04-25-2021, 10:54 PM
(04-25-2021, 03:50 PM)mvossman Wrote: I highly question the idea that Powell is the best perimeter defender of the alternatives. It does not meet the eye test. They put Maxi on Leonard in the playoffs last year and he held his own. I can't imagine trying that with DP. It is hard to find any stat that reasonably rates defense, but with a big enough sample I would lean toward DRPM because it looks at actual on court impact and takes teammates and opponents into account. Maxi has had a much higher DRPM each of the last three years. I find it unlikely that given a big enough sample a KP/DP pairing would be better (or even as good) as a KP/Maxi pairing defensively.
I agree there is no question that KP/DP will (and has) work offensively. I also agree regarding KP success. I fear that a lot of the things you mention we are doing with him will be less available with Powell clogging up the lane, and that turning him into a 4 will significantly reduce his offensive value. But it seems apparent that having a true roll man fits Luka's game better and if KP is not going to do it, and he can't operate effectively offensively with someone who can, then we have a real problem.
Maxi is the better one-on-one defender against super-bigger-wings (lets asume he's over long covid), but Powell is the better team defender.
He struggles when left on a island with Randle or JV but this kind of offense seems to cost the other team over time.
DP is never clogging anything with Luka having the ball.
- If the big is staying under the basket, it's an automatic open three after the pick or one further pass.
- If they are trapping - see last game. By the way nobody even tries trapping with KP on the court more than once.
- if the big is showing that's when KP can cut and I love that.
You could say a roleman setting a pick frees up KP , because he doesn't have to set a pick then.