Building Around Cooper: A Backward-Looking Thought Experiment

[Winter]

This is a good example of why I don't think "best player available" is always the best policy. I'd rather have Dylan Harper than Kon Knueppel in a vaccum (I think), but on a team that already has Fox AND Castle...not so much. And now, folks are probably questioning which was actually the better player, Kneuppel or Harper, when in reality one of them just had a clearer path to providing an impact.

It's true you really can't look at each player in a vaccum. You have to see them (or at least imagine them) with your specific component of players. That doesnt mean you grab a player to fill a statistical need. It means you get a player that has skills to help you win games.

I was thinking about this while watching Caleb Wilson videos - a player with everything (statistically speaking) except a 3-point shot. He could play SF, is an incredible rebounder, great passer, excellent defender, appears smart, low turnover rate, good finisher, pretty good shooter inside the paint, and he sucks at perimeter shooting. But just watching a few of his videos, I can see why no one is going to pass him up at #4. He looks almost fail-proof. He played great against Duke (and Boozer) and NC won the game. He had an impact in every part of that game.

I'm sure San Antonio thought the same thing about Harper. There are different ways to impact a game.