01-23-2021, 10:50 AM
(01-23-2021, 10:18 AM)StepBackJay Wrote: Really nice win that could have gone poorly. Mavs actually closed out the Spurs with some clutch baskets late. Iwundu played a nice game. I recall one moment where he passed up a 3 he should not be taking late in a close game. Smart. And that first FT he hit at the end was clutch. If he misses those and the Spurs get the rebound then they will call a timeout and get a chance to tie the game.
JJ continues to be a really good glue guy. I think the success of JJ means that Rick will feel comfortable starting Maxi. Last year he needed Maxi to be the stretch four off the bench but this year JJ fills that role. I hope the Mavs keep JJ next year as well.
THJ had an awesome game. He was taking really good shots. 3's were good looks, some transition buckets and some hard drives to the basket.
Josh Green is a very nice prospect. I think you can see him being an important player for the Mavs eventually. He will have to earn minutes but if he can just hit 3s at a good clip he will have a role on this team. I think his ceiling is capped by his outside shooting. His floor as a player is probably a top 8ish rotation player once he gets up to speed. His ceiling is a starter.
Mavs have multiple guys that are stoppers now. In the playoffs sometimes you need a player that can go in and slow down a hot offensive player on the other team. Mavs have plenty of options this year that they didn't have last year.
Iwundu is another guy who can earn more minutes by hitting outside shots.
Good stuff! First one to a 3 point shot (among Green and Iwundu) wins. I have to admit I was screaming "pass it" at Iwundu when he clearly decided to be the guy who would get fouled (KP was wide open). But, he looked very confident.
Interesting point about JJ allowing Maxi to start. With the emergence of Brunson (and his ability to play next to Luka), you literally have 9 guys (Luka, KP, DFS, THJ, JRich, Maxi, WCS, Powell and Brunson) who could make an argument for starting when the team is at full strength. Burke and Johnson are the only players among the top 13 who haven't started a game. Maxi and Iwundu have started the least among those who have started a game.
I think the decision is going to be more complex than just saying Maxi makes the most sense. BTW, he probably does make the most sense as he provides much of what you get with other bigs in terms of size and D and boards. But, he also gives you much of what you get in terms of spreading the floor when you start a wing next to KP (essentially making Luka your 4). The question is whether you can construct a rotation like that given that you absolutely can't play Powell and WCS together. Johnson hasn't won me over yet. He's sub .300 on 3's, has a higher TO% than Asst% and the team is negative when he plays. The latter may be unfair as his time is always with other bench guys and with so many guys missing, the bench is where you really feel it. In much the same way I'm not willing to speak poorly of JRich's start until I see him with KP, I'm also not willing to write off Johnson. Your point about him making it OK to start Maxi would probably be valid IF Johnson could step up a good bit from what he's done so far.