What drives me crazy about Francis is that he is always pushing into the defender under the basket and doesn’t step forward to get the ball when it’s passed to him, leaving him to react by swatting it away. Happened 3 times yesterday and created 3 fast breaks for the ags. Those alone represent a 12 point swing.
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Francis obviously has a lot of room for improvement - especially on the offensive end. And I think all agree there…and largely based on the potential that is obvious.
But I think - with improvement in staying out of foul trouble - he is tremendously valuable on the defensive end. Particularly disruptive in the paint on shot attempts. I contend that his individual stats won’t directly show his significant contributions defensively while achoring one of the nation’s best defenses.
Those that value offensive contributions disproportionately to defense (when they are equally important) are likely to continue to be undervaluing Francis imo.
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Francis struggles when the guards drive the lane and pass to Francis in traffic. Those types of plays are bread and butter in the NBA. CKS sort of addressed this by stating Francis handles them in practice. I have a feeling we will continue to see these plays and live and die with Francis’ ability to handle the passes.