Joe Viray with a good breakdown of the spacing concerns that were noticeable with the JK/Dray/TJD frontcourt during the preseason opener vs. the Clippers
FYI, the overlay labeling Steph is mine, not Viray’s. He’s so hidden (which is kind of the point lol), I wanted to make sure it was clear where he was in the photo.
I’ll take overanalysis of one of the very first plays of pre-season where the timing is completely off for $200, Alex
cloud-storage-rocks
Wiggs will help a bit but honestly we just don’t have enough scoring on the roster.
HOFredditor
ugh…went to the profile and saw that Joe blocked me lmao. I don’t even know why cause I love his content
by_yes_i_mean_no
People shat on Wiggins while comparing him to Kuminga all last season to claim that Kuminga should be starting over Wiggins. And Wiggins did have a terrible last season, don’t get me wrong. But what people didn’t mention is that if they actually played Kuminga at the 3 all last season, he would have had a worse season than Wiggins. The only world where Kuminga could ever potentially play the 3 is with a big who shoots well enough to warp the defense.
Also the Curry/Wiggins/Kuminga/Green/Center lineup that I keep seeing fans whisper about for the sake of size+defense is a terrible idea. I mean let’s be real, if you want a size+defense lineup, Curry/Moody/Wiggins/Green/Center while benching Kuminga is way better.
CummingInTheNile
Are people really surprised that teams are gonna sag off Kuminga until he proves he can hit open threes? especially when he doesnt know how to time his cuts off the PnR action and just corner camps
Think the issue with this play is Melton not stopping at the wing to space the floor. I think he saw Draymond stop moving and just assumed he wasn’t going to cut so he did instead. Small chemistry issue. Play should’ve ended with a Melton wing 3 or a Kuminga corner 3.
Steph could’ve hit Draymond on the roll to get a Kuminga wing 3 or reset the play, but I think Steph thought he got fouled so he opted for the layup instead.
nazario87
Regardless of the viability of putting a lot of stock in that game, it should be pretty clear that lineups with Trayce and Draymond will shrink the floor considerably.
All of the shooting on this team comes from the guards. All the frontcourt players except for Wiggins (to a degree) are considered nonthreats from the perimeter by the opposing teams. Problem is, we can’t play all guards..
So, Kerr doesn’t really have a lot of options. Either we risk Draymond by playing him center to open up more offense, or we exhaust Curry by christmas by playing Draymond at the 4.
I do believe Kerr most likely will lean towards the defensive option, he usually prefers that.
9 Comments
Clip of the play is [here](https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=32&GameID=0012400004&Season=2024-25&flag=1&title=MISS%20Curry%201%27%20Driving%20Layup).
I’ll take overanalysis of one of the very first plays of pre-season where the timing is completely off for $200, Alex
Wiggs will help a bit but honestly we just don’t have enough scoring on the roster.
ugh…went to the profile and saw that Joe blocked me lmao. I don’t even know why cause I love his content
People shat on Wiggins while comparing him to Kuminga all last season to claim that Kuminga should be starting over Wiggins. And Wiggins did have a terrible last season, don’t get me wrong. But what people didn’t mention is that if they actually played Kuminga at the 3 all last season, he would have had a worse season than Wiggins. The only world where Kuminga could ever potentially play the 3 is with a big who shoots well enough to warp the defense.
Also the Curry/Wiggins/Kuminga/Green/Center lineup that I keep seeing fans whisper about for the sake of size+defense is a terrible idea. I mean let’s be real, if you want a size+defense lineup, Curry/Moody/Wiggins/Green/Center while benching Kuminga is way better.
Are people really surprised that teams are gonna sag off Kuminga until he proves he can hit open threes? especially when he doesnt know how to time his cuts off the PnR action and just corner camps
EDIT: [And his defense still leaves a lot to be desired](https://x.com/JoeVirayNBA/status/1843133480974389693)
That cut from the corner could be lethal
Think the issue with this play is Melton not stopping at the wing to space the floor. I think he saw Draymond stop moving and just assumed he wasn’t going to cut so he did instead. Small chemistry issue. Play should’ve ended with a Melton wing 3 or a Kuminga corner 3.
Steph could’ve hit Draymond on the roll to get a Kuminga wing 3 or reset the play, but I think Steph thought he got fouled so he opted for the layup instead.
Regardless of the viability of putting a lot of stock in that game, it should be pretty clear that lineups with Trayce and Draymond will shrink the floor considerably.
All of the shooting on this team comes from the guards. All the frontcourt players except for Wiggins (to a degree) are considered nonthreats from the perimeter by the opposing teams. Problem is, we can’t play all guards..
So, Kerr doesn’t really have a lot of options. Either we risk Draymond by playing him center to open up more offense, or we exhaust Curry by christmas by playing Draymond at the 4.
I do believe Kerr most likely will lean towards the defensive option, he usually prefers that.