good pick in the mid to late first round range in the 2022 draft.
Fanbo Zeng played fairly well in his team’s loss to the Oklahoma City Blue. Though he still ran into foul trouble, he had a big block early on, and he also thrived as a shooter and scorer in the fourth quarter of this game. Zeng shot the ball very well from beyond the arc. He did a very good job of making open, spot-up threes off the catch to provide floor spacing for his team on offense. He also was active in looking to score on hustle plays. He ran in to score on a tip-in after getting an offensive rebound while drawing an extra free throw. He also managed to draw a foul when cutting to the hoop off the ball. He also made a quick backdoor cut early on, but he ended missing on a tough, acrobatic reverse layup due to rushing.
He also displayed fairly average playmaking skills. Zeng is an unselfish player that will make the extra pass to keep the ball moving. He also set an on-ball screen to help his teammate score on a jump shot. On the downside, he tried to drive towards the baseline after using a running start to get the ball, but he ended up stepping out of bounds. He also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball. He would leap up to haul in boards on both ends of the floor.
Defensively, he looked to be about average. For the positives, he is an active interior defender that will look to make plays on the ball. He did a good job of blocking and altering shots in the paint to help get stops for his team, due to possessing solid athleticism, length, and timing. He also would contest shots in the paint to force misses. On the downside, he still was quite foul prone in this game. Sometimes, Zeng would be too aggressive in trying to make plays, which would lead him to commit fouls when defending in the post or going for loose balls. He also is very skinny, and stronger opponents would overpower him in the post to allow scores for them. He also would struggle to defend opponents off the dribble at times.
Overall, Fanbo Zeng had a solid showing in this game. He played much better than how he had in previous games, and his ability to make threes and block shots makes him an intriguing prospect for the draft. He still needs to add more muscle to his frame, and he’ll need to improve his ability to finish in traffic, and find ways to stay on the floor for longer stretches. Still, he is a talented, versatile prospect that could be an intriguing pick in the second round on draft day.
MarJon Beauchamp put forth a satisfactory performance in his team’s loss to the Oklahoma City Blue. He showed off versatile scoring skills, he thrived as a facilitator and rebounder, and he also was able to make some big defensive plays in this game. Beauchamp shot the ball well from downtown. He did a good job of knocking down threes, and he showed that he was able to make them off the catch and dribble. He also did a good job of scoring on strong drives in transition. He also was able to make a pull-up, mid-range jumper from the baseline. On the downside, he would sometimes take tough shots off the dribble, which would lead to misses.
He also displayed good playmaking skills. He is an unselfish player that passed the ball very well, and he would often find open teammates to set up scores for them. He can make swift drive and kick passes, and he also can throw long passes to get the ball to open shooters. On one play though, he drove to the hoop, but had it poked away that led to a turnover.
Also, Beauchamp did a great job of rebounding the basketball. He especially showed a knack for collecting defensive boards, and he would tend to push the ball up the court afterwards. He also looked to be fairly average defensively. Beauchamp is an active help defender that will look to make plays on the ball. He was able to alter a shot in the paint due to possessing good athleticism, timing, and instincts. He also was able to intercept a pass and poke a ball away to get steals. He also would actively contest shots in the paint to force misses. On the downside, he would tend to over-help in the paint and be late to rotate, and he would give up too much space to three-point shooters to allow scores to them. He also would struggle to defend opponents off the dribble, and he would get outmuscled at times that would lead his team to commit fouls.
Overall, MarJon Beauchamp played fairly well in this game. He showed off a variety of skills, and he has played well in the G-League this season. He has been one of the more consistently productive players on his team, and he would likely be a good pick for an NBA team in the mid to late first round range on draft day.
Michael Foster had a decent showing in his team’s loss to the Oklahoma City Blue. He excelled as a scorer and shot blocker when he was on the floor, but he and his team had some breakdowns defensively, especially when they would defend screens in this game. Foster showed a decent ability to score in the post. He was able to use a drop step move to score on a powerful dunk early on. He also managed to score on a turnaround jumper. On the downside, he had trouble consistently scoring on turnaround jumpers in this game. He also showed a knack for scoring on put backs.
Plus, he also was able to use a jump stop to score on a left-handed drive to the hoop. He also shot the ball fairly well, as he showed that he can make spot-up jumpers from both the mid-range and from beyond the arc, and he also dribbled to his left to score on a long two. However, he had trouble consistently scoring on pull-up, mid-range jumpers. Also, Foster was able to make some good passes to find open shooters to set up scoring chances for them. He also did not turn the ball over once on offense. While he didn’t grab many rebounds in this game, he was able to leap up to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor.
Defensively, he looked to be fairly average. Foster did a great job of blocking shots in the paint due to possessing good length and timing, and he also was able to intercept a pass to get a steal. He also did a good job of contesting shots in the post as well as off the dribble to help force misses. However, he often struggled to defend in screen situations. He would sometimes over-hedge, and allow opponents to score on rolls. Other times, he would drop too far back, and allow opponents to score on open shots. He also tended to be too aggressive at times, which would late him to over-rotate and bite on pump fakes, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.
Overall, Michael Foster played relatively well, as he excelled as a shooter and scorer in this game, and he also thrived as a shot blocker to help his team protect the paint. On the downside, he and his team often struggled to defend screens, especially early on, and they struggled with their rotations on those plays. Foster will need to improve his perimeter and team defense, but his ability to make plays in the paint and solid production in the G-League could make him a worthwhile pick in the first round of the 2022 draft.
Jaden Hardy had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to the Oklahoma City Blue. As the player that currently has the most draft stock on his team for the 2022 draft, Hardy looked to set the tone early, and he was extremely aggressive in hunting for his own shots to try to score early and often. He’s continued to be quite a divisive prospect, as he struggled to shoot well early on, really excelled as a shooter and scorer in the second quarter, and then was more passive and struggled to make shots in the second half. Hardy still plays like an unabashed chucker that hasn’t seemed to meet a shot he doesn’t like, but he certainly had some good moments, and he was at his best on offense when he was either taking threes or distributing the basketball.
Hardy did an adequate job of knocking down jumpers, and he especially thrived as a three-point shooter from beyond the arc. He used a jab step to make a deep three early on, and Hardy also managed to make a couple of open, spot-up threes. He also dribbled off a screen to make a pull-up three later on. He also used a crossover and pulled up to make a jumper from the mid-range. On the downside, he tended to miss on pull-up, mid-range jumpers, and he was far too streaky as a shooter overall. He also tended to take quick, contested shots, which led to some awkward misses.
He also struggled to consistently score off the dribble. Hardy was able to drive off of a screen to score on a floater. He also took the ball up court and scored on a reverse layup another time. On the downside, he tended to take tough, contested shots, which would lead him to miss shots in traffic. On the plus side, he showed an adequate ability to draw fouls on when making strong moves to the hoop.
Hardy showed off solid playmaking skills in this game. He is a quick, athletic guard that can consistently get into the lane, and he would make swift, drive and kick passes to set up scores for his teammates. He excelled as a passer when he would look to do so, and he also can make an assortment of passes to get the ball to his teammates in prime spots on the floor. On one play though, he had the ball ripped away from him when handling it, which led him to commit a turnover.
Also, Hardy did a good job of rebounding the basketball. He especially excelled at crashing the glass to help his team get offensive boards in this game. Defensively, he looked to be fairly average in this game. For the positives, Hardy is a very athletic help defender that can make plays on the ball. He was able to rotate to block a shot hard off of a drive, as he swatted it out of bounds. He also would jump on loose balls to help his team get steals. He also actively defended an opposing ball handler, and helped force a ball handling turnover. On the downside, he would tend to give up too much space to shooters, and his lack of size would make it tough for him to defend them on jump shots. Other times, he wouldn’t move his feet well enough, and he would get beat off the dribble, which would lead his team to be in compromised situations.
Overall, Jaden Hardy didn’t have a great game, but he played very well in the second quarter that showed his immense potential. He’ll need to harness his aggressiveness in other ways, and he’ll need to improve his shot selection and look to distribute the basketball more.
He’ll need to find a balance between aggressively looking to take shots and playing a solid team game, and it didn’t seem like he was quite able to do so in this contest. Early on, he took a lot of shots and he played relatively well in the first half, but his team really struggled on both sides of the ball. In the second half, he took a much more passive role, and he struggled to shoot well, but he was better as a facilitator and defender, and his team played considerably better. Hardy has struggled to be a consistent shooter in games, but his vast athleticism, combined with his shooting and scoring skills could enable him to be a lottery pick in the 2022 draft.
Scoot Henderson has been dominant in the G-League recently, but he struggled to make shots in his team’s loss to the Oklahoma City Blue. He didn’t shoot the ball well, but he did a good job as a facilitator and defender in this game. Henderson showed a decent ability to score off the dribble. Midway through this match, he drove hard to his left to score on a quick floater. He also showed a knack for getting fouled when handling the ball to get to the free throw line. Sometimes though, he would take tough, contested shots that would lead to misses, especially when he wouldn’t get foul calls.
Also, Henderson was active in looking to score on hustle plays. He was able to leap up to get an offensive rebound, and he then scored on a put back. While he made a quick cut to the hoop, he ended up missing that shot in traffic. Henderson also didn’t shoot the ball very well from the outside. On one good play, he ran off the ball, and was able to knock down an open mid-range jumper to score that time. However, Henderson tended to miss on pull-up jumpers from the mid-range area, and he tended to settle for taking those shots all too often. He also missed on a three-point shot despite using a pump fake to get his shot up.
He also showcased solid playmaking skills in this game. Henderson is a speedy guard that passes well off the dribble, and he would often get the ball to his teammates to set up scores for them. He can quickly get into the lane and kick balls out to shooters to help get them open shots. On one play though, the ball slipped out of his hands when he looked to pass, and it ended up getting intercepted by a defender.
Plus, he also did a satisfactory job of rebounding the basketball. Henderson was able to get boards on both ends of the floor, and he also was able to get an acrobatic defensive board once in this game. He also played solid defense in this game. Henderson did a good job of getting steals. He would get his hands on passes to get steals and deflections, and he also would jump on loose balls to help his team get other steals. He also would apply heavy ball pressure and fight through screens to force opponents to commit turnovers. On the downside, he would sometimes over-help in the paint and give up too much space to shooters, which would lead him to allow them to score on three-point shots.
Overall, Scoot Henderson had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to the Oklahoma City Blue. He didn’t shoot the ball very well, but he generally played much better in the non-shooting or scoring related categories of this game. Still, he’s played much better in previous games, and he’s still a strong candidate to be the top pick of the 2023 draft.
Other Notes:
The Oklahoma City Blue’s big men, D.J. Wilson and Olivier Sarr thrived as shooters and scorers in this game. They did a great job of knocking down threes to show their sharpshooting prowess, and they excelled at scoring in the post, off the dribble, and on hustle plays. D.J. Wilson looked like he’s ready for a call-up in the NBA. Also, their wing players, Vit Krejci, Aaron Wiggins, and Melvin Frazier also played well in this game. Krejci was able to throw down big-time dunks, and he and his teammates also shot the ball well from beyond the arc.
