| RealGM Rookie Report: Thomas And Sefolosha At Miami Authored by J.T. Magee - November 1, 2006 - 5:28 pm
In order to stay on top of how the rookies are playing and how they will play throughout the season, RealGM Rookie Reports will detail how well a rookie for a respective team played in a game. These will be a short synopsis of how the rookies played. In this case, they were Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha, both players the Bulls traded for. If they keep their play up, we’ll be calling this team Da Bulls. An end result of any Da Bulls moniker is a ‘chip, so stay tuned on this team.
Tyrus Thomas
Coming out of LSU after his freshman year, Thomas said he was a perimeter player. If he’s a perimeter player and pulling off some of the feats he had last night, watch out. Almost every time he went inside, he made a play. Even if it was a turnover through over-aggression, Thomas established himself and someone an opposing can’t take their eyes off.
On offense, Thomas was more of a garbage man rather than a prototypical swingman. He represents the future of power forwards, but that’s for another article. Thomas showed off a decent but uncomfortable handle on the perimeter, almost looking to pass after a dribble or two. He may consider himself a perimeter player, but for now, he’ll be making a living coming in for rebounds and gobbling them up.
His shot will come in time. That’s all I can really say about it. The form is there, but he just isn’t used to shooting comfortably yet. It takes young guys a little while to get it, but once he finds his area to shoot from, he’ll be a dangerous threat on offense.
In a little over 16 minutes, he had 5 rebounds. The only offensive rebound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4-nJcMy9J4. Considering his rebound numbers, he was able to board with succession. But watching him board? It’s on another level. He just knows where to be. His arms look like they’re going to hit the backboard the next time he goes up for a rebound inside. There’s no way he won’t average 10 per within two years. His instincts alone could help him get there, but his timing and knowledge of where he’s at on the court is pretty unremarkable.
His long arms weren’t just for rebounding. By blocking one of Shaq’s little hooks out of bounds, Thomas made a statement: interior defense is here to stay in Chicago. Blocking shots were a part of the reason he was drafted so high for a freshman, but proving it by coming off the weak side to block the best center in the NBA was just a joy to watch.
The best part of the game was his second injury. Most players will get banged up. It’s part of the game. But when his face hit the floor, he was hurt. Everyone knew it. The players on the court never had the angle people at home had when Thomas hit the floor. Let’s just say his nose broke his fall. It sucks to get injured, but the best part about it was each player’s reaction on the play.
Imagine this scenario. Elementary school, basketball court, 11 and 12-year-olds playing basketball during recess. One of the bigger kids, but younger, wants to play. Everyone’s hesitant but allows him on the court. This kid can play with the rest of them. He’s having a good game, until he scraps his hands falling down. He looks at his hands, and then looks up. Everyone knew what was coming next: waterfalls. The kid won’t stop crying. Everyone is looking around, just waiting for him to stop crying. But he won’t. The playground supervisor has to come over to see if he’s all right. He eventually walks off the court, and then play resumes.
Thomas was that little kid. It must suck to get your nose broken, but each player had that bigger kid-look on his face. Shaq: it’s okay, kid, just get off the court. It was the type of scenario players have to wait out but know it can come to end quicker than it is. Thomas eventually walked off with a towel on his nose, along with a couple trainers. In the words of the man himself: "This just makes my debut more memorable," he said in an interview with K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
I only make that connection because it won’t be too long before Thomas is one of those bigger kids. Once he establishes his game a little more and gets used to the flow of the game, he’s going to be very, very good for Da Bulls. His defensive instincts and athleticism will always be there, but he’ll have to get used to being comfortable on the perimeter, with the ball. Once that happens? Watch out.
Thabo Sefolosha
After watching him play, I can understand why Chicago was so high on him on draft day. Afraid he wouldn’t make it to the 16th pick, the Bulls traded the rights to Rodney Carney for him. There was no need, other than an extra pick, for Philadelphia to make that deal. It just made the Bulls look smart for making sure they were able to draft their man.
Long like Thomas, Sefolosha is proven on the wing and comfortable there. He was the starting shooting guard for Angelico Biella in Italy last year. He’ll probably shift between the 2 and 3 this year, but don’t expect to minutes to stay consistent. Offensively, he showed off a handle and a nice little isolation move on Dorell Wright. Just a dribble to the left and a pull-up from the right wing. Nothing special. His form and release point on the j looked like the shot was going in even before it was halfway to the hoop. If he can score when given the opportunity like that, he may be getting near 20 minutes.
If he plays like he played last night, expect him to get more when the Bulls play against the likes of a Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, even a Carmelo Anthony. His long arms and happy feet enable him to collect steals and pick pockets. His rip on Robert Hite was the example. Expect a few of those sprinkled in with the rest of his game.
He played the least amount of minutes out of any Bull, but his efficiency from the floor in those minutes was too positive to ignore. He made all of his shots, but those shots were shots he would normally take within the Bulls’ offense. The aggression on his steal and dunk on Hite on solidified how he’s going to play for Chicago. He’s the biggest player the Bulls can play at the 2. He’s young and they’ll go deep all year. But if he can play efficiently game in and game out, he’s going to get his minutes. He may never be considered a star, but he’ll be the type of player teams will have to adapt to.
Assessment of the Rookies
If these two produce on both ends like they did against the defending NBA Champs, there’s no telling how many minutes and how successful Chicago will be. They won’t go 12-deep that often, but Head Coach Scott Skiles will have no choice but to give these two versatile players more minutes as the season wears on.
Assessment of Da Bulls
Their defense is there, that was evident. If their offense and transition game are like that the rest of the year? Wow. I’m not sure how these guys can be beat. A team like Phoenix was exposed in the middle and they have the bigs to counter what the Suns like to do. They have a few players they could throw at someone like Dirk Nowitzki. They have the depth, mainly at the point guard spot, to give Tony Parker nightmares in a 7-game series. That’s just the West Coast. If they play against the East like they played against the Heat, it’s not even worth mentioning how they can crush. It’s a long season, but they’re on a mission. This is a team to keep an eye on. |
