12-28-2021, 09:45 AM
Some thoughts...
This was the second fewest shot attempts (12) from Brunson as a starter. The game with fewer was a low minutes blowout of Charlotte. You can kind of see the team giving him periods of "rest" where he's on the floor, but the O is run through other guards. That way, when Brunson is really needed, he can "take over". Unfortunately, "taking over" is a relative term. He can't take great defenders (like Jrue Holiday) nor can he beat double teams the way Luka can. So, as many have said, high floor, but limited ceiling. Nothing wrong with that BTW. Here's my question...The teams with money this summer that also need a PG are bad teams. Pretend you are his dad and you know from experience he can go to one of those teams for $17mm/year and be overpaid/overmatched 82 nights a year (and not very successful) or take $12mm-$14mm here and be "the little engine that could". What would you advise?
Can we have this version of KP and last year's Luka? Most fully dialed in game of the year from KP. There was a post yesterday showing him as a near-all star based on LEBRON or EPM (can't recall which). That is all fine and good, but the overriding question is can he do that alongside Luka and can Luka be LUKA alongside KP? Until we figure that out, nothing else really matters.
Powell has had his best two +/- games the last two games at +18 and +22 last night. He's been positive 8 of the last 11 games. Are he and KP figuring some things out, or is this a product of Luka missing 8 of those games (and THJ being out or demoted)? His TS% in December is a Powell-like .760. He's hit 40% of his threes in October, November and so far in December. What would we be saying if he did all of this with his identity hidden. In other words, if we didn't know he was Dwight Powell
Brandon Knight was Kidd's starting PG his first year in Milwaukee before he was traded to Phoenix. The return was MCW, Tyler Ennis, Miles Plumlee and a protected 2015 first. Milwaukee was seven games over .500 at the time of the deal with Knight leading the team in points (17.8) and assists (5.4) and adding 4.3 boards and 1.6 steals while hitting 40.9% from three. All else being equal, do you keep Knight or Burke?
Nothing brings me to the edge of my chair like a great play from Josh Green. He was the first guy off the bench in both halves last night and they even ran a little action for him a couple times down the court. Kidd is doing a nice job bringing him along slowly. In the seven games he's gotten 10 minutes or more, the team is +15, +13, +6, +10, +9, -7 and +11. His top 10 four man lineups are all net positive (8 of those are double digit positive). His top 15 2-man lineups are all positive, but the 16th most used lineup is not positive. Green has played a total of nine minutes with Luka this season over three games at a -47. How strange. Unfortunately, when THJ and Bullock return, the minutes dry up unless we sit someone. I'd like to continue to explore what we have with Frank also, but there are only so many minutes at the 2/3 and DFS and Brunson eat up some of those minutes also. Something has to give as I believe continuing to develop Green is very important.
This was the second fewest shot attempts (12) from Brunson as a starter. The game with fewer was a low minutes blowout of Charlotte. You can kind of see the team giving him periods of "rest" where he's on the floor, but the O is run through other guards. That way, when Brunson is really needed, he can "take over". Unfortunately, "taking over" is a relative term. He can't take great defenders (like Jrue Holiday) nor can he beat double teams the way Luka can. So, as many have said, high floor, but limited ceiling. Nothing wrong with that BTW. Here's my question...The teams with money this summer that also need a PG are bad teams. Pretend you are his dad and you know from experience he can go to one of those teams for $17mm/year and be overpaid/overmatched 82 nights a year (and not very successful) or take $12mm-$14mm here and be "the little engine that could". What would you advise?
Can we have this version of KP and last year's Luka? Most fully dialed in game of the year from KP. There was a post yesterday showing him as a near-all star based on LEBRON or EPM (can't recall which). That is all fine and good, but the overriding question is can he do that alongside Luka and can Luka be LUKA alongside KP? Until we figure that out, nothing else really matters.
Powell has had his best two +/- games the last two games at +18 and +22 last night. He's been positive 8 of the last 11 games. Are he and KP figuring some things out, or is this a product of Luka missing 8 of those games (and THJ being out or demoted)? His TS% in December is a Powell-like .760. He's hit 40% of his threes in October, November and so far in December. What would we be saying if he did all of this with his identity hidden. In other words, if we didn't know he was Dwight Powell
Brandon Knight was Kidd's starting PG his first year in Milwaukee before he was traded to Phoenix. The return was MCW, Tyler Ennis, Miles Plumlee and a protected 2015 first. Milwaukee was seven games over .500 at the time of the deal with Knight leading the team in points (17.8) and assists (5.4) and adding 4.3 boards and 1.6 steals while hitting 40.9% from three. All else being equal, do you keep Knight or Burke?
Nothing brings me to the edge of my chair like a great play from Josh Green. He was the first guy off the bench in both halves last night and they even ran a little action for him a couple times down the court. Kidd is doing a nice job bringing him along slowly. In the seven games he's gotten 10 minutes or more, the team is +15, +13, +6, +10, +9, -7 and +11. His top 10 four man lineups are all net positive (8 of those are double digit positive). His top 15 2-man lineups are all positive, but the 16th most used lineup is not positive. Green has played a total of nine minutes with Luka this season over three games at a -47. How strange. Unfortunately, when THJ and Bullock return, the minutes dry up unless we sit someone. I'd like to continue to explore what we have with Frank also, but there are only so many minutes at the 2/3 and DFS and Brunson eat up some of those minutes also. Something has to give as I believe continuing to develop Green is very important.
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