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Your biggest roster concerns for this year?
Posted on 11/24/20 at 8:42 am
Posted on 11/24/20 at 8:42 am
I understand that this is just offseason 2 in what needs to be a multi-year rebuild, and we are at least a year or two away from Griffin constructing the roster he thinks will be most effective around Zion and BI. This is a process, I get it. But this thread is about what your concerns are on the roster for winning basketball games THIS year and this year only.
I'll start:
1) Starting lineup shooting/gravity.
In my opinion only one shooter with any gravity on the starting lineup: BI. Bledsoe: bad shooter, Lonzo: debatable but definitely has no gravity, BI: Good shooter, Zion: bad shooter, Adams: bad shooter. With shooting I am mostly referring to 3 point shooting and its effect on spacing.
I think that is a very legitimate concern that the spacing will be a significant issue and we may have some scoring struggles. The 2nd unit has some serious shooting potential though, and will need to be mixed in liberally with starters.
2) The starting Backcourt.
I just keep looking at the Bledsoe/Ball starting backcourt and I just can't help but question of its going to work. Bledsoe is a good player, for sure. He can play D and get to the rim. I wouldn't say he's a "true PG" but he's more like Jrue and can play the position.
Ball at SG...I get the positionless basketball will have him playing different roles in different situation (O v D, halfcourt v transition) but I just am having a hard time wrapping my head around him as a starting Shooting Guard. I'll be honest, I don't think he can do it effectively and I think he needs to be moved as part of a package for a true SG or SF.
I just can see those two struggling together.
We will see. What are your concerns for this year?
I'll start:
1) Starting lineup shooting/gravity.
In my opinion only one shooter with any gravity on the starting lineup: BI. Bledsoe: bad shooter, Lonzo: debatable but definitely has no gravity, BI: Good shooter, Zion: bad shooter, Adams: bad shooter. With shooting I am mostly referring to 3 point shooting and its effect on spacing.
I think that is a very legitimate concern that the spacing will be a significant issue and we may have some scoring struggles. The 2nd unit has some serious shooting potential though, and will need to be mixed in liberally with starters.
2) The starting Backcourt.
I just keep looking at the Bledsoe/Ball starting backcourt and I just can't help but question of its going to work. Bledsoe is a good player, for sure. He can play D and get to the rim. I wouldn't say he's a "true PG" but he's more like Jrue and can play the position.
Ball at SG...I get the positionless basketball will have him playing different roles in different situation (O v D, halfcourt v transition) but I just am having a hard time wrapping my head around him as a starting Shooting Guard. I'll be honest, I don't think he can do it effectively and I think he needs to be moved as part of a package for a true SG or SF.
I just can see those two struggling together.
We will see. What are your concerns for this year?
13
Posted on 11/24/20 at 8:45 am to Fun Bunch
The backcourt for sure. I don't understand the point of keeping bledsoe and lonzo if you are looking to build a young core. I don't see either of them in the future plans. Maybe they plan on moving one of them at the deadline but I would like to get what you can for one of them
Posted on 11/24/20 at 8:47 am to J_Hingle
Given that Ball is up for a contract next year, unless he is just amazing this year, I would focus on moving Ball.
Posted on 11/24/20 at 8:53 am to Fun Bunch
I think match ups will play a huge part in who starts.
PG- Ball and Bledsoe split time. Hot hand starts.
SG- Hart starts, Redick finishes, but lots of 3 guard line ups.
SF- Ingram. This is our achilles heel. No length, size or speed on the perimeter. Ingram has to be an iron man.
PF- Zion has to dominate. I'd love a more athletic back-up.
C- Adams. Given Hayes speed, I wonder if we ever play them together?
Not a great shooting team and nothing special athletically outside of Zion. Hopefully Lewis blows up and they can't keep him out of the line up..
PG- Ball and Bledsoe split time. Hot hand starts.
SG- Hart starts, Redick finishes, but lots of 3 guard line ups.
SF- Ingram. This is our achilles heel. No length, size or speed on the perimeter. Ingram has to be an iron man.
PF- Zion has to dominate. I'd love a more athletic back-up.
C- Adams. Given Hayes speed, I wonder if we ever play them together?
Not a great shooting team and nothing special athletically outside of Zion. Hopefully Lewis blows up and they can't keep him out of the line up..
Posted on 11/24/20 at 8:54 am to Fun Bunch
quote:
I am mostly referring to 3 point shooting and its effect on spacing.
I think a lot depends on the continued improvement from BI and Lonzo. BI shot 3s at a great percentage last year, but almost none of those were off the dribble -- can he add that to his toolkit? Lonzo, as we know, completely reworked his shot last year, and there's definitely potential for an even better 3-point game from him this season.
Posted on 11/24/20 at 8:55 am to brmark70816
quote:
PG- Ball and Bledsoe split time. Hot hand starts.
SG- Hart starts, Redick finishes, but lots of 3 guard line ups.
SF- Ingram.
I do not think based on anything we know this will be the case.
Bledsoe and Ball will start together. Hart will be the first person off the bench at SF or SG. Redick will be at mostly SG.
Posted on 11/24/20 at 8:59 am to Fun Bunch
For the most part I think the roster doesn't have any significant holes. Some of those holes are just papered over though and could easily bust open.
1) Backup Center - If Jaxon is too raw for Stan's taste early in the season, we don't have the greatest big depth.
2) JJ - If the Pels aren't super competitive and JJ gets traded at the deadline, the Pels don't have anyone lined up to replace him, and he's a necessary gravity injection off the bench, because as you mentioned, the starting lineup lacks shooting.
1) Backup Center - If Jaxon is too raw for Stan's taste early in the season, we don't have the greatest big depth.
2) JJ - If the Pels aren't super competitive and JJ gets traded at the deadline, the Pels don't have anyone lined up to replace him, and he's a necessary gravity injection off the bench, because as you mentioned, the starting lineup lacks shooting.
Posted on 11/24/20 at 9:05 am to TigerinATL
quote:
1) Backup Center - If Jaxon is too raw for Stan's taste early in the season, we don't have the greatest big depth.
I thought we signed a backup center
quote:
2) JJ - If the Pels aren't super competitive and JJ gets traded at the deadline, the Pels don't have anyone lined up to replace him, and he's a necessary gravity injection off the bench, because as you mentioned, the starting lineup lacks shooting.
If we let JJ go then we have basically given up on the season anyway. I’m not sure how much that really matters.
Posted on 11/24/20 at 9:13 am to Fun Bunch
What does having gravity entail?
Posted on 11/24/20 at 9:18 am to GynoSandberg
Turnovers, defensive assignments and improvement. Something SVG and the new veterans can come in and help improved on. If we are still making mistakes like we did last year, I would be really concerned.
Posted on 11/24/20 at 9:19 am to GynoSandberg
quote:
What does having gravity entail?
I think the main concern is you don't want Lonzo and Bledsoe's man cheating off of them so there are effectively 4 defenders in the paint. But who are we kidding? Zion's the biggest threat on the court so they'll be packing the paint anyway and you want guys to make them pay for that. Hopefully Lonzo's 3 point shooting wasn't a mirage last season because he looked decent at the standing still catch and shoot. I also like Adams' IQ and activity, he'll move to give Zion a dump off target for open dunks as Zion dances through multiple defenders in the paint.
Posted on 11/24/20 at 9:30 am to Fun Bunch
I don't subscribe to Bball index, but I swear i remember listening to one of the pelicans podcasts where they say that ball's gravity increased as the season went on and teams started to respect he catch and shoot 3pt shot. (Maybe nolajake can chime in here...) If that is real then Ball as a spot shooter continues to shoot ~40% then that gravity will increase. Its not perfect but I think it has potential. A 6'6" guard who can push the ball in transition and throw full court passes to get easy baskets, defend both guards and average size wings, and shoot a high percentage from 3 has a place on any good team. My only concern is Klutch and us having to overpay to keep him. If we can keep him for 15-17m per year i'm ok with it.
Posted on 11/24/20 at 9:35 am to Fun Bunch
quote:
1) Starting lineup shooting/gravity.
Do you think this was an issue last year? Because it's not really any worse this year.
quote:I don't get this really. What about his skillset says that he can't be a SG? He was a good 3 point shooter last season, he has secondary play making ability, and is a great passer in transition. He definitely can do it, now I think the question is will he to buy into that role? That's a concern of mine.
Ball at SG...I get the positionless basketball will have him playing different roles in different situation (O v D, halfcourt v transition) but I just am having a hard time wrapping my head around him as a starting Shooting Guard. I'll be honest, I don't think he can do it effectively and I think he needs to be moved as part of a package for a true SG or SF.
Another concern is guard depth, we're going to be relying on NAW and/or Kira to play real minutes off of the bench.
Posted on 11/24/20 at 9:36 am to Fun Bunch
Mine is backup pg. If Ball is gonna spend his time starting at sg then who is coming off the bench for Bledsoe. I could see a situation where both Ball and Bledsoe start and SVG juggles them so one is always on the court, but if we're going to try the Ball to sg then that is tough for him to flip back and forth. I would have liked to sign a vet bench pg to play 12-16 mins per game.
Posted on 11/24/20 at 9:36 am to cajun_tiger
To have gravity you need a combination of volume and proficiency. Ball park figure is 6 3PAs per 36 minutes shooting 36% or higher and you make the defensive scouting report. If Lonzo continues to do what he did last season, teams will guard him.
Posted on 11/24/20 at 9:39 am to TigerinATL
Does Coach Stan encourage the same "run up and take a 3 with 20 seconds left on the clock" that Gentry seemed to push Lonzo to do?
Posted on 11/24/20 at 9:41 am to jmcwhrter
Most of the speculation on how the offense will change is to give it more structure and have that structure flow more through Ingram and Zion. All of the signings seem to line up with the offensive load being on them as well. I doubt Stan wants them passing up good shots, but I don't think 7 seconds or less will be the primary goal this season.
Posted on 11/24/20 at 9:43 am to TigerinATL
That is why i think it could work. Ball actually has a pretty quick release, and is a big guard. If those numbers from last year are what he shoots now, or if he can even improve (i remember vinson doing an interview right before covid where he said there was still some more correctionsto be made to Balls shot) then Bal l should have very good gravity going forward. I don't think he's a star. But we need people who recognize they are the 3rd or 4th best option on offense to play with BI and Zion. I think that is what Ball will be.
Posted on 11/24/20 at 8:59 pm to GynoSandberg
quote:
What does having gravity entail?
Do we know yet
Posted on 11/24/20 at 9:06 pm to Fun Bunch
Adams' health
This post was edited on 11/24/20 at 9:07 pm
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