Trade & FA 2024-25:

[mvossman]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you used to say the same thing about Jones…that he was a four.  I had that conversation with someone a while back and I thought it was you.

No one stays in front of SGA, so setting that as a standard is meaningless.  In the playoffs we funneled guys like that to our rim protectors.  Then SGA basically shoved Green into the first row and got off his mid-range shot.  SGA won’t shove Harris very far.  Harris has played SF a good bit in his career.  I think we’d be fine starting him with PJ (and having Jones be the third man in the PJ/Harris/Jones rotation of non centers and non-ball handlers).

I will give you credit as one of the few here who had a vision for PJ here and pushed it loudly.  But, if both PJ and Harris were signed to the same contract back in February (instead of Harris’s $45mm albatross), I’m not sure many of us would have picked PJ over Harris.  There isn’t really a single stat that argues for PJ other than the fact he’s ours now and we saw it work and we love him here.

We love PJ here because he has been playing defense at a very high level since he got here.  Harris is an average defender at best right now.  In my mind when you have Luka and Kyrie in the starting lineup, switching out defense for offense is a losing proposition.  The offense is diminishing returns and we saw what a difference it makes when you put the right defensive pieces around them.

Your SGA comments sounds like there is no point in having a POA defender because SGA will just blow by him.  I believe switching DJJ for Harris would make us much more vulnerable at the perimeter.  I would be more interested in Harris offense on the second unit when one of Luka or Kyrie are off the court.