By Christopher Wilson

With a quarter of the season in the books, everything seems to be playing out according to plan. Nothing really stands out as unexpected or shocking. I have done some research and watched a few games several times to support this conclusion. It’s a small sample size, but that’s all we have so far for all our assessments.

Do the pieces fit?

Going into the season I read and agreed with that Kill and Motor Cade would have a hard time playing together. I believe many thought Saddiq would thrive with Cade because of his skill set especially the catch and shoot part of his game. However, Saddiq’s offensive game has been atrocious when he plays with Cade. Not only did Bey cool off from his early season hot start, but he’s even regressed from his 1st team rookie performance of last year. I don’t think many predicted Bey would sustain his 17 ppg and 9 reb all season, but what has transpired since those two started playing together is deplorable.

Better, Apart

In games without Cade, Saddiq averaged 16.4 ppg on 45.8% shooting and 30% from 3. In games with Cade he averages 11.3 ppg on 31.4 and 28% from 3. The rebounds have taken a slight dip also, but the assists, turnovers and steals are consistent with or without Cade. The eye test (sorry couldn’t find another term, I hate the “eye test”) on TV and at the game shows when Cade is on the floor the offense is trying to get Jerami going more than others. When Cade does not play Saddiq has more plays that include him moving without the ball and more screens to create space for him. I don’t know what a solution to this would be. I’m not saying Cade’s time on the court should be reduce to help Saddiq, but I also don’t think the 17 and 9 Bey averaged was a fluke, he is capable of being close to those numbers. Maybe you guys can look deeper into why this is happening and what needs to change. Once again small sample size so this can all be pointless in a month or two.

Broken shot?

Lastly, Saddiq never jumps into his shot. Everything seems like a fadeaway which drives me insane cause a lot of his shots come up short. Would have to watch some games from last year to see if his motion is the same, but regardless that’s shooting 101 to jump into your shot. Hopefully this issue is fixed as the season continues to play out.