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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 8, 2017 3:33:14 GMT -5
If the season starts today, and we've neither added nor subtracted anyone else, one possible lineup would be Isaiah at Point, Smart at 2, Hayward at 3, someone at 4 and Horford at 5.
Now, the question mark here would be, who plays the 4?
Naturally, we might think Jae Crowder. He's undersized, but he's strong as an ox, and he puts up a really good fight. Or maybe recently added Marcus Morris, who's taller than Jae and adds better offense.
But I don't know if either is the answer. Why? Because they don't bring enough rebounding help. But not only that, but neither is dynamic enough offensively to offset Smart's scoring deficiencies, and Horford's unselfishness (which can be a negative when we need someone to get us buckets).
Ideally, Crowder and Morris are great pieces off the bench. And in their place is a stretch 4 who scores and rebounds (and defends) at a high effeciency level. This will give us a darn lethal lineup.
In another scenario, we can alter the lineup and move Hayward to the 2 (Smart goes to the bench) and play Morris or Crowder at the 4. Now, to make this a lethal lineup, we'll need a star level 3 -- this is where Paul George would have been an ideal fit. This would give us a high powered offense at the 1-2-3, and complementary scoring at the 4 and 5.
Another scenario is we keep Hayward at 3, and sign Jamal Crawford to play the 2. He'd have to come cheap and accept whatever contract we can offer him. Again, this would give us adequate offensive production -- but we're still subpar on the boards.
What it boils down to is, Ainge cannot stop right now. We aren't complete. We're unbalanced. We have holes to fill, and areas to improve.
And even if we were to sign a key player at a needed position -- we're still underdogs against the Warriors (though, we could give CLE a 7 game series). But the name of the game is to shorten the gap so that when the opportunity comes, we'll be ready to claim the hill and be king!
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Post by jmost on Jul 8, 2017 6:47:19 GMT -5
I'm going to say that Jaylen starts at SG. He's good enough defensively and would help on the boards. With IT and Hayward being the primary scorers, JB can start the year in the same role as last year, spotting up in the right corner (where he was knocking down 3's regularly) and can expand his offense as the year goes on.
That allows Smart and Rozier to come off the bench at guard, along with Tatum who will help them create offense.
Horford obviously starts but the hardest decision will be who play next to him up front. Morris may be a better rebounder than his numbers from last year indicate due to playing with Drummond - who vacuums up everything. I think we all need to see more of all the new guys, including Zizic and Yabusele.
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Post by jrmzt on Jul 8, 2017 7:09:58 GMT -5
My line up is as below:
1 - Isaiah
2 - Smart
3 - Hayward
4 - Crowder
5 - Horford
I think Smart ends the starting spot for now because he helps cover for IT's defense. Brown will see alot of time as a backup at both the 2 and 3 spots and I expect Tatum to see time as well in the 4 spot.
Chances are that if Brown is on the court at the 2 spot, Rozier will be at the 1 and Tatum at the 4. This then allows for Rozier to provide the defense, Brown the energy and Tatum as an upgrade on Crowder's offense to keep the balance going.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jul 8, 2017 13:08:38 GMT -5
Danny recently was praising Rozier quite a bit saying that he was in town to work out some and he's looking very, very good. I also read that Smart is working hard on his shot this offseason. I know that Jae will also be working hard on his game
When we think our regular season roster, we think of the players as they were last season. Who knows how much each player will improve and in what areas. I'm sure that Brad gave each one of them a list of things to work on and we have hard working players who will be working on those skills. I can't wait to see how much better each of these guys are when they return for the season.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 8, 2017 14:10:52 GMT -5
Danny said he's going to continue working on improving our roster. He's not comfortable yet.
Yeah, he really likes Rozier; said he looks better than he did in the playoffs.
We know Ainge was in talks to move Jae in a sign and trade with Utah; even though it fell through, we shouldn't assume Crowder is out of the woods.
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Post by jrmzt on Jul 8, 2017 15:21:17 GMT -5
Yes I'm keen to see Smart's improvements as well. I've seen his videos working on his 3 point shot diligently though still missing the work on creating his own shot...but if he can work towards being a solid 3 & D player then he has a very good future ahead.
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Post by jmost on Jul 8, 2017 18:49:48 GMT -5
My money is on Rozier and Brown for the biggest improvements since last year. We heard the same thing about Smart last Summer, and when the games started there was little improvement in shooting. He's entering his fourth year, and at some point you are what you are. I would say this is his last chance, because if he doesn't show marked improvement he won't be getting much of an offer from Boston next Summer, especially if Rozier, Brown and Tatum come on strong.
I'm really rooting for Rozier. Even with less than stellar ball handling skills he frees himself up for open shots with ease. If he can hit them he'll be quite the weapon. His shot looks good, so maybe all he needs is some confidence.
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Post by Roadrunner on Jul 8, 2017 22:37:18 GMT -5
On a side note, I think Tatum will be the sixth man, and may content for the 6th man of the year.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 8, 2017 22:44:52 GMT -5
On a side note, I think Tatum will be the sixth man, and may content for the 6th man of the year. I'm actually thinking, at some point, Tatum will be inserted into the starting lineup. |
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 9, 2017 0:51:45 GMT -5
Ainge gives a hint as to why he doesn't just go after big men who can rebound. In a nutshell, it's because he doesn't want a big man who only affects one end of the court. That's why we didn't go hard after Nerlens Noel (only defensive oriented), or Jahlil Okafor (only offensive minded).
Basically, Ainge is seeking out two way players at all positions, including the 5.
There aren't too many bigs who are good at both ends, and are free agents, or they're team is willing to trade them away.
Our only shot at a high caliber, 2-way big man is if he is on a team that's looking to reload with young talent and assets -- which describes us perfectly.
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Post by Roadrunner on Jul 9, 2017 13:33:43 GMT -5
On a side note, I think Tatum will be the sixth man, and may content for the 6th man of the year. I'm actually thinking, at some point, Tatum will be inserted into the starting lineup. Playing Tatum as the 6th man is a "Red" like move. Red, always one step ahead, played McHale as the 6th man. McHale was all-NBA. BOS biggest issue is scoring when IT is not on the floor. Two reasons: players can not create their own shots, and lack of ball movement created through the PG position. Tatum not only can create his own shot, he has the potential to facilitate as well. |
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Post by jhvos7979 on Jul 9, 2017 15:17:25 GMT -5
My line up is as below: 1 - Isaiah 2 - Smart 3 - Hayward 4 - Crowder 5 - Horford I think Smart ends the starting spot for now because he helps cover for IT's defense. Brown will see alot of time as a backup at both the 2 and 3 spots and I expect Tatum to see time as well in the 4 spot. Chances are that if Brown is on the court at the 2 spot, Rozier will be at the 1 and Tatum at the 4. This then allows for Rozier to provide the defense, Brown the energy and Tatum as an upgrade on Crowder's offense to keep the balance going. Initially, your starting lineup is definitely what Brad Stevens start the season with. By the season end, I'm hoping the starting lineup end-up being the following: 1 - IT 2 - Brown 3 - Hayward 4 - Tatum 5 - Horford Both Brown/Tatum are too talented to not take most of the minutes away from Crowder and Smart at those spots. |
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Post by jrmzt on Jul 10, 2017 12:12:06 GMT -5
My line up is as below: 1 - Isaiah 2 - Smart 3 - Hayward 4 - Crowder 5 - Horford I think Smart ends the starting spot for now because he helps cover for IT's defense. Brown will see alot of time as a backup at both the 2 and 3 spots and I expect Tatum to see time as well in the 4 spot. Chances are that if Brown is on the court at the 2 spot, Rozier will be at the 1 and Tatum at the 4. This then allows for Rozier to provide the defense, Brown the energy and Tatum as an upgrade on Crowder's offense to keep the balance going. Initially, your starting lineup is definitely what Brad Stevens start the season with. By the season end, I'm hoping the starting lineup end-up being the following: 1 - IT 2 - Brown 3 - Hayward 4 - Tatum 5 - Horford Both Brown/Tatum are too talented to not take most of the minutes away from Crowder and Smart at those spots. Man that would be awesome! And yeah I could see that happening except maybe for Crowder who is better than Tatum defensively for the moment. That said...Ainge may trade him before the end of the season |
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Post by jhvos7979 on Jul 10, 2017 16:09:40 GMT -5
Initially, your starting lineup is definitely what Brad Stevens start the season with. By the season end, I'm hoping the starting lineup end-up being the following: 1 - IT 2 - Brown 3 - Hayward 4 - Tatum 5 - Horford Both Brown/Tatum are too talented to not take most of the minutes away from Crowder and Smart at those spots. Man that would be awesome! And yeah I could see that happening except maybe for Crowder who is better than Tatum defensively for the moment. That said...Ainge may trade him before the end of the season Agreed about Crowder getting the greenlight as a starter especially in the beginning where Tatum will go through rookie slumps during the season. Hopefully, it does work out this way and still be able to win 50+ games along with going deeper in the playoffs. Ideally, it would be nice to have starting lineup cemented with the possibility drafting Horford's replacement in the upcoming 2018 draft. |
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Jul 10, 2017 16:20:24 GMT -5
How about this for a silly guess at a starting lineup that's a little bigger.
Isaiah
Hayward
Crowder
Horford
Baynes (or Zizic)
Tatum and Smart as first men off the bench.
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