[Sam Gordon] Green said “I’m really good next to a center. I’m decent at the center, but I think I’m really good next to a center.” Green started at power forward alongside center Trayce Jackson-Davis at the end of last season. Pairing had a 99.2 defensive rating in 226 minutes in 2023-24.
by taygads
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For context, league average defensive rating last season was 115.
Defensively, yes.. but offense? Eh..
Looney starts to hit threes and be an effective 2 threes a game on 5 attempts? Yeah, Draymond could play the 4. But teams are going spacing at all positions. Look at the Celtics and now the Knicks. Spacing.
The Pacers have Myles Turner, OKC have Chet (if they want 5 floor spacers), etc.
It’s just going to be very difficult to play with that spacing and win. I think you can say a similar thing to the current Timberwolves.
So basically what I’m gathering from these interviews is:
1. They’re gonna run the Steph/Podz/Kuminga/Wiggs/Draymond lineup sparingly, & maybe to start third quarters or close games
2. Most of Draymonds minutes will come next to whoever looks best between Loon & Trayce (& maybe Quinten Post lol)
3. Kumingas gonna play a bunch of minutes and score a bunch of points but probably come off the bench unless he improves dramatically as 3 point shooter and defender.
4. People like Kyle Anderson are on the roster to come off the bench with Kuminga so the Warriors always have an elite defender in the front court
5. Its not known whose gonna start at the 2 between Melton, Hield, Podz & Moody but it sounds like its gonna be Melton
That 9-2 stretch was nice. But kinda a softball schedule. I don’t get to far into it safe to say the we did what we were supposed to and still flubbed the NOLA game to make it painful.
UTA X2 POR X1 SAS X1
CHA X1 HOU X1 LAL X1
DAL X1 ORL X1
In full context the Wiggs Kuminga Dray 14-4 stretch was way more impressive mostly on the road too.
When it was time to hit the gas in the play-in Sacramento boatraced that Steph Klay Wiggs Dray TJD starting lineup and Podz +Kuminga +Moody had juice that Klay +Wiggs +CP3 didn’t. That Sacramento game basically was the truth-teller in the season. That lineup didn’t have the firepower it needed on offense when you had to have it.
But maybe with Podz in and Klay out it does make sense. Like I said I take it with a grain of salt cuz that lineup played a bunch of teams that didn’t want to win. We’ll see.
Well it sounds like Kuminga either proves he’s a 3 or he comes off the bench.
If it’s Wiggins-Dray-TJD, I’d assume Podz is the 2 instead of Melton, for offensive reasons.
If Kuminga can be the 3 next to Dray-TJD, I’d guess Melton is the starting 2, for POA defense.
Offense though
Dray isn’t anywhere near his prime it makes since he’s at his best at the 4.