07-02-2024, 07:35 AM
(07-02-2024, 07:19 AM)Winter Wrote: While I completely agree about the defense, I went out and looked and DJJ's stats. As a starter, he averages only 23.5 mpg. That's pretty low for a starter. By comparison, PJ Washington averages 32.2 mpg as a starter.
Technically speaking, you should be able to plug Marshall into those DJJ minutes seamlessly. I admit, though, that the start of games will need to be monitored as how DJJ's absence effects the team in aggregate. It's really going to be worth watching early in the season.
While I'm in the camp that losing DJJ isn't going to be a significant setback, I don't think we'll be able to fully judge the defensive impact until playoff time. If you look at his minutes in the playoffs they increased significantly because defensive intensity is so much more important. Assuming he's healthy, I think Klay still brings enough defense that he can be effective, especially with Lively and Gafford getting more time in the system. More importantly, if Klay is still effective offensively, dropping 3s at a 40% clip, then they don't need to be a top 5 defensive team to have a chance to win it all, top 10 will be enough.