12-02-2020, 10:03 AM
[b]The fluid starting lineups[/b]
I strongly believe that the most-used starting five will be Doncic, Porzingis, Richardson, Finney-Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. It’s a perfect mix of two unprecedented players combined with three versatile two-way wings, an incredibly modern starting five that projects matchup problems to virtually every opponent in the league. But Porzingis won’t be healthy right away, and there are other reasons why the team might alternate its starting lineups here and there. “We’re going to have to have a level of fluidity because of matchups,” Carlisle said Tuesday. The most pertinent example would be in games with “extreme matchup situations.”
Like, for example, playing the New Orleans Pelicans. “Last year, we were vigilant about trying to play Maxi off the bench, but when we play New Orleans in early March, a few games before the hiatus hit, we had to start him against (Zion) Williamson,” Carlisle said. “He was the best guy we had to guard him on that particular night.” I’m curious what Carlisle means by being “vigilant” about Kleber’s role off the bench, and I’ll ask about it this week. But it’s interesting how he mentions Kleber’s necessity against players like Williamson, something you could extend to players like Giannis Antetokounmpo or other big fours who play off the perimeter. I’d expect the starting five to vary just as Carlisle predicts throughout the year.
https://theathletic.com/2233098/2020/12/...-approach/
I strongly believe that the most-used starting five will be Doncic, Porzingis, Richardson, Finney-Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. It’s a perfect mix of two unprecedented players combined with three versatile two-way wings, an incredibly modern starting five that projects matchup problems to virtually every opponent in the league. But Porzingis won’t be healthy right away, and there are other reasons why the team might alternate its starting lineups here and there. “We’re going to have to have a level of fluidity because of matchups,” Carlisle said Tuesday. The most pertinent example would be in games with “extreme matchup situations.”
Like, for example, playing the New Orleans Pelicans. “Last year, we were vigilant about trying to play Maxi off the bench, but when we play New Orleans in early March, a few games before the hiatus hit, we had to start him against (Zion) Williamson,” Carlisle said. “He was the best guy we had to guard him on that particular night.” I’m curious what Carlisle means by being “vigilant” about Kleber’s role off the bench, and I’ll ask about it this week. But it’s interesting how he mentions Kleber’s necessity against players like Williamson, something you could extend to players like Giannis Antetokounmpo or other big fours who play off the perimeter. I’d expect the starting five to vary just as Carlisle predicts throughout the year.
https://theathletic.com/2233098/2020/12/...-approach/