01-23-2021, 10:41 AM
(01-23-2021, 10:04 AM)DanSchwartzman Wrote: Brunson (at least the version we have thus far this season) is WAY down my list of players I want to criticize and you have to look really hard to find anything to criticize him for.
Brunson is good, personaly never said otherwise. The big question is - is he good enough to be a starter next to Luka? If yes - which two out of DFS, Kleber and THJ are benched? If Mavs don't see him as a starter, than he is way too good to be relegated to play 10-15 minutes per game when Luka sits. It will be difficult to split minutes between JRich, Brunson, Burke and THJ at both guard spots even if we assume Luka is playing SF (which again leaves only a few minutes for DFS).
It is obvious Mavs have a deep team of solid guys able to step up on any given day. Great for regular season, especially one like this year. In playoffs, the rotation will likely become more top heavy and some of Burke, Brunson or DFS (depending how you want to set the rotation) will be relegated to chearleaders. Before Covid took the guys out, Brunson was playing around 15 minutes per game. JRich was at around 25-30, THJ around 25, and Burke 15-20. If you want to increase Brunson minutes you are basically sending someone out. Not to mention Green and Iwundu were not even able to crack the rotation.
This luxury of a deep team could (and imho should) be spent to improve those heavy minutes roles. Because what is an asset in the regular season will become a dead salary in playoffs. When it matters most.