Gary Payton II will be attending. portland trailblazers‘ Rotate immediately. His defensive prowess should give the club a boost, and one of his Blazers Edge leaders thinks the lineup switch might amplify that effect.
See this Blazer’s Edge Mailbag question.
hey dave
One thing I don’t quite understand is that nearly every team in NBA history has artificially focused on the question of who should be the “starter.” A better question is (1) who should be the “finisher” and (2) what is the most effective line-up to maximize a player’s potential throughout the game.
For example, everyone agrees that Ant and Dame are better, but not so much when it comes to defense. Together, they could probably undermine Josh Hart’s offensive potential, as could Jerami’s, and sure enough, Nurk scored her two firsts to cover his guard. We have to work harder on defense. What if one of those players, say Ant, arrived at her 8:00 mark in each quarter and played her final eight minutes? Play her eight minutes. That’s her 4 minutes of Dame/Ant overlap per quarter, and her 32 minutes each game. If Gary Payton was healthy and playing like the defensive god he’s expected to be, he’d play the first four minutes of the quarter with a dame and the last four minutes with Ant playing the biggest defense in each short stint. It seems to me that such a strategy would improve the balance of the Blazers throughout the game and make their feet fresher.
Thank you for all your work and incredible writing over the years.
river
Place well.
However, there are some yess and nos to this. Let’s do some work.
Abstractly, you might be right. Personal talent is important, but so is fit. As the USA Men’s Basketball Team discovered decades ago, just having five of his most talented players on the floor doesn’t always lead to victory. A matter of synergy and sacrifice.
Still, the suggestion to insert Gary Payton II for Anfernee Simons may not work as intended. Defense will probably get better, but at what cost? Simmons is a world-class three-point her threat and a bonafide isolation shot creator. He takes the pressure off Lillard in a way that even Josh Hart and Jerami Grant don’t. Peyton has none of those features. Also, since the league emphasizes guard offense, there is a limit to the defensive effect. He probably never improved Portland’s defensive output more than undermined it, not only because of his own scoring deficit, but because of the ripple effect on other starters. It must have been.
Note that this does not apply to the other point of ending the game. We’ll see Chauncey Billups go deep into the 4th quarter with his Justice Winslow or Drew Eubanks. The same may be true for Peyton. It depends. In the final minutes, the game narrows down to his six plays. Coaches have a wealth of data about game progress, current conditions, and team needs. Targeted alternatives are still a gamble, but in known quantities.
This isn’t the case for the start if you’re trying to read 100 possessions that haven’t happened yet based on scout reports rather than tonight’s specific performance. In those situations, you should use the team’s strongest line-up on average, rather than targeting specific skills and limited skills.
Coaches should also consider chemistry. Professional commentators often remind us that this is not the case. NBA2KNBA teams are made up of real people with priorities, rhythms, habits and egos. The same is true for star players. The problem is, if your star isn’t comfortable, the other coaching moves you do won’t make up for it.
Getting started is important. It’s a sign of achievement. Gives players more influence. Demonstrate confidence and respect. Get into the rhythm early on. It’s not the same that he came off the bench in the eighth minute from the start of the first period.
Starting will give you the most potential time possible. That “eight minutes” bench his player will not stay on the floor during his next 40 straight. they need to rest. Coaches will want to alternate depending on the situation. In addition to his eight innings at the beginning, the player makes his usual four- to six-minute stretch later in the game. This reduced total minutes, touches and shots. Players and teams don’t want that.
Here are some useful rules. For average players and bench players, there should be a good reason to floor them. For starters and stars, there should be a good reason to turn them off. Without good answers to these questions, you will never be successful.
the two are not interchangeable. “I’m benching you so I can start an inferior player” isn’t going to fly.
Let’s quote defense. Okay, so you’re saying that the defense of an inferior player is more important than the talent, points production, pedigree and respect of one of his stars? Perfect for If not, or as soon as the team loses a time or two of him (as nearly all teams do), not only is the off-kilter move blamed, so is the coach.
Depending on the situation, your suggestion will work. Starting ‘triple single’ Draymond Green could claim to be one of them golden state warriorsBut how many championships have the Warriors won with him?
Portland isn’t even close to that situation. They probably never even got Peyton to start.
Given that, the Blazers are fine with what they are doing now. If they’re going to make up for Lillard Simmons’ backcourt weakness, it’ll either be better those guards or a stronger frontcourt around them. Continue to roll out a specialized lineup, but he’s unlikely to put out one at the start of the game.
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