I might try starting Reed in place of Jabari. I think Reed, Amen, Tari, KD, Alpi might be an improvement.
Not yet. This starting lineup just had our best back to back games of the season lol. Kinda feel like we need to see how far this can go before we think about messing with it.
I think you forgot that Sengun played in one and missed the other. Haven’t had a stable lineup yet this season. Might as well try with Tari and Reed. I feel like Tari brings a lot of our defensive identity and character back. He’s a better defender than Bari so it helps cover for Reed too. I say try it. We’re shuffling players in and out anyway.
I don't think Jabari has done anything to lose his starting slot. If anything he's gotten better as the season has gone on. The obvious guy to lose starts is still just Okogie. Whether that's for Reed or Tari, I don't know. Both have pros and cons. I will say, I don't think Reed is struggling to get minutes coming off the bench. He pretty regularly, including tonight, gets to play 30+. That was also the case in two of our other last five games.
If it's working don't mess with the lineup. Reed is getting plenty of shots and is making good contributions even as a second unit.
Jabari is critical to our defense. Under this scenario Tari would have to guard a forward which would leave Reed to guard the perimeter. That could work if Sengun was a better rim protector, but alas, he is not. The real solution is Reed getting better on defense and Tari going back to 6 man role when Reed is capable of starting with KD on the floor. As it stands now Reed and KD without a rim protector is a recipe for disaster. Not even sure it works offensively. Reed gets more opportunity to shine when KD is not on the floor. Amen and Reed will be a dynamic duo offensively at some point. In reality, if Tari could stay on the court I think we would have a better starting lineup with Amen, Reed, Tari, Jabari, and Sengun than with KD.
For an offensive point of view I think this is a no-brainer. For the defensive side, I am not sure but I'd like to see it for sure. This 5 has seen the floor for a total of 4 minutes, distributed to 5 games, according to nba.com. So I suspect we'll ever see it in action, because it seems to be against Ime's basic principles.
Fantastic post. All of it. There's something Ryan Hollins keeps saying about how he doesn't need plays to score. Which I think is the most really nice way to say he's not good at reading and reacting to the defense. Yes he's really good at collecting stocks and turning them into transition opportunities, offensive boards, putbacks, creating chaos after defensive rebounds. Things that center on his individual effort and uncanny ability to make things happen in those margins, I mean he's so dang good at causing frustration for opposing ballhandlers. But actual half-court offense? I believe you just need him to stand in the corner and hit the shots that come to him. Is he willing to play 5th banana for the title of starter? And you know, can he physically do it? All this and I'll still say, I want to see the 5 man lineup Reed-Amen-Tari-Jabari-Alpe. There's so much fit on paper there it's kind of insane. A sniper, a slasher, a classic 3&D 3, a stretch 4 and a matchup disintegrator 5.
I dont want KD or Tari banging with PFs thats just an injury waiting to happen Tari and KD are our two most injury prone players. Tari got hit by Holiday's ass and was out for 2 mos. KD went for a layup during warmups and broke his tendon or w/e. Put them away from PF/C position where they would need to aggressively box out their guy for rebounds. Speaking of rebounds, thats also why you dont want KD at the PF spot. KD is 6'11 so he does get boards, but at his age jostling for the rebound would tire him out. Let Sengun and Jabari do that.
It's actually didn't work that well. He collected 5 fouls in just 21 minutes. While he's not a negative, the team clobbered the opponent while he's off the floor. Maybe he needs some time to adjust to a new role.
I mean, that’s our future lineup. That’s the core 5 hopefully. But for this next year or two we have to keep KD in there. This current lineup seems to be working and Reed is doing great off the bench and still getting close to 30 minutes. I think we’re fine for now.
Tari has played well since his return. That much is obvious. But, our team's identity is so cohesive in the vision of accountability that his declaration of wanting to "start" is a reminder of prior concerns. It's not a negative desire for any player to want to be in the starting unit, but considering how Josh fit into the starting lineup seamlessly and without a role expectation, I think Ime has to consider and balance personalities, talent and chemistry. I think Tari makes the most impact as a spark off the bench, along with minutes in the 4th, especially to guard certain mismatches. But, in terms of spacing, hustle plays and being a defensive-focused player among 4 starters who can score at will, Josh has earned and should be a starter. I can acknowledge some of my fandom there, but it's also true that JO is clutch and really good at the corners, while volunteering to guard the opposing team:s best player(s). It's no surprise that there is a lot going on behind the scenes and decisions for Ime/mgmt to make to upgrade and any discussed proposal will be tough as fans. Bargains for backcourts and tough strings to pull for middy vets.
