SHOOTAROUND SOUND: COACH MOSE, TRISTAN DA SILVA AND WENDELL CARTER JR. 12.01.25

SHOOTAROUND SOUND: COACH MOSE, TRISTAN DA SILVA AND WENDELL CARTER JR. 12.01.25

Coach, your group’s coming off uh two very impressive wins. As you look back at the kind of momentum created by that stretch, what do you like about what your team’s doing? Well, you know, just talking to the guys this morning, it it’s really been that we’re sticking to the process of what we want to do in each game. You know, it’s obviously not going to be perfect in those games, but you have two different opponents, two different style of plays, but we’re able to do the things that we know are are leading to our success in a lot of ways. What opportunity is this week? You know, obviously you take one game at a time, but three at home this week after being on the road through Thanksgiving. No, I think it’s great that we’re home in front of our fans. You know, we talk about the energy that they provide, the support that they give us. I I think it’s just going to be so good for this group to be back home, develop a routine, the game every other day. I think that helps out a ton. The last two games specific specifically were we’re strong on the defensive end as much as anything else. H, you know, you guys know you’re a good defensive team, but how have you seen the kind of mentality you want and and the physicality that you want grow over the last 10 to 12 games or so? Well, you you just said it. You know, our ability to be physical. Now, we still got to continue to do a better job of defending without fouling. Uh, but our guys are recognizing the spots on the floor, understanding personnel, where to be, following the game plan, and I think the more we can do that, the better we’ll we’ll continue to be. We’re we’re nearing like the quarter mark of the season. I don’t know how you divide this divide the season up to kind of test see where you’re at, but how how have you liked how this team has grown and and kind of stuck to that process over the course of these 20 games? Well, and we’ll use the word a lot, you know, that process of what we’re trying to accomplish both offensively and defensively. We break it down into a fiveame series uh each time and this being the first game of the next five. Uh but our guys ability to just understand what we’re asking them to do both sides of the ball. Um can we take care of it? Can we crash the glass? Can we get out in the open court and run after we’ve gotten our stops? Can we be efficient in converting on the other end? I think those are very important keys for our guys. So, we’ve continued to grow in that in that area, but there’s still a lot of room to go from there. Paulo is out again tonight. How is he doing? What was he able to do this morning? You know, Paulo’s still doing a lot of doing non-cont things, and we just continue to see and monitor how he responds to each treatment each day. How close is he to be able doing contact? Like, is that something that could happen this week potentially? Uh, again, it goes up how he responds to what he’s been doing for the past couple days. Um, you know, obviously travel has been a part of things. So, it’s hard to to get a gauge on it, but us being back home this week is so important, you know, just for that to be able to be in this gym, this facility, uh, to get the proper, you know, recovery things that he needs and we need. How spirits just I know he has it’s different than last year, but kind of maybe he could feel here we go again. Yeah, I don’t know if it’s ne necessarily here we go again, but it it’s it’s more along the lines of just continuing to know that there’s a process that he’s following to get himself back on the court. Um, and he his spirits have been great, him being on the bench, communicating with guys, talking to the coaches about what he sees. Um, the game slows down just that much more for him as well. Um, as he’s watching it as a coach for, you know, for these moments, but again, just continue to put the work in to get back on the court. This Chicago team tonight, where where does it start? what what’s so important for your group against them? Transition defense. Transition defense. Believe they’re number two in in pace in the league. So, our ability to one, take the right shot, uh so we can make sure we’re getting back in, you know, controlling the way that we can get them into the half court, but we got to make sure we’re, you know, crashing the glass the right way, defending without fouling. Kobe White, you know, has been in some games, out some games, but him being back, we know what he did to us last time he was here. Uh, but our ability to get back in transition and make them have to play a half court game is going to be key for us. We’ve made maybe little a little bit more about the pace than than maybe you’d like or or you think, but how do you feel like the team’s kind of found its rhythm or its tempo or however you want to describe it to to playing to playing and finding the right? Well, you great word balance. Uh, I I think what we’ve talked about from training camp and and and on has been how do we do that with by getting stops? How do we run with efficiency? How do we convert on the other end after getting the stops? And I think we’ve done a very good job of finding that balance, not to get out and just play uh back and forth rat basketball, but our ability to get stops and then be efficient on the other end by converting. Thank you. Happy Tristan, you look at the last two games, those were two big games for you guys. You came out with victories in both. What do you like about the way your team handled that type of stage and came away with two wins in those? Yeah, I mean, uh, great team wins. Uh, I feel like, uh, you know, we kind of kind of been on a roll, uh, these last couple couple games and kind of figured out ways to, um, have multiple guys show up and and everybody be impactful. Um, I feel like that’s kind of that’s kind of like the the identity identity that we we want to have and we we have to have um is, you know, getting stops and and going out running um letting the ball pop and uh making decisions from there. It’s it the team got off the team knew it has this defensive identity, but it took maybe a little while to kind of find it. what what’s what’s been working defensively over the last, you know, 10, 11 games to really kind of help you guys find that that groove on that end again? Yeah, I mean, I think uh part of it is just, you know, buying into it, trusting it, um and and not giving up on it after the first couple um first couple weeks of the season. Um and then seeing that it pays off. Uh you know, kind of kind of having everybody pulling the same string. Uh, I think a lot of that is just communication and being on the same page and um, you know, making sure that that we know what we’re doing out there and I feel like everybody’s been doing a great job of that. What strange was Jet made on that defensive end of the floor? Yeah, for sure. Um, you know, uh, it’s it’s great to see him see him out there hoop. obviously the the 30-point game that he had uh you know that’s that’s kind of the standout that he had, but I think uh I think he’s been doing um really well out there and and making strides as a as a player overall. We heard you guys talk a lot during preseason about trying to play with pace and and play faster. How have you guys kind of find the right balance between like making sure you get out in transition, playing faster, but also kind of controlling the tempo and making sure it doesn’t get too far out of control? Yeah, for sure. I mean, that’s that’s that’s part of what we uh we had to figure out. Um that’s that’s what kind of rattled us in the beginning, I think. Um not not being under control and just trying to play as fast as possible. And um you can’t really play like that if you’re not under control. So it comes with a with a big deal of responsibility. Um being able to play fast and then having the freedom to play fast. So we just, you know, had to take our time a little bit to figure that out. But it seemed like the Bulls, they they also like to get up and down. I think they’re second in the league in number in number of possessions. What’s the what’s the challenge of playing a team like that and trying to control and play your game and play your tempo but but control them a little bit? Yeah, more the same thing. Um being able that we control the pace and and not let them dictate how how fast we play. Um you know, slowing it down on on defense um slowing them down and then offensively still getting out and running. Um, I feel like whoever team uh kind of controls the pace um more tonight is going to be, you know, um getting easier looks and and kind of finding their groove uh early on. Appreciate Lindell. Your group probably faced two of its biggest games of the regular season. Came out with two big wins over the last two. What did you like about the way your group has played over the last couple games? Uh we just established our identity on the defensive end. I think uh that was something that we was missing to start the year just kind of getting a feel for one another. Um um and then offensively we just starting to click you know uh you know when we added guys like Dez and Ty it was only a matter of time before they started to get into that groove. So um you know I think we’re in a good spot but you know we’re definitely not satisfied. We’re only what 20 games into the season so we got a lot more ways to go to to continue to grow and uh I think we’re going to do just that. We saw what happened in Philly on the court and then at the end of the game in Detroit. Just can you guys sense when you guys are being annoying, disruptive to other teams and how does that maybe feed the fire? Um, you know, we’re competitors, you know, um, you know, including Philly, um, Detroit, you know, it’s it’s this league is full of talented um, competitors, you know, uh, you know, emotions get involved sometimes, which is the beauty of this game. Um, know those are two talented teams. So, for us to go out there and just compete on the the highest level every night, you know, it’s just something that we dreamed of since you were a kid. So, um yeah, it gets frustrating for sure. Um know from my standpoint, from our team against other teams, you know, when you uh when defense is a part of your identity, um physicality, you know, it gets frustrating, but you know, that’s the beauty of this game. You went a little viral for the response when when Andre tried to tried to start something there. What was what was going through your mind when when when it I mean it looked like you start trying to square up a little bit, but what was going through your mind then? Uh honestly, I don’t even know. I don’t really remember. Uh you know, Drummer, that’s my guy. Uh I got a pretty good relationship with him, so uh I don’t know. Like like I said before, just emotions was probably running high. Um it was just one of those games, you know, and I kind of understood where he was coming from for sure. But uh at the end of the day, that’s my guy. Like it’s it’s no bad blood at all. When I see him, it’s still all love. Um, you guys knew you were going to kind of find your way defensively. That’s that this that’s this team identity, but how have you liked how this team has kind of grown into the season and and kind of found your your path or your process on defense this year? Um, I mean, it it’s different. You know what I mean? You know, last year was a a different team in its own way. You know, we have different players this year, so it took us a minute to kind of fall into, you know, what we’re going to rely on on the defensive end and what we’re going to be willing to give up. But, uh, you know, we figured it out. You know, it was only a matter of time. you know, from the outside looking in, you know, it was felt like the the sky was falling in. Um, but, you know, us being in this this building every day, being around each other day, we understood that, you know, it was just a matter of time for everything started clicking and, you know, it’s now it’s starting to click. How have you guys worked to keep Pal involved at this point right now? Um, it’s not really really hard for us. You know, he’s one of those guys he he wants to be involved. Um, even though he’s not playing, you know, he he’s he’s in in every practice, you know, he’s talking, giving his two cents. um been doing a great job during games, you know, when he’s seeing different coverages, you know, helping helping uh us, you know, being able to read the game a little bit more because he’s usually the one out there with us. So, um you know, it’s not really hard for us, you know, he he’s he’s one of those guys. He, you know, when he comes back, he want to just continue to help this team win. So, he’s just trying to make sure we all stand on the the straight and narrow just continuing to win games. So, when he gets back, it’s it’s an easy uh way for him to just come in and just join the team. As you look at the Chicago team, where does it start? What are some of the keys for your group going up against them? Um, first is to limit them in transition. You know, they get out and run. You know, they’re a very fast-paced team. You know, makes or misses, they get in and out quick. Um, you know, for us offensively, I think we have to live in the paint a little bit. Uh, get into the paint as much as possible, but understanding they’re going to shrink the floor. So, uh, you know, when we get our open shots, kick out shots, we got to take them, make or miss. Know the process has to be over the results tonight. And then, uh, yeah, that’s really about it. Yeah. And then limit Josh Giddy. J is playing at an all-time high right now. So, you know, it has to be a little bit of attention and focus to him and Kobe White also. We made we’ve made maybe a little bit more out of the pace and and kind of the way that you guys have kind of started trying to play faster, but how do you feel like this team’s kind of found the right tempo or the right balance between getting out and running and kind of slowing things down and controlling how fast both teams are playing? Um, you know, that’s also it was one of those field things. You know, we we came into the year like, hey, we’re going to play fast, play fast, and you know, we started playing a little too fast in my opinion. uh you know in moments where we didn’t really have an advantage trying to trying to make something out of nothing. Um but now we’ve kind of found the sweet spot of you know knowing when to run, when not to run, when to get a good shot. Um understanding the momentum of the game, understanding that maybe we need to know take a little bit of time off the clock uh to make sure we get a good shot. So know we found that that that uh that sense of you know which uh whether to run or to take our time on offensive end, but you know, I think there’s definitely more room for us to grow in that aspect. Yeah, thanks.

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