05-12-2021, 11:18 AM
(05-12-2021, 08:32 AM)hakeemfaan Wrote: I am not fretting much about the play in game. This team has some strengths but is not a top tier contender. In years like these I look at what positives can we take from the year.
Luka has shown that despite not being in the best shape that he is a stud. DFS and THJ are keepers. Yes they can be inconsistent on offense but both play hard. Mavs cannot grossly overpay but cannot cheap out either on THJ. Josh Green for all the early grief he took actually is turning into a NBA player. Maxi and JRich are expendable
Biggest disappointment is KP. Not just because of the injuries but because when you are trying to move to the next level of being a legit contender, the second most difficult thing is getting that secondary star. Unless he has a magical playoffs, his regression, be it due to injuries or other things, puts a huge dampener on the overall season.
I'll also agree with almost everything here. The team would probably do much better with the rest than with a play in game (or 2). But I also won't fret until they lose one of those play in games. There is, of course, some chance that they stay hot from 3 long enough to win a first round series, which would be super exciting. But I don't know if I trust the FO enough to make better or worse decisions if that were to happen.
Primary take away is definitely how to build for next year. This game (in contrast to the previous few) highlights the season's strengths and weaknesses. 1) If they hit the 3, they win. If they miss they lose 2) Sometimes they play tough for a whole game, sometimes they don't 3) KP is hurt. If they fix 1 and 2, they can win a series or 2. If they fix all 3, they can be contenders.
The one thing I'll disagree with is that I think Maxi is a keeper. 6'10 players who play hard, play defense, hit the three pointer, and are friendly with Luka are important. We don't have anyone else that does that, so he's only expendable if we get someone just like him in return.