In Reply to: Mara Mania! Aday only had 6 points and 3 rebounds but he... posted by Born2BBruin on February 05, 2025 at 09:02:18
he used to rely on his length and reach a lot. When he was in the post, he wouldn't seal well and he'd reach for the pass. When he was defending, he wouldn't move his feet and he'd reach for the ball. Rebounding, he wouldn't move and he'd reach over the back. He's moving so much better now.
And, now that he's moving, he's becoming a fearsome defender. There was a play last night where he was defending a much smaller opponent (who isn't) on the perimeter. Looked like a bad match-up. But, Mara was up on the guy, in and athletic stance, and poked the ball away (dude recovered the ball, but Mara was disruptive). I feel like a month ago, he would have been toast. At best, he'd be further off the guy, not in an athletic stance - he'd have gotten a foul on the attempted poke, or the guy would have blown by him when he tried it.