06-29-2024, 02:54 PM
(06-29-2024, 02:41 PM)Jason Terry Wrote: Good stuff in here. Thank you
I see what you see mostly. There’s a bit of nuance
A. If we were to go back and re-watch every game from last year I believe the big takeaway would be just how far below 100% Luka was for the entire playoff run. (Kyrie also worn down by the finals) To me this might be the most important problem to deal with to be able to get back.
B. The biggest improvement offensively last season was due to the increase in pace. Players with both size and speed flourished. Especially in the regular season where the fast break exists. More of this style would make offense easier
C. The takeaway from Boston is skilled ball is still the goal. The biggest difference between the teams as far as skill was not just shooting like is pointed out. Boston has 4 guys that can dribble and attack from anywhere and that was a big difference offensively. Defensively they had more rim protection and perimeter defense from their guards
D. Lively is not some role player. He’s on the superstar track. I think the organization plans for him being a focal point on both ends. I don’t think there’s any limits to his versatility
E. We should change our offensive system to have something else. I’m at a loss what that will look like besides the more minor changes like pace. Luka is at the heart of this and would need to want it. I’m not sure where we’re at with that. Luka loves to spam PnR and run iso for large stretches. The situation is complicated
Thanks for this!
I’m mostly with you, and especially with E. That’s the one element of what Dallas is doing that I think I’m out on, philosophically. Relying on the 1-5 PNR exclusively in the “hard roll” sense leads to having a certain type of big, exclusively, which leads to far more drop coverage than I like, personally.
But, either that is what Kiddy believes in, or that is how Luka/the Mavs believe they need to play for him to be at his best. Personally, I think he was at his best towards the end of the Carlisle years, even if he hadn’t developed his mid-range game yet to where is now, but that’s a completely different conversation.
And, I’m pretty uncomfortable with the suggestion that I am somehow not a believer in Lively. I don’t mean to minimize him at all – I think he’s a great player. But, I think “superstar track“ is one of the more gross exaggerations I’ve read in sometime. He is a very athletic, rim running big with a high basketball IQ and can move the ball intelligently. He plays with maximum energy all the time, which is really rare for a big, and he’s on a path that will likely end up with him being one of the best defenders in the word, for a drop-coverage big. That is an amazing player to have, and can even be viewed as a cornerstone player (I think he’s there already), but that is the description of a premium role player.