Just last week I was saying I was good if he never played again. I was wrong. Clearly starter Mclemore >>> bench Mclemore.
Really glad for McLemore. He really did not play like the 7th pick of a Draft most of the time in the past. He's come a real long way.
What's weird is two years ago, Gordon was complaining that he WANTED to come off the bench and felt more comfortable there after struggling as a starter... But I think this year he's sucked both off the bench and as a starter, IIRC. He's just a player that goes through long hot and cold streaks. I don't think there's much correlation with bench or starting.
I honestly don’t think Ben is a bad player and actually plays solid D. This of course is different when he starts versus when he comes off the bench. Eric Gordon is soon to come back and if Ben is designated fo come off the bench this will really derail his progression bc we all know EG will get the bulk of the shots and touches. I actually like Ben in the starting lineup. It gives us another solid shooter who can pull up from anywhere. This also allows House to come off the bench and play that backup 4 that we so desperately lack. Westbrook Harden McLemore PJ Tucker Capela w/ a bench of Westbrook/Harden Rivers Gordon House TC
EG won 6th man of the year. I think of used correctly EG is a perfect bench player for us bc he is allowed to shoot but also drive against inferior competition
Ben McLemore is bad at being a bad player, meaning he's good. Among our regular rotation players, he LEADS THE TEAM in net rating at +14.2. The team has a 57.2 eFG% when he's on the court. If you look at our best lineups with at least 15 minutes played, McLemore is in our top 4 lineups. Our lineup of Capela, Tucker, House, McLemore, and Harden has a net rating of +37.8! It'll never happen but I wish Westbrook would just come off the bench and stagger minutes with Harden. Want to see House and McLemore play more minutes together.
Capela Tucke House McLemore is like the ideal combo for Harden. 3 shooters + roll man. Have length for rebounding. The only bad thing is no one can dribble except for Harden, and House and McLemore are not great at guarding quicker guards.
It amazing when you give a man a chance to prove himself what happens. Big ups to Ben from his Raptors performance. I guess he just needed more shots to get into a rhythm. Because with James and Russell you never know when you will see the rock if they aren't double teaming.
