01-14-2023, 11:07 AM
(01-14-2023, 02:45 AM)ThisIStheYear Wrote: Another 34 points from Brunson. Who thinks the Mavs could use that guy. What a boneheaded series of decisions by Cuban that led to the loss of such a great player so early in his career with no return. Franchise killer. The Mavs would be leading the West if they had just evaluated their own player correctly.
There is no question they screwed the pooch from an asset standpoint with Brunson, and we really miss him when Luka is not on the court. But a lot of the complaints folks make about Dinwiddie could apply to Brunson as well. He could be a bit of a ball stopper on offense and his defense is even worse than Dinwiddie's this season. He has the worst D rating on the Nicks. He also would not be putting up these kinds of numbers with Dallas because he would spend too much time on the court with Luka.
Brunson is the kind of player that needs the ball in his hands to be most effective, which means he was always going to be somewhat constrained playing with Luka on the court. Unfortunately most really good offensive players need the ball in their hands, and it makes it tough to find high level players who both fit well with Luka and would want to play with him. I think that's why folks are so interested in the Toronto guys. They are all good defenders who are used to sharing the ball with other creators, and all of them flourished next to a superstar on way to a championship.