Man, if this kid was just a few inches taller and didn't have T-Rex arms we'd be set at the 4. As it is, we might have a quality rotation piece in a very team friendly contract.
Hell he fits the "positionless basketball" description very well .... The only things he isn't is a 1 or a 5. I don't think he's cemented in as an NBA 4 ..... If he polishes his game a bit , you could play him as a 2 or 3. If he can improve the handles a bit , you can play him on the ball , much like they have Tate. I see him & Tate as very similar players in that they are so versatile , especially defensively. They had been starting Porter , Tate , Wood , Olynyk & Armoni for a few games prior to those guys injuries .... I think you give Porter , Tate , Wood & Olynyk a quality 2 guard instead of Brooks and that's a solid starting 5 that can put up video game numbers offensively. Add Martin & Khyri Thomas and you have the beginnings of a solid bench , lacking a 3rd rotation big & a point.
I'm hoping for this lineup next season: Wall/Augustin/Thomas KPJ/Gordon/Brooks Cade/Tate/Martin Olynyk/Garuba (Portland pick) Wood/Bassey (Bucks pick) I would love to move Wall and Gordon but don't see an acceptable way of doing that before theyre expiring deals. I'm putting some faith in Thomas and Brooks as 3 & D guys. I'm expecting them to run hot and cold but hoping that having bench roles allows us to live with that. Cade is the biggest addition to the frontcourt (where he plays until Wall and Gordon open up minutes in the backcourt where he belongs). But I think Garuba and Bassey would add some bulk and defense/rebounding which is what the team will need once Cade is on board.
I want to like Brooks , he can get hot and shot the lights out ..... but he just aint a starter in this league , really not a rotation guard either. Maybe some day but that day aint today. For now he's an end of the bench specialist on a good team. Wilson's RFA , not sure they resign him. My opinion is that he's a fringe rotation guy. #10 on a good roster ..... Nice player to have on a cheap contract , not one you want to pay any significant $$$.
Preach. Only destination I can come up with for Wall is LAC if they disappoint in the playoffs. I could see Kawhi leaning on them for more help if they get knocked out before the finals. Maybe Pat, Rondo and Morris for Wall? I think the Rockets could route Rondo and Morris to contenders but I'd consider keeping Bev around as a vet for the rebuild.
Kenyon Martin Jr is the next Klay Thompson (just with a slightly less beautiful shot). There, I said it.
I agree with OP, the kid has been one of our highlights this season. Competes like hell, he is trying from 3 and you gotta love the numbers he put in with the extended minutes. I like what you are selling here.
That's a heck of a lot for them to give up to get a guy who doesn't play back to backs and increases salary by ~$10m and about $22m into the tax. Then having to replace two rotation pieces with the taxpayer MLE & Vet minimums. I'm not so sure that's a viable deal , don't think it makes that team any better. Someone else mentioned the Knicks , directly into cap space but that really doesn't work either .... They can create the cap space by renouncing most of their FA's including Ntilikina .... but that doesn't take into account Randle's contract , only $4m of that is guaranteed , there's another $15.8m unaccounted for. I just don't see a deal out there to move Wall that doesn't cost the Rockets picks, that contract is gonna be hard to move. One team no one has mentioned is New Orleans .... If Lonzo leaves , they could be desperate for PG help. But for them to match salaries they'd probably have to wait 90 days after signing one or more of their FA's (Adams to a ~$35m 1 plus a team option?).
Yeah, agreed. Wall might be the toughest contract in the NBA to move. What sucks is that I think Wall could be helpful on the right team. Even though he isn't what he used to be, he isn't washed.
His numbers are way down, whether it's efficiency, shooting %, offensive/defensive win share... and he has not played more than 41 games in a season since the 2016-2017 season. I agree that he's not washed up, but he's heading that direction. He might be a decent 6th man candidate -- something like 22-24 minutes a game.
Walls main problem is his ego. If he played smarter and knew his limitations he would be very valuable.
Yea, the great thing bout Tate and KMJ is they can fit almost any team, they can contribute a lot without a ply drawn up for them. They play physical, they hit the boards, they take pride on deense, are physical, athletic, and gritty. Great, great finds by stone and @The Cat mentioned that a considerable amount of morey's analytic team stayed on. KPJ and Woods have more all star potential, but you gotta give them their touches, so far both are doing great given its the first year for both in their roles. In terms of player development and getting those young pieces, we have a solid 4 and are looking at a few other picks up late in the season. Its not a winning team yet, but those are good pieces to build on the puzzle. More likely than not, next year stands to incentivize another tank. Then the summer after Wall and gordon become expirings so more freedom there, ideally we are looking at this years lottery and next years, KPJ.Wood going into their contract years and maybe we're ripe to make a big jump in two seasons with Silas still around for year 3/4 to show more.
I don’t think it’s an either or thing, but yes Kevin Martin Jr is a great prospect who has come on lately. He has an all around game but still has a long way to go to be consistent. I like his attitude and if he puts in the work he has a much higher ceiling than people realize. I do like the upside of Tate, Wood, KPJ and KMJ. But we need some more pieces. This draft is gonna be a big one for us. The big question I have: do we have the coaching staff to maximize player development?