The Rotation (2020-2021)

[DanSchwartzgan]

Burke will get some time at SG (probably next to Luka

good stuff Dan

Why do you think Burke will play with Luka? I was thinking JRich would play with Luka and Burke would play with Brunson.

JRich definitely will play with Luka as part of the starting lineup.  When I talk about Burke/Luka I'm talking about the Luka w/o KP bench time.  Last year Luka tended to go out and when he came back he played largely with the subs.  KP tended to play with several starters while Luka was out.  You can look at the KP/Brunson numbers to see that worked pretty well.

If we are emphasizing "D", Burke probably can't play much with a fellow small (I realize Burke plus Curry worked well in a small sample in the bubble).  I'm envisioning Burke next to Luka looking a lot like it did in the bubble.  You'll have DFS to defend the primary ball handler and probably Maxi plus one more guy (either a shooter or a rim runner).  Burke thrives on space, but it can be vertical or horizontal space.  So, Luka/Burke/DFS/Maxi plus someone on the W/O KP squad and Brunson/THJ/KP plus two someones on the W/O Luka squad.  I think WCS is DNP some nights and potential starter some nights to manage load for KP and maybe Powell.

We've got 72 games for Rick to figure out what works and what doesn't.  I can't wait to see how it plays out.  My guess is the playoff lineup narrows to 3 ball handlers (Luka, Brunson and a little Burke), three wings (RJich, THJ and DFS) and 3 bigs (KP, Maxi and TBD).  Of course, by the time the playoffs get here, we may have consolidated a couple of role players into one player who isn't here yet.