PAO – better than was expected, but Calathes is taking too many shots
PAO – better than was expected, but Calathes is taking too many shots
I bet nobody would expect that PAO to be so close to the victory in Madrid last night. They almost did it, but in the last minutes, they have lost the way to the basket, allowing the comeback of the host team.
Nick Calathes looked again like the hero in the last quarter when he scored 12 points, being the engine of the PAO’s comeback. Before this moment Calathes had scored only 1 from 11 shots and his efficiency was negative: -5. He finished with 6 from 18 and a positive index rate: 5.
The thing that I really don’t understand is how is possible that Nick Calathes took so many shots when it is a known fact that his shooting percentage is awful. Let’s take a deeper look at this game stats: Calathes had 10 shots from the arc and the whole PAO team that includes some real shooters (Langford, Kilpatrick, Thomas) had as well 10 shots.
So, this is the winning philosophy? To let the worst shooter from 3 point line to have the same number of shots like the other 11 guys from your team? Not even Jaycee Carroll, Rudy Fernandez or Jeffrey Taylor, great players from the arc don’t shoot 10 times in the same game!!! And cold-hand Calathes do this?
Calathes has his qualities too: he can provide a lot of assists, he is much bigger than other guards so he can come closer to the basket, he can score lay-ups and tear-drops with high percentage, but from the 3 point line is a bit better than Tavares, from 2 point range is mediocre and from the free-throws is worst than Shaquille O’Neil.
In these circumstances, it’s a mystery why is he taking 19 shots from 66 that the whole team had yesterday against Real Madrid. If you are good at assists, then create space for your teammates to score and give them the ball and everybody will be happy and the team will win. But don’t monopolize the ball for shooting with a poor percentage.
Every time when Calathes finds himself free on the arc, he shoots! Don’t he realize that the opponents allow him to shoot exactly because he has a good probability to miss the shot? The entire PAO organization has to understand that and to reduce the number of Calathes shots in order to win games. Everybody on Panathinaikos’s roster can shoot better. Don’t believe me if you don’t like, but believe at least the Euroleague stats. Calathes is on the last places in Euroleague on 3 points percentage and as well on free-throw percentage. So why does he shoots wildly every ball he comes in his hands? Still a mystery!!!
Gratian Cormos, info@brainbasketball.net
