(04-02-2021, 06:01 PM)BasketballJones41 Wrote: The way I see it, Markkanen is already better and a more valuable asset than JRich or THJ. Then you add in the fact that he’s much younger and and still has quite a bit of upside that I believe he would reach in our system. Getting getting into specifics, I’ll try my best to explain my reasoning but I’m really bad at this format so sorry in advance:
Offense: I think the potential two-man game between Luka/Lauri would be everything that we hoped we were getting with Luka/KP. He sets excellent screens and rolls hard to the basket. He can also pull up from anywhere on the floor. I also believe that he could play off of Luka and KP because he moves really well without the ball and he would give them all kinds of space. I think about the debates that we had last year over who should be starting between Maxi and DP. DP was a great screen and roll man but he provided no spacing. Maxi gave you the spacing but he didn’t consistently set quality screens and roll to the basket. Markkanen gives you both of their skill sets all rolled into one on steroids. Plus I love the idea of Luka having 2 7 ft snipers out there creating room for him.
Defense: I actually think he has a lot of untapped potential here. When I watch him play he seems to move his feet really well. And he’s got the quickness to stay in front of smaller players. that was actually even in one of his scouting reports coming out of college. Basically I think he could do a lot of what Maxi does minus the shot blocking. I also think that he would improve our rebounding. His second year in the league he grabbed 25% of available defensive rebounds. I see no reason why he can’t do that here.
What I can’t wrap my head around is why anybody has watched the season up to this point and is still interested in running it back with Jrich. I’ve seen enough to know that I don’t want that dude back at all. So if the price of playing the restricted free agent game is losing him then I think it’s a risk worth taking.
I’d rather work on ways to sign Markkanen and keep Hardaway.
I am of the opinion that in order to be a true contender we need to have a top 10 defense. If we are building around Luka and KP, that means at least one quality perimeter defender and most importantly a really good defensive 4. This is why I have generally been out on guys like Collins/Markkanen as I don't think either paired with KP makes a good enough defensive frontcourt to truly complete.
To my mind, if there is something we really need offensively, its somebody to take some of the pressure off of Luka. Preferably a two way player than can play make and create a little for themselves. That is the missing piece to make this team a contender. Spending all of our assets/cap space on a player that does not meet this need is a misallocation of resources.
As for JRich, he has been disappointing. I think some of it is luck (shooting) and some of it is due to the Covid mess. We have the rest of the season (and hopefully some playoffs) to get a more complete assessment. I'm anticipating that he will regress to his average as the year goes on, and he has already shown on occasion that he can bring a defensive intensity we will desperately need come playoff time.