MAVS 95, THUNDER 86

[mvossman]

Biggest news of the night.

It's not surprising at all that Brunson is getting moved to the starting lineup, as he's clearly a starting-caliber player and one of our top-3. I understand that it may require some adjustments for how the lineup operates because of how Luka is so ball-dominant, but the time to figure that out is now.

As a very early sample, I really liked Kidd's rotation with those two guys. They both started the game, but Luka was the first guy to rest and they largely alternated on/off before closing the half together again. That seems like just the right balance to me to play the best players at the most important times while also letting each guy run the show for a while. It did raise an interesting new lineup twist with the couple of minutes with neither guy, though. While the team did surprisingly well, if they could add Dragic I think they'd be set.

The next step will be to figure out the rest of the starting lineup that best compliments those two. I think Brunson/Luka/DFS/____ /KP is the recipe, and it comes down to who fills that 5th spot. Powell? Maxi? THJ? Bullock?  Personally I want to see Bullock get some extended run to focus on the wing defense to balance the offensive-minded backcourt. But I also would love to be a fly on the wall for any trade discussions right now to find that last piece.

It would make a lot of sense to add a backup PG like Dragic, but I think when Luka and Brunson are fully healthy you can start both and still stagger them so that there is always one on the court.  

As for the 5th starter spot, I feel like it has to be a defensive minded player.  Given Luka's size, strength and mobility level, I think of him more of a forward than a guard defensively.  Ironically the perfect fit for that 5th spot is the guy the Mavs have been looking for for years.  A point of attack defender who can make an occasional 3 and help facilitate the offense.  The idealized version of Wright/JRich which never materialized.  Alex Caruso would have been a good fit and he was available last offseason for just the MLE.  From our current pool of potential starters, Bullock probably makes the most sense.  He is not really a point of attack defender but he is a big upgrade from THJ.  Honestly the best fit on the team is probably Frank if he keeps up his level of play, but I don't see them doing that.