07-09-2021, 07:10 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-09-2021, 07:11 AM by DanSchwartzgan.)
I was encouraged about how things might work if KP stayed when I read this yesterday. If we had a stronger bench and didn’t have to platoon so much…
Then I realized that when KP sits, Luka is basically playing with bench guys. Non-KP lineups have Willie or Powell, THJ, JRich or Finney (or both) and occasionally Brunson. Maxi didn’t play much in these lineups. This isn’t a feel-good story about how KP helps Luka. It is a feel-bad story about how bad our depth is.
There is a huge variance in the success of non-Luka lineups. At least KP usually had THJ, Maxi and Brunson on with him anytime he was on the floor without Luka. KP’s efficiency may have suffered (that is probably because he usage went way up), but if the lineup had DFS in it the lineup worked. If it paired THJ with JRich, it didn’t.
“The funny thing is that at least on offense, both Dončić and Porzingis played much better when they were on the floor together last season. Porzingis shot 53 percent from the field and 43 percent from three, and 28 percent of his shots were at the rim with Dončić on the court. Porzingis’ usage rate increased when Dončić was off, but his efficiency plummeted. Porzingis shot just 40 percent from the filed, 31 percent from three, and 20 percent of his shots were at the rim with Dončić on the bench.”
“It worked the other way around too. Dončić had more space and was more efficient with Porzingis spacing the floor. Dončić shot 53 percent from the floor, 41 percent from three, and 26 percent of his shots were at the rim with Porizngis on the floor. These numbers dropped to 45 percent from the field, 32 percent from three, and 18 percent of Dončić’s shots at the rim with Porzingis off the court.”
“It’s obvious that on offense, a Dončić/Porzingis pairing works well. Lineups that featured both of them were in the top 95 percentile in offensive efficiency last season. The challenge is on defense and in the locker room.”
Then I realized that when KP sits, Luka is basically playing with bench guys. Non-KP lineups have Willie or Powell, THJ, JRich or Finney (or both) and occasionally Brunson. Maxi didn’t play much in these lineups. This isn’t a feel-good story about how KP helps Luka. It is a feel-bad story about how bad our depth is.
There is a huge variance in the success of non-Luka lineups. At least KP usually had THJ, Maxi and Brunson on with him anytime he was on the floor without Luka. KP’s efficiency may have suffered (that is probably because he usage went way up), but if the lineup had DFS in it the lineup worked. If it paired THJ with JRich, it didn’t.
“The funny thing is that at least on offense, both Dončić and Porzingis played much better when they were on the floor together last season. Porzingis shot 53 percent from the field and 43 percent from three, and 28 percent of his shots were at the rim with Dončić on the court. Porzingis’ usage rate increased when Dončić was off, but his efficiency plummeted. Porzingis shot just 40 percent from the filed, 31 percent from three, and 20 percent of his shots were at the rim with Dončić on the bench.”
“It worked the other way around too. Dončić had more space and was more efficient with Porzingis spacing the floor. Dončić shot 53 percent from the floor, 41 percent from three, and 26 percent of his shots were at the rim with Porizngis on the floor. These numbers dropped to 45 percent from the field, 32 percent from three, and 18 percent of Dončić’s shots at the rim with Porzingis off the court.”
“It’s obvious that on offense, a Dončić/Porzingis pairing works well. Lineups that featured both of them were in the top 95 percentile in offensive efficiency last season. The challenge is on defense and in the locker room.”