Yes, and when I want to teach a young person anything to help them succeed, I force them to practice the skill, even in games. You force the double AA pitcher to work on his 2-3 best pitches, but you make them take them into the game. You keep calling for the change, the slider. You practice the skill, you take the skill to the court. If they are going to lose, lose trying to improve the skills necessary to win. I understand it's not sexy stuff, and every kid wants to work on the off balance fade away with 2 seconds left on the clock... and in terms of being gym rats, both of these guys seem to have it to spare.As I said in the Coach Brad thread, when I checked in the pre-season, the Cs were the youngest team in the NBA with championship aspirations. They are super young, particularly if KW isn't playing.
I don't think it's a question of can't or won't right now. It's a question of how much further they have to grow. We should all note that we're pretty spoiled - that JB and JT have exceeded every reasonable projection we had when they were drafted. They are also 24 and 22 and as many people have noted, they are doing more this year in terms of assists than they've done before.
So to me, it's not a question of "CAN'T" or "WON'T". It's a question of whether they will learn what it takes to win big games in the NBA - on both sides of the floor.
For both players, their growth (well except for JB's bump his second year) has been pretty steady. At this point, their growth will be more incremental. I think they are still growing so I'm not particularly worried about their record this year. Frankly, it's probably better than they lose games like this than pull out a victory at the last moment.
Here's the thing though - we are spoiled, and (most) all of us recognize it. We all see these guys (kids) working on all of their individual skills - and see the vast improvement. We are frustrated though, because we all recognize that it isn't enough. They need to (also) be working on winning skills - which in this case we see as team oriented basketball. And we are seeing that regress (and for me, I see it now, and I saw it last year when Tatum returned from the All Star game as well). I don't know it if is a conscious effort to 'be the man', or if it is an overwhelming desire to carry the team forward (which I respect). But for this team and its future prospects - individual progress by the Js is not enough.
So how do you help them? Put them in a hard structure that mandates team play, and rewards it. I agree, they are probably better off losing via the last minute heroics so it doesn't reinforce the negatives... but I'd rather them losing while trying to make the right play, as part of their development.
The overarching point for me is that a rigid motion offense might restrict them in some ways, but it also takes the burden off them a percentage of the time. Kemba, Smart, TL, etc. are able to contribute more and then when the occasion arises for the last minute heroics - one of the Js can still be the man.