Cuonzo Martin on whether or not there are concerns of Ivan Rabb getting into foul trouble as a result of guarding bigger guys: “Well, again, I like to put him in the best situation to be successful. But if that happens, then he has to do his job of defending him.”
Cuonzo Martin on whether or not a guy like Kaleb Tarzewski poses serious problems for Ivan Rabb: “Then I think at the same time Kaleb Tarzewski has to match up with Ivan Rabb. It’s just basketball. I mean the biggest kids getting stops, putting the ball in the basket. But, it’s just what you have to do.”
Cuonzo Martin on whether or not there is anybody who has stood out to him in this training camp process: “I think guys have gotten better from the summertime up until now, but I think if there’s one guy, I would probably say two guys. I think Tyrone Wallace in making decisions, and one thing we talk about as a coach is having eyes behind your head. Tyrone is doing a great job of seeing stuff behind him, on the side of him. He’s done a really good job with that and he showed that in Australia. And I think the other guy is Jordan Mathews with his ability to put the ball on the floor and attack the rim. Because he can really shoot the ball, but his shot fake and attack. He’s making strong drives, so I think those two guys have made a noticeable jump in what they are doing. I mean small things, but really big in how they go about it and take care of the basketball.”
Cuonzo Martin on whether or not Tyrone Wallace is looking more like a true point guard: “Yeah, I think. Again, I’m not saying he’s this guy, but I think he’s more in the mold of a Russell Westbrook, those type of guys, I mean not necessarily traditional point guards like John Stockton, those guys years ago. But he’s a guy that handles the ball, he makes decisions, you’re not taking the basketball from him, he can get to the rim, he can make plays, he’s shooting pull ups, he has length, he defends. So if that’s what you’re talking about, I think yeah, he’s that type of guy.”
Cuonzo Martin on Tyrone Wallace’s explosive athleticism: “Yes. I mean, he’s over 200 pounds now and he uses it well. He gets to where he wants to get to, he gets to his spots, and again, you’re not taking the ball from him. Because once he gets in the lane, and he shoots his pull ups, he’s tough to guard.”
Cuonzo Martin on whether or not Jaylen Brown can be a go-to-guy in crunch time: “Well, right now we probably have four guys that I think have the ability and want that ball when the game is on the line.”
Cuonzo Martin on who those four guys are: “We have four guys that I think have that in them…We have four of them, I think.” (Cuonzo and reporters in the room start to laugh).
Cuonzo Martin on how well Sam Singer is playing: “Well. He’s playing well, and I just texted him last night and thought he had one of his best practices. Sam’s strong, he’s physical, he gets to the rim, facilitates, runs the offense. As long as he maintains his level of confidence, he’s a good basketball player. He’s got a really good mind for the game, good feel, a willing passer. Again, hopefully he can maintain what he’s doing right now.”
Cuonzo Martin on who plays point guard with Sam Singer and Tyrone Wallace playing together: “Well, if it’s transition, whoever gets it off the glass. If one of those guys gets the rebound, he becomes the point because we flow into our offense, not necessarily a set play. Now it just depends on if we run a specific set play on action. If Tyrone knows he’s getting the ball and we need him off the ball to make a play, he knows he’s off the ball, and Sam handles the ball. So it really just depends on what we’re running, but both of those guys bringing it up the court, they can run the offense and the other one knows where he needs to be.”
Cuonzo Martin on who defends the other team’s point guard with Singer and Wallace on the floor: “Either one, but it also depends on the scouting report, if, like for example, if the point guard on the other team is guarding Sam, so we’re going back the other way, if Sam’s on him, that’s Sam’s man. Yeah, he’ll defend him, but it depends on personnel, who we are going against. We might want Sam to chase a guy, because he’s a good guy running off screens, Sam might be the guy defending him, Tyrone guards the point.”
Cuonzo Martin on whether or not a guy like Kaleb Tarzewski poses serious problems for Ivan Rabb: “Then I think at the same time Kaleb Tarzewski has to match up with Ivan Rabb. It’s just basketball. I mean the biggest kids getting stops, putting the ball in the basket. But, it’s just what you have to do.”
Cuonzo Martin on whether or not there is anybody who has stood out to him in this training camp process: “I think guys have gotten better from the summertime up until now, but I think if there’s one guy, I would probably say two guys. I think Tyrone Wallace in making decisions, and one thing we talk about as a coach is having eyes behind your head. Tyrone is doing a great job of seeing stuff behind him, on the side of him. He’s done a really good job with that and he showed that in Australia. And I think the other guy is Jordan Mathews with his ability to put the ball on the floor and attack the rim. Because he can really shoot the ball, but his shot fake and attack. He’s making strong drives, so I think those two guys have made a noticeable jump in what they are doing. I mean small things, but really big in how they go about it and take care of the basketball.”
Cuonzo Martin on whether or not Tyrone Wallace is looking more like a true point guard: “Yeah, I think. Again, I’m not saying he’s this guy, but I think he’s more in the mold of a Russell Westbrook, those type of guys, I mean not necessarily traditional point guards like John Stockton, those guys years ago. But he’s a guy that handles the ball, he makes decisions, you’re not taking the basketball from him, he can get to the rim, he can make plays, he’s shooting pull ups, he has length, he defends. So if that’s what you’re talking about, I think yeah, he’s that type of guy.”
Cuonzo Martin on Tyrone Wallace’s explosive athleticism: “Yes. I mean, he’s over 200 pounds now and he uses it well. He gets to where he wants to get to, he gets to his spots, and again, you’re not taking the ball from him. Because once he gets in the lane, and he shoots his pull ups, he’s tough to guard.”
Cuonzo Martin on whether or not Jaylen Brown can be a go-to-guy in crunch time: “Well, right now we probably have four guys that I think have the ability and want that ball when the game is on the line.”
Cuonzo Martin on who those four guys are: “We have four guys that I think have that in them…We have four of them, I think.” (Cuonzo and reporters in the room start to laugh).
Cuonzo Martin on how well Sam Singer is playing: “Well. He’s playing well, and I just texted him last night and thought he had one of his best practices. Sam’s strong, he’s physical, he gets to the rim, facilitates, runs the offense. As long as he maintains his level of confidence, he’s a good basketball player. He’s got a really good mind for the game, good feel, a willing passer. Again, hopefully he can maintain what he’s doing right now.”
Cuonzo Martin on who plays point guard with Sam Singer and Tyrone Wallace playing together: “Well, if it’s transition, whoever gets it off the glass. If one of those guys gets the rebound, he becomes the point because we flow into our offense, not necessarily a set play. Now it just depends on if we run a specific set play on action. If Tyrone knows he’s getting the ball and we need him off the ball to make a play, he knows he’s off the ball, and Sam handles the ball. So it really just depends on what we’re running, but both of those guys bringing it up the court, they can run the offense and the other one knows where he needs to be.”
Cuonzo Martin on who defends the other team’s point guard with Singer and Wallace on the floor: “Either one, but it also depends on the scouting report, if, like for example, if the point guard on the other team is guarding Sam, so we’re going back the other way, if Sam’s on him, that’s Sam’s man. Yeah, he’ll defend him, but it depends on personnel, who we are going against. We might want Sam to chase a guy, because he’s a good guy running off screens, Sam might be the guy defending him, Tyrone guards the point.”
