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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 10, 2017 19:41:27 GMT -5
We can't know how things are going to work out until we start playing real live games. All we have now are names on paper, and what we know about players (their strengths, their weaknesses, abilities, etc)
Based on that, let's see where we've improved since the final game of last year
2016-2017
IT
Bradley
Crowder
Horford
Amir
Smart
Rozier
Jaylen
Jerebko
Okynyk
Zeller
Gerald
2017-2018
IT
Smart
Hayward
Crowder
Horford
Rozier
Jaylen
Tatum
Morris
Baynes
Zizic
Yabusele
For this coming year's starting lineup, I took the conservative route and plugged in Smart as Bradley's replacement because he's well situated into Brad's system, and is steadier than Jaylen is at this time. Crowder has experience playing at PF for Brad, so it's logical to insert him there.
For the bench, I assume these are the guys who will make it (Nader, Semi, Kadeem Allen and Jabari Bird most likely are D-League bound).
So where do you see us having improved, and where have we regressed?
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 10, 2017 19:48:10 GMT -5
Right off the bat, I think the bench is shaky, only because of inexperience. Rozier hasn't established himself as a rock solid bench player. Jaylen and Jayson are still in their infancy (though they could blossom at anytime -- we just don't know for sure when). Zizic and Yabusele are maybe a year or two from seeing regular minutes.
Only Baynes and Morris are established NBA players, so that makes forecasting our bench play difficult.
EDIT: Forgot about Daniel Theiss! One of Zizic, Yabusele and Theirss will be D-League bound.
This leads me to believe that we're not done trading yet. We have too many youths on the bench. We may need to trade some to get more veteran help.
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Post by jmost on Jul 10, 2017 21:44:39 GMT -5
We've lost perhaps the league's premier perimeter defender in AB. Hayward is supposed to be a good defender himself, but maybe more of a help defender than a guy who gets in the shirt of his opponent. (For those who don't know, Johnny Most used the phrase "in his shirt" to denote super-tight man-to-man D. As in "Siegfried is in his shirt.")
We've gained a much more consistent scorer in GH. This will help IT out immensely as defenders will be burned when they drift off their men and pack the middle. Jaylen's improved shooting and the addition of Jayson will contribute in the same way. Hayward and Tatum should improve our offense when IT is on the bench.
I think we're all wondering if rebounding will be any better this year, and I don't have a clue until we see the new guys in action. If I had to guess, I'd say it will still be a weakness, but one that Danny isn't going to overspend on to fix, given the Nets' pick is likely to yield a big man next Summer.
One thing I fully expect is for Brad to try a lot of different lineups and rotations for the first two months or more, so I think it will be a while before the team really shapes up.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 11, 2017 11:58:14 GMT -5
Yeah, Coach Brad has work cut out for him. A lot will ride on how much he's improved as a coach in the NBA. We need him to squeeze out every ounce of production from the team. He needs to fully utilize IT, Hayward and Horford and get the most out of them.
Where we could really foster, or flounder, is with our young gang. Smart and Rozier are in line to take big steps forward (or not) and have much bigger roles than they were used to. If they can successfully shoulder a heavier burden, they will solidify our backcourt depth.
Though they are young, Jaylen and Tatum may be able t give us 15 - 25 minutes (combined) of youthful spark and energy. Who knows, maybe Tatum, who is years ahead of his age, will start producing right away. Maybe Jaylen will continue to knock down those kickout three's, and attack the basket on closeouts.
And anything Zizic and Yabusele can give us is gravy.
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Post by Roadrunner on Jul 11, 2017 18:06:44 GMT -5
+Scoring.
-Perimter defense.
+/- rebounding.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 11, 2017 18:25:20 GMT -5
+Scoring. -Perimter defense. +/- rebounding. To add to your assessment: + toughness + sills |
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Post by jmost on Jul 11, 2017 21:00:19 GMT -5
I think Jaylen and Jayson will be getting 30-40 minutes combined, soon if not right away. JB averaged almost exactly 20 minutes per game in March and April. That should only go up - let's say to 25 MPG. And JT is clearly more advanced than JB was as a rookie, so he should see at least as many MPG his first year as JB did. It would not surprise me if the two of them got as high as 45 minutes per game combined by the Spring. A lot will depend on how much we play a small lineup.
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Post by Roadrunner on Jul 12, 2017 22:41:09 GMT -5
Tatum is the real deal. Last player I felt this way about (limited to BOS), was Pierce.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 13, 2017 2:18:58 GMT -5
Tatum is the real deal. Last player I felt this way about (limited to BOS), was Pierce. And that was after his (Pierce's) junior year. Tatum is only 19 and he's knocking everyone's socks off with his veteran savvy. |
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