07-13-2024, 09:23 AM
(07-13-2024, 08:44 AM)HoosierDaddyKid Wrote: Maybe it's just me, but I think they're going to miss Jones more than you think. Marshall may be a better shooter but he's not nearly as good as Jones as a POA defender. Klay isn't what he was either as far as keeping players in front of him. He was elite at one time. His lateral movement has slipped since the injuries. One good thing is if he gets blown by, he's got either Gaff or Lively to defend on the backend. Grimes is a good defender, but the jury is out on him since he's had knee issues. Their roster is better however. I hope I'm wrong, but you have to be objective in these evaluations. It can't be all "Rah-Rah"
DJJ will be missed. I don't think we will be able to put quite as elite defense on the floor without him. He also had the advantage that we knew what we were getting and we knew he fit. Naji is more of a wild card. He has a better overall offensive game than DJJ, but I am not sure that will translate to anything meaningful. There is not enough sample to be confident that he will shoot significantly better from 3 than DJJ, in which case he will not improve on the spacing issues. Its possible Naji continues his upward trajectory and will be better than DJJ, but personally I would have preferred the sure bet. Fortunately I think the other two are significant upgrades.