11-06-2021, 07:07 AM
(11-05-2021, 08:02 AM)vfromlmf Wrote: The Athletic's Tim Cato works hard to pour cold water on the Mavs. In his most recent article he writes that Brunson isn't really getting better, he's just getting more minutes. To make his case, he points out Brunson's per 48 stats are similar to last year and his efficiency is slightly down.Most of the mavs beat writers are cuban fanboys that are scared to report negative and lose access. Not too different from jerry and the cowgirls. It’s actually refreshing to hear someone be real and speak the truth
Piling on, he says Brunson is just getting more minutes because the Mavs are forced to play him. Cato loves to dog the Mavs roster: "Brunson hasn't necessarily improved as much as he's earned more minutes and trust, which is both warranted by his play and out of necessity due to this roster."
If Brunson starts Cato thinks Kidd will have to bench THJ because Brunson and Luka also poor defenders. "it's difficult to justify those two and THJ playing together and maintaining any semblance of a high level defense."
I wonder, how much of a defensive liability is Brunson?
"The thing about Brunson is he's really come a long way," Carlisle said. "It didn't just happen for him. He had to make a lot of adjustments. He's worked to change his body, his game and to adapt to the NBA 3-point line. Now he's an effective scorer at all three levels, and he was very much a mid-range player when he came. He's learned a lot about defense, and the work that he's done with the strength, body development and quickness has helped make him a very solid defender."
Brunson and Hardaway are both one way players until proven otherwise. They both are great offensive weapons(with different skill sets that we need). Hardaway has the size, but lacks the lateral quickness to stay in front of his man. Brunson has some quickness, but lacks the size to match up with longer players.
Not sure if either can overcome these limitations. It’s not like these are effort/system/intelligence problems that can be fixed with coaching/adjustments/practice.
We need more two way players. It’s not like it all matters though until we find a real center that can protect the paint and rebound