12-27-2021, 09:09 AM
I got bored and decided to do a review of our current situation to each position.
My roster review so far: POINT GUARDS
Luka Doncic: Despite playing overweight and lazy, has provided us with some magic already. I have no doubt he'll be ready for the real deal when the time comes. Has to work on his conditioning to return to his form but when he gets there, he's pretty much unstoppable (still bedazzles me that he averaged 36/8/10 against one of the best teams in the league, almost solo-carriyng us to the 2nd round). SUPERSTAR - UNTOUCHABLE.
Jalen Brunson: One of our best performers so far, very consistent and reliable. Takes good care of the ball and makes some very mature plays. His FA status doesn't bother me one bit, because he's already shown he belongs with the big dogs. The question that remains unanswered is if he'd like to re-sign here to play as a 6th man or he'd like to be a starter elsewhere. I'd go as far as giving him the Clarkson contract (52M-60M/4y if I'm not mistaken). Kidd should give him some starting minutes next to Luka (maybe like KP: Start a little, then comes back for Luka and runs his unit, then closes the game) since Frank (and maybe Dragic?) can take good care of the ball as a backup if needed. Should be a no-brainer decision if he wants to stay, despite our cap situation. 6TH MAN - KEEPER.
Trey Burke: Has not disappointed me so far into this season. As a 3rd string, there's not much we can ask. Has to stop with some BS tendencies and bad shot selection, but overall can play some minutes if needed. Given our cap situation, his
3.3M PO (surely he'll take it) still bothers me a little (not as much as last year) since we'll probably go into near tax next season. Would be a filler in some trade (7.5% trade kicker to watch out) and as we've seen (few games as a sample size) the hardship players can do just as much as he, without being integrated as much. 3RD-STRING - FILLER
Frank Ntilikina: The only bright spot from our offseason. Pesky defender with good ball-handling skills. Has to be able to make his open shots to get more playing time, but as a minimum salary, usefull player to have on the roster as he can play SG/SF and boost our defense while someone else carries the load offensively. Should be guaranteed his salary for next year. Can't run an offense and doesn't create his own shot (kinda like the opposite of Burke) which limits him to being a fringe rotation player at best. 3RD STRING - KEEPER.
JaQuori McLaughlin: Not ready for the NBA with the little he's shown. Should be waived as soon as possible to give opportunities for other undrafted guys. My suggestion is signing Grant Riller (waived by PHI). TWO-WAY SLOT - WAIVE.
SUMMARY:
This is an area that could be upgraded, but shouldn't be prioritized unless JB gives us an indication he won't stay. I know we all crave for another creator/ball-handler, but that's due to most of our SG/SF/PF/C not having the ability to handle/drive-kick the ball which I will address in other reviews. So far I'm pretty pleased to have two very good players in this position. If needed, we should throw Burke into some trade as filler to get out of his money in '22 due to our cap limitations (free up spcae for extensions/exceptions), but he's usefull on a roster that doesn't have many ball-handlers.
My roster review so far: POINT GUARDS
Luka Doncic: Despite playing overweight and lazy, has provided us with some magic already. I have no doubt he'll be ready for the real deal when the time comes. Has to work on his conditioning to return to his form but when he gets there, he's pretty much unstoppable (still bedazzles me that he averaged 36/8/10 against one of the best teams in the league, almost solo-carriyng us to the 2nd round). SUPERSTAR - UNTOUCHABLE.
Jalen Brunson: One of our best performers so far, very consistent and reliable. Takes good care of the ball and makes some very mature plays. His FA status doesn't bother me one bit, because he's already shown he belongs with the big dogs. The question that remains unanswered is if he'd like to re-sign here to play as a 6th man or he'd like to be a starter elsewhere. I'd go as far as giving him the Clarkson contract (52M-60M/4y if I'm not mistaken). Kidd should give him some starting minutes next to Luka (maybe like KP: Start a little, then comes back for Luka and runs his unit, then closes the game) since Frank (and maybe Dragic?) can take good care of the ball as a backup if needed. Should be a no-brainer decision if he wants to stay, despite our cap situation. 6TH MAN - KEEPER.
Trey Burke: Has not disappointed me so far into this season. As a 3rd string, there's not much we can ask. Has to stop with some BS tendencies and bad shot selection, but overall can play some minutes if needed. Given our cap situation, his
3.3M PO (surely he'll take it) still bothers me a little (not as much as last year) since we'll probably go into near tax next season. Would be a filler in some trade (7.5% trade kicker to watch out) and as we've seen (few games as a sample size) the hardship players can do just as much as he, without being integrated as much. 3RD-STRING - FILLER
Frank Ntilikina: The only bright spot from our offseason. Pesky defender with good ball-handling skills. Has to be able to make his open shots to get more playing time, but as a minimum salary, usefull player to have on the roster as he can play SG/SF and boost our defense while someone else carries the load offensively. Should be guaranteed his salary for next year. Can't run an offense and doesn't create his own shot (kinda like the opposite of Burke) which limits him to being a fringe rotation player at best. 3RD STRING - KEEPER.
JaQuori McLaughlin: Not ready for the NBA with the little he's shown. Should be waived as soon as possible to give opportunities for other undrafted guys. My suggestion is signing Grant Riller (waived by PHI). TWO-WAY SLOT - WAIVE.
SUMMARY:
This is an area that could be upgraded, but shouldn't be prioritized unless JB gives us an indication he won't stay. I know we all crave for another creator/ball-handler, but that's due to most of our SG/SF/PF/C not having the ability to handle/drive-kick the ball which I will address in other reviews. So far I'm pretty pleased to have two very good players in this position. If needed, we should throw Burke into some trade as filler to get out of his money in '22 due to our cap limitations (free up spcae for extensions/exceptions), but he's usefull on a roster that doesn't have many ball-handlers.
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