Is there already a “Chiozza case”? Cantù’s new American point guard, who arrived in January on the eve of the trip to Trieste in place of the disappointing Jacob Gilyard, is not performing properly. Coach De Raffaele is using him sparingly, despite always starting him in the starting five.
The numbers of the new point guard, who should have brought experience and a bit of competitive energy, as well as greater physicality in defense, do not speak in his favor. He played twelve minutes against Venezia, scoring 4 points, losing 2 balls with a plus/minus of -19, which certainly gave coach Walter De Raffaele something to think about.
So much so that he much preferred De Nicolao, his faithful squire during the years they spent together in Venice. For Chiozza, they spent fifteen minutes on the PalaBigi parquet the previous day in Reggio Emilia with 2 points on the scoresheet and 3 assists.
And De Raffaele has already had the opportunity to comment twice on the less than sensational performances of the new player. After Reggio, he didn’t say too much about the little use of the American: «With me, those who play well play, those who don’t play well sit back. Hierarchies are important, but above all I look at the progress of the match.”
After Venice, the coach was decidedly more direct: «Chiozza? He is in great physical and technical difficulty. He did something, then nothing and we were down. Experienced players should provide leadership and I haven’t seen it.”
In short, no preclusions, but the spark has not yet struck between the two. We must also understand the technical requests that come from one side, and the real physical condition of the player, who arrived in Cantù after a good month and a half of inactivity, after a portion of the championship played in the Turkish league at Pinar Karsiyaka.
The benefit of the doubt and the excuse of physical fitness cannot be overlooked, but a large part of the fans are starting to doubt that the club has once again made the mistake of the starting point guard. Which would be detrimental in a team that needs a safe and effective guide, who knows how to read the key moments of the match and who knows how to dictate the tempo. So far, Chiozza has only shown it at times and, above all, only with the old coach Nicola Brienza.
Everyone is ready to bet on the value of the player. His resume speaks for itself. He has a past in the G-League and in the NBA at the Rockets, in Europe he attended the Euroleague with Baskonia and the Champions League with Manisa, always with interesting averages to say the least.
Therefore, on paper there would be nothing to doubt. Furthermore, the club had already eyed Chiozza last summer, but at the time the salary was considered prohibitive for the club’s coffers.
However, everyone is ready to put their trust in the player, from whom we expect proof that can definitively unlock him. The first to want it, needless to say, is coach De Raffaele. However, as he has already mentioned several times, he was very clear: “There is very little time”
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