The decision not to play Rasheer Fleming in this series until the end of the 3rd quarter of Game 4 was malpractice.
Jordan Ott exceeded expectations. He is first year head coach who should have our collective respect for the overall job he did this season. That being said, I’m taking off the gloves here. He made one mistake that was so obvious everyone, but him, seemed to see it.
And let me be clear before we proceed. I do not think playing rookie Rasheer Fleming changes the outcome of any of these
games, let alone the series as a whole. They were always going to lose this series. I had faith they’d be able to at least steal a game. The Thunder are that good. And that’s exactly why you need to try things!
Let’s repeat what I said in the first sentence: The decision not to play Rasheer Fleming in this series until the end of the 3rd quarter of Game 4 was malpractice. Especially with Mark Williams and Jordan Goodwin sidelined. What were we doing here? I have been adamant about dying on this hill during the Play-In Tournament and through the first 3 games of the 1st Round.
Game 1? Sure. We can give Ott a pass for that, as he was trying to feel things out. And the box score is decieving as you’ll see he played 7 minutes in that game, but that was a blowout, and we were in garbage time. Game 2? No Jordan Goodwin, a ton of 4-guard lineups, and a team getting killed by athleticism, size, and physicality? Not even a look?
We saw what happened the moment he checked in in Game 4. The impact he made shifted the momentum back in Phoenix’s favor the second he checked in. It’s almost like experimenting is worth it!
The damage was already done by the time Ott got to the “all things are on the table” point.
“All things are on the table. Game 1, we liked what we saw. Game 2, he got free a little bit and last game, we tried to put our center (Oso Ighodaro) on him. That’s as much size a we have. Every option is in there. Kind of gone through it all in our heads and then when it unfolds, try the best we can.”
I get that Ott trusts veterans Royce O’Neale, Grayson Allen, and even Haywood Highsmith in an environment where he is solely trying to win the game. One thing great modern coaches do is instill that trust with their rookies or sophomores throughout the year and rely on them in big moments.
Instead of building off the confidence Rasheer was gradually gaining, I thought their decision to “hide” him at the end of the year went against everything we liked about this team.
Phoenix traded up for him for a reason. He had some dominant stretches, especially defensively. Is he raw still? Of course. But these are the moments you want to battle-test your rookie in. When Dillon Brooks returned, his minutes diminished, and that was the exact opposite direction they should’ve gone.
The best defensive team that the Suns could put on the floor was always going to be with Rasheer Fleming and Dillon Brooks together. Add Jordan Goodwin to that as well.
It was a promising year for Rasheer Fleming, and he should be viewed as a staple in their rotation for years to come. He should serve as a key building block (alongside Maluach) in the identity of size and athleticism that they are looking to bring to the Valley.
