'25 Playoff Rotation Predictions: A Collaborative Deep Dive

[KillerLeft]

You guys are still getting it wrong imo because you're sleeping on Maxi. He's the backup PF. The Mavs will not play PJW 48 minutes. Maxi will get those minutes. Naji is NOT a 4, and Kidd rightly sees more value in playing the better PF as PF rather than using a non-PF to get that non-PF more minutes. And to Kidd there's not a better backup PF on the roster than Maxi, because they like his defense, his shot-blocking, his agility. 

Hate him all you want, because the injuries are frustrating, but I believe as long as he's on the roster and healthy, he IS and WILL BE Kidd's backup 4.

WHEN EVERYONE IS HEALTHY -- The idea that Maxi is going to be used at C (with PJW) isn't really part of the PF equation at all. We do see Kidd using him at C in matchup situations when he feels the need for his skillset there, but that's more likely when a C is injured. I don't think it's to "get him some minutes" or seen as a substitute for him playing backup PF. I think Kidd's style is to play PFs at PF and Cs at C and so on, so he gets play from a better player at that position rather than an inferior one.

As far as the overall rotation, I think it's fairly obvious who the 10 are, and they are at obvious positions. Gafford, Maxi, Naji, Grimes, SD are the backups.

If everyone is healthy, looks to me like Hardy has become 11th man in the pecking order with the emergence of SD and Grimes, and can maybe get spot minutes to try to be a spark at the 1,2, or 3, and who knows what might happen when Exum returns.

Well, I'm definitely in the "Kleber is still a viable rotation piece" camp, as per the OP, where I listed him in my top 7. 

I see more lineup/style experimentation than you do, apparently. They've actually run PJW at center with Marshall at the 4 more than I expected already this season, and only partly because of injuries, imho. Some interesting results, too.

I do agree that the roster was built with depth at each player's obvious position in mind, but I don't agree with how binary you see things. "Naji is NOT a 4" is not something I can remotely agree with, for example. I see him as a player with pretty obvious positional versatility. That's just one example, but I thought the Dunkers Spot guys got it right today (thanks for posting that btw, Smitty) when they said this team has the ability to mix and match and play loads of different ways. 

To put it differently, while I don't agree that Kidd is so dead set on playing the way you suggest, if it turns out you're right about that, I think that will be significantly undermining what could potentially make this team special by the end of the season. Just one man's opinion.