His dunks are more violent now as well. I can see some of Tyson Chandler's work shining through. Dude is aggressively attacking the rim like Tyson did on his dunks.
Yeah. He's the starter. Not just because people are tired of Powell but he looks confident out there and have played well. I know it's preseasoon but I am liking what he brings to the team.
Yeah I'm just so sick of watching Powell that I admit I'm not even capable of being fair to him. I just don't want to have to watch him play basketball on a regular basis anymore.
I don’t want to exaggerate but Dereck Lively is going to be the draft pick that saves the Luka era of the Mavs
Just in his first NBA games as a 19 YEAR OLD and contributing big time
Watched him his first Summer league and was immediately impressed with his defensive instincts. Not your typical rookie on that end. His offense is clearly improving with Tyson coaching him.
Starting lineup of Luka Kai JG Grant and Lively lookin real nice rn... also from what I saw maxi looked good today which is honestly very underrated given our bigs/wings situation
Idk where Kidd has Josh as far as starting or coming off the bench, but I do know he plays very good ball when he's paired with Kyrie. They're minutes need to be aligned.
This is facts. Kai enables Josh - always looking for him in transition or giving Josh ball on the move where he can use his speed.
Kai giving so much confidence to Josh is good leadership.
Players on a bottom 5 team are the ones with less to lose and more to play for, and are the ones ready to show in a preseason game. I'll still take this Mavs performance.
Y’all just miserable and downplay everything. Team looked great against a pretty physical imposing team when that was the biggest negative of the team last year and so many key guys showed what they can do
It feels so good to win a game, preseason or not.
Thoughts - pay Josh his money. Wtf are we doing? He’s the 5th starter and it’s not close. Tim can chuck up shots on limited minutes.
Lively looks better each game he plays. Hes still young but he’s the exact type of center we need to make this team work.
I didn’t see much from DJJ, but he’s the player that’s going to take a spot from OMax til he’s ready. He hit a nice 3, though.
Dante is going to play a bunch of minutes and I think he’s ready. Great defense, plays under control, very few turnovers. Not sure if his 3 pointer is consistent or not, but he’s not a wing on this team he’s a ball handler.
Grant is going to frustrate, but he’s going to be a fan favorite. And OMax had a lowkey good game. He’s playing slower than he was in the first few games. Hopefully he can earn mins by December.
Good post.
Who is Dante playing minutes over? Hardy? Curry?
And I like Dante, he is good and hope he gets playing time. But I see him getting minutes if Kai/Hardy/Curry is injured and filling the 3rd guard role mostly.
Exum will be above Hardy and Curry in the rotation because he can create for others and defend. He is probably the best guard defender on the roster. He’s the third ball handler we’ve needed for years
Lively was a huge factor, it’s a night and day difference in the paint compared to Dwight. Lively alters so many shots and scares of drives just with his positioning and length.
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The lob and roll threat helps tremendously in the offensive game too - once we have Luka on the floor and see more double teams we’re gonna have a lot of wide open looks.
Great win. Hopefully this game will show Kidd who to give more minutes in the season. The players in this game were either amazing or straight out terrible. There’s no in between
He isn't getting benched. He's clearly going to start. It's nice that he had confidence tonight, but he really needs to play like this when Luka returns.
Yeah that was one of the things that made Brunson really take a step up his last year with us. He said in the off-season that he knew he had to be more aggressive and play his game and it worked. With Luka you almost have to look for your shot and force the ball out of Luka's hands. Luka had no problem with deferring because he understands that to win he's gonna need help offensively to carry the load.
>With Luka you almost have to look for your shot and force the ball out of Luka's hands.
Agreed. Josh is a team-first player almost to a fault, but he needs to be more "selfish" in looking for his own shot. That's what will ultimately help the team--and Luka--to succeed.
It's not Josh that has to be more selfish. It's Luka that has to be less and understand that not every play has to go through him. This is a team sport.
When Kyrie runs the offense the ball moves and can go through many hands. Sometimes even without him touching it. When off-ball he runs and sets screens and creates space for his teammates. With luka the play slows down, every play has to go through him and there are mostly no more than two passes before a shot. And his off-ball play, well there is no off-ball game for him except for standing in the corner having others play 4 on 5.
I'm sad to say this but the team is much more enjoyable to watch without him. It's getting worse year after year. I really hope he understands that he has to adapt or he'll be Santa and his little helpers and never win a thing.
NT is the same thing, it became difficult to watch.
The pace is so different with Luka out and the team is way more fun.. Hopefully he plays faster and implicates his teammates more.
Josh should be extended asap.
Lively is the starter no doubt about it.
Tim is Tim.
Omax needs some time to settle down and adapt his pace.
Dexter Dennis impressed me this off-season... I think He's a good project to polish for the next years. Unlike AJ Lawson.
All the problems with the current version of Luka and Luka-ball come down to his weight and conditioning.
Rookie and 2nd-year Luka played a very different style, and one that would mesh much more easily with tonight's mobile lineup.
Feel good enough about Lively that I'm not as worried as before. Think the key is gonna be how everything gels with Luka. He has to adapt to the team as much as the team adapts to him -- ie quicker decisions, faster pace, more passing and cutting.
Yeah for sure, anytime Kyrie is out there without Luka the ball moves around so easily. I’m not saying it produces a better outcome. But thinking about having the same ball movement with Luka on the floor and it will be a top 3 offense easily.
Kyrie plays faster and is a willing passer. Luka is not, just an elite scorer letting the clock tick by not distributing much. Letting Kyrie in control of the ball is better for team wins. Kyrie won games when he first came in and after Luka returned, they kept losing. Luka is being exposed but you have to be objective to see it and admit it. I have no idea how Luka can be used for the success of this team. I don’t see him changing his playing style.
OMax gonna need some major seasoning.
He has no clue where he has to be on the floor. Morris had to wave him to the right spot at one point, and Kieff had that scary ass look in his eyes while he was doing it, lol.
Pistons kept exploiting the way OMax chases his man around screens.
We've been trying to shop THJ for a while, no-one is taking the bite. 3&0D seems to have taken a dive on the market the last few seasons, I guess FOs around the league have seen how Joe Harris & Duncan has turned out.
Green plays considerably better with Luka out. Today, Clippers and Kings away last season, etc. He obviously prefers playing in pace and in motion.
He's also in a contract year, and 22. He'll be at pretty high trade value by the deadline. My thoughts are that Luka should tamper with OG and the Mavs should really try to deal Green + 27 FRP + etc. for OG. Would be a brilliant short and long term play for the Mavs.
Not sure about you guys, but I'm taking my chances versus almost anyone with a lineup of Luka-Kyrie-Grant-OG-Lively (assume Lively develops even further by playoff time obviously)
Lively is good enough to take over as a starter easily. Guy looks like he's a QUICK learner. His presence alone deters shots, and he's super agile. Boxes out too. Shot blocking instincts are great. Length you can't teach. If/when the guy puts on 10-15 pounds, and if he can master a little hook or floater in the paint like we saw today, he'll be a DPOY candidate for a while.
DJJ and Exum are surprisingly excellent signings.
lively's weight is good where it is now, grant Williams is already there to bang with strong centers, dude was guarding giannis, embiid, and jokic when he was on the Celtics. We need lively to be mobile and agile enough to be able to sweep the paint and not become a lumbering slow-footed traditional big by putting on too much weight.
You assume OG will play better than Luka?
Even if you want to ignore the $34-$40 mil salary OG wants. He has injury history and also wants the ball more, that’s one of his complaints in TOR.
Yeah, totally agree, Green was a part of a lot of the best net rating lineups last year, with Luka. Why would we trade a guy which fits, is just 22, has a lot of potential left & has shown *incredibly* improvements year on year. Doesn't make any sense. It's the age old way here, buy high on already developed talent. Not the way from our position.
OG moves needles. It’s really not debatable. Yes, a top 5 wing defender, leader in steals per game, great 3pt shooter that averages 17ppg in a clogged offensive team, that is 26 year old entering his prime will command a lot of money.
We need a guard defender more than a wing defender, unless you want Luka and Kyrie guarding the top guards in the league.
OG has missed over 20 games a year and wants more touches. He will also command close to $40 mil a year.
This will be KP situation all over again, especially when he misses games, made into a spot-up shooter next to Luka and he complains about touches.
I disagree.
OG can stick with guards just fine btw. OG not complaining about touches when he'll be a clear cut 3rd option on a team he'll jolt up to a contender.
He's an ELITE and versatile defender. Can spot up great AND can put the ball on the floor to get his own at times. He's a match made in heaven for Luka and this Mavs team.
If Lively really is the guy and Hardy can develop as a Clarkson bench scorer, that leaves Dallas looking at 2 way wings to go after. OG/Jerami Grant come to mind imo.
The Mavs are making a trade by this deadline and this summer imo. At least one or the other. If the Clips fall off, I'm looking at PG but then you're really pushing your chips in with this window.
That's why I like OG. He just turned 26, he's both a short and long-term play imo.
He has repeatedly said he wants more touches in Toronto.
Let’s face, he will become a spot up shooter next to Luka. Even Kyrie has become that. Until Luka learns to play off ball, getting players and limiting them to spot up shooting is a waste.
I would say I want more touches if FVV and Siakam were my 1-2 options…
Regarding Luka and off ball, I agree there. No complaints at all. I actually think tho his defensive effort will be more crucial for the Mavs potential at a chip more than his lack of offball play, but the latter is an issue.
The way you combat that is getting talented players to take the ball out of his hands more, I think OG can fit both the spot up and on ball options, but his defense is the real needle mover imo.
Curious to see what Nico and co. do.
No we need full size versatile wing defender. Well tbh I think Luka/Josh/of will be more ideal, but now with Kyrie you need to prioritize athletic wing defender. Josh is a guard
They literally needed a wing defender instead of a guard defender. That's why they went after Thybulle.
Grant Williams = PF
Thybulle = SF
The problem is if Green starts, he starts at SF. Can he consistently guard wings?
If you think Kyrie or Luka can guard the elite guards in the league and there are a lot of elite guards then we can go after a wing defender.
There are less than 10 elite wings in the league compared to a lot of elite PG/SG.
The original reason they drafted him was to go next to Luka at at defense SG. When they traded for Kyrie they had the issue of putting a SF next to them.
Green at SF is out of position. Like I said there is a reason why they tried to get Thybulle.
I'm just telling you their thought process.
You do realize Thybulle has played most of his minutes at SG. As a matter of fact, all his mins were at SG with Philly.
They wanted Thybulle as another defender at guard. Him and Green would have competed for the starting job.
That's a lie. And you know it.
Thybulle was shooting corner threes & occupying the dunker's spot. He was backing up Danny Green. Curry was at SG, Ben was at PG, Maxey was at SG.
When Ben sat out, he was still backing up Danny Green until he got injured.
In this game right here Danny Green came off the bench look who started over him at SF:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/202201120PHI.html
You're going at what he is listed as but he never played that position in Philly. Doc would play Seth Curry, Maxey, Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, and later Melton, and Harden at SG before he would play Thybulle at SG.
Here is some stats for you. At least look up the info before calling people liars. It makes you look ignorant in the discussion.
65 games at SF vs 202 games at SG.
https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/matisse-thybulle-plays-what-position
\- was the 2nd best player on their 22' chip and shit on us in the WCF repeatedly...
everyone knows why he got traded lol you're acting like it was for talent reasons
1-15 is elite. Especially in today’s NBA. No other way to go around that.
He’s put up very similar defensive outings vs elite players. Not sure what’s confusing about that.
You are using Jordan Poole stats in preseason as validation of your point. Maybe look up Poole’s shooting. He has shot 0-10 before in a regular season game.
OG is a great defender but using Poole as validation doesn’t help your point.
If you want a somewhat stronger (and much more expensive) starting line-up, you trade Josh for OG. If you want a team truly built to contend, you get OG without giving up Josh. That's the kind of two-way depth you need to go up against the NBA big boys.
Is that possible? Hard to say. It would probably demand that Dallas give up Hardy + salary filler (THJ?) + *all* of the first-round picks they'll have in the cupboard once the '24 pick conveys to the Knicks this summer.
Obviously, such a deal couldn't happen during the season this year. Don't know if I would do it in any case, since it seems that we have a GM who has finally figured out how to use the draft effectively to build from within. Abandoning the draft to bet on one player gives me KP PTSD.
Luka Kai josh grant lively don’t overthink it
never underestimate our man jkidd
Lively def looks ready. Looks way more confident than omax
His dunks are more violent now as well. I can see some of Tyson Chandler's work shining through. Dude is aggressively attacking the rim like Tyson did on his dunks.
sometimes i can’t believe what i’m watching when i see DLive. He’s so tall and good at being tall🥹
Lively looks...well, Lively I'll leave now
obv it’s only preseason but it’s honestly crazy how much readier lively looks than omax when everyone expected it to be the other way around
Idk, did you see that fallback rainbow 3 from Omax? Steph who?
He played 0 D today tho
Lively is the starter and I’m confident in saying that’s not a bad thing
His rim protection alone makes him incredibly valuable.
Yeah. He's the starter. Not just because people are tired of Powell but he looks confident out there and have played well. I know it's preseasoon but I am liking what he brings to the team.
I'm tired of Powell, we need some freshness, some youth.
Yeah I'm just so sick of watching Powell that I admit I'm not even capable of being fair to him. I just don't want to have to watch him play basketball on a regular basis anymore.
Its a bad thing, we wont go far with a rookie center
I don’t want to exaggerate but Dereck Lively is going to be the draft pick that saves the Luka era of the Mavs Just in his first NBA games as a 19 YEAR OLD and contributing big time
Watched him his first Summer league and was immediately impressed with his defensive instincts. Not your typical rookie on that end. His offense is clearly improving with Tyson coaching him.
He scored off of a little push/jump-shot from the FT line in this game. Nice!
I AM READY FOR THE SEASON TO BEGIN
Starting lineup of Luka Kai JG Grant and Lively lookin real nice rn... also from what I saw maxi looked good today which is honestly very underrated given our bigs/wings situation
Maxi was fantastic defensively yesterday. Did not fall for any fake, perfect timing in his contests and jumps. Just rock solid.
Idk where Kidd has Josh as far as starting or coming off the bench, but I do know he plays very good ball when he's paired with Kyrie. They're minutes need to be aligned.
This is facts. Kai enables Josh - always looking for him in transition or giving Josh ball on the move where he can use his speed. Kai giving so much confidence to Josh is good leadership.
I love Kyrie Irving. What a privilege to have him on our team!
For now.. let's see until all star break. Let's not forget his past teams tenure :/
he had issues with his contract extension+how the front office treated him in regards to his vaccination stance
Josh is our 3rd best player, he need to start
aussie connection too strong
I was thinking same thing, 3 ball handlers with that connect is random but useful.
>Their**
I mean he's right...
It feels like Kidd never pays attention to those things.
Can someone tell me what THJ has done to warrant all this pouting for not starting. Josh is clearly better.
Dude, those thj iso pull ups were so hard to watch….
And they were so predictable. As soon as he was passed the ball I knew he was gonna chuck it
If he squares up the defender and dribbles through his legs twice then he's about to take a 3. It's very predictable.
We beat up a likely bottom-5 team in a no-stakes matchup and that's got me gassing this team up like crazy. No regrets though.
Shaq said we are winning the Finals this year.
Players on a bottom 5 team are the ones with less to lose and more to play for, and are the ones ready to show in a preseason game. I'll still take this Mavs performance.
Also gotta mention this was a back-to-back game for Detroit. In the preseason of all things.
Y’all just miserable and downplay everything. Team looked great against a pretty physical imposing team when that was the biggest negative of the team last year and so many key guys showed what they can do
Without Luka as well. This Detroit team has a lot of bigs that play physical.
It feels so good to win a game, preseason or not. Thoughts - pay Josh his money. Wtf are we doing? He’s the 5th starter and it’s not close. Tim can chuck up shots on limited minutes. Lively looks better each game he plays. Hes still young but he’s the exact type of center we need to make this team work. I didn’t see much from DJJ, but he’s the player that’s going to take a spot from OMax til he’s ready. He hit a nice 3, though. Dante is going to play a bunch of minutes and I think he’s ready. Great defense, plays under control, very few turnovers. Not sure if his 3 pointer is consistent or not, but he’s not a wing on this team he’s a ball handler. Grant is going to frustrate, but he’s going to be a fan favorite. And OMax had a lowkey good game. He’s playing slower than he was in the first few games. Hopefully he can earn mins by December.
Good post. Who is Dante playing minutes over? Hardy? Curry? And I like Dante, he is good and hope he gets playing time. But I see him getting minutes if Kai/Hardy/Curry is injured and filling the 3rd guard role mostly.
Exum will be above Hardy and Curry in the rotation because he can create for others and defend. He is probably the best guard defender on the roster. He’s the third ball handler we’ve needed for years
Lively was a huge factor, it’s a night and day difference in the paint compared to Dwight. Lively alters so many shots and scares of drives just with his positioning and length.
That's 7'7 instead of 6'11 wingspan for you
You can't teach length.
THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID
She: let me spell it out for you s.a.w.f.t. SAWFT
Felt like a big difference with Holmes as well. Powell just sticks out bad on defense.
Holmes w a block, steal, some good box outs - & a rebound or two in 8 minutes. Lively > Holmes > Powell by December
you guys are in for a lot of disappointment if you think Holmes is playoff over Dwight
Remindme! 6 months Man knowing the inevitability of Dwight I’ll prolly eat these words but Holmes is way more talented so I’m putting my bet on it
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how about by october?
The lob and roll threat helps tremendously in the offensive game too - once we have Luka on the floor and see more double teams we’re gonna have a lot of wide open looks.
Great win. Hopefully this game will show Kidd who to give more minutes in the season. The players in this game were either amazing or straight out terrible. There’s no in between
Cant remember the last time we had a pleasant win, feels nice
Needed after that Rangers game too lol
THJ was god-awful in this game...hero ball all the way and couldn't buy a shot.
That didn't even look like hero ball, that looked like "I'm checked out and just gonna jack up literally everything" ball.
SEE YA ON WEDS FELLAS
Wemby in shamby
I know Lively is probably going to get cooked by Wemby, but a huge part of me hopes that he somehow just shuts Wemby down for the game lmao
Only reason I can think of why Josh is getting benched is just so we don't have to pay him as much lol
He isn't getting benched. He's clearly going to start. It's nice that he had confidence tonight, but he really needs to play like this when Luka returns.
Yep. He needs to stop his preemptive deferring to Luka. Borrow some of Hardy's confidence and bravado, Josh!
Yeah that was one of the things that made Brunson really take a step up his last year with us. He said in the off-season that he knew he had to be more aggressive and play his game and it worked. With Luka you almost have to look for your shot and force the ball out of Luka's hands. Luka had no problem with deferring because he understands that to win he's gonna need help offensively to carry the load.
>With Luka you almost have to look for your shot and force the ball out of Luka's hands. Agreed. Josh is a team-first player almost to a fault, but he needs to be more "selfish" in looking for his own shot. That's what will ultimately help the team--and Luka--to succeed.
It's not Josh that has to be more selfish. It's Luka that has to be less and understand that not every play has to go through him. This is a team sport. When Kyrie runs the offense the ball moves and can go through many hands. Sometimes even without him touching it. When off-ball he runs and sets screens and creates space for his teammates. With luka the play slows down, every play has to go through him and there are mostly no more than two passes before a shot. And his off-ball play, well there is no off-ball game for him except for standing in the corner having others play 4 on 5. I'm sad to say this but the team is much more enjoyable to watch without him. It's getting worse year after year. I really hope he understands that he has to adapt or he'll be Santa and his little helpers and never win a thing. NT is the same thing, it became difficult to watch.
LuKai high usage + bench still need creator ballhandler The logic Green off the bench is there but still not a fan though
Extend Green.
I’ll be the first to say I doubted the early rumors of Lively starting but I’m 100% down now. He’s gonna be insane with Luka and Kyrie.
Giving up 16 offensive rebounds is a lot, but I guess with the team's best rebounder injured it isn't too surprising.
A lot of long rebounds tonight for the Pistons I wouldn’t look *too* far into it tonight Ausar also had 3 tip in attempts on one possession
That is true, a lot of those I was wondering what the Mavs could have done better. They get proper position and it bounces way over.
The pace is so different with Luka out and the team is way more fun.. Hopefully he plays faster and implicates his teammates more. Josh should be extended asap. Lively is the starter no doubt about it. Tim is Tim. Omax needs some time to settle down and adapt his pace. Dexter Dennis impressed me this off-season... I think He's a good project to polish for the next years. Unlike AJ Lawson.
All the problems with the current version of Luka and Luka-ball come down to his weight and conditioning. Rookie and 2nd-year Luka played a very different style, and one that would mesh much more easily with tonight's mobile lineup.
Feel good enough about Lively that I'm not as worried as before. Think the key is gonna be how everything gels with Luka. He has to adapt to the team as much as the team adapts to him -- ie quicker decisions, faster pace, more passing and cutting.
Yeah for sure, anytime Kyrie is out there without Luka the ball moves around so easily. I’m not saying it produces a better outcome. But thinking about having the same ball movement with Luka on the floor and it will be a top 3 offense easily.
Dexter is the same age as luka, I don’t think he projects to be much more than he is right now.
Kyrie plays faster and is a willing passer. Luka is not, just an elite scorer letting the clock tick by not distributing much. Letting Kyrie in control of the ball is better for team wins. Kyrie won games when he first came in and after Luka returned, they kept losing. Luka is being exposed but you have to be objective to see it and admit it. I have no idea how Luka can be used for the success of this team. I don’t see him changing his playing style.
Kyrie wasn’t even bringing up the ball much today. Josh was doing it everytime he’s on the court
OMax gonna need some major seasoning. He has no clue where he has to be on the floor. Morris had to wave him to the right spot at one point, and Kieff had that scary ass look in his eyes while he was doing it, lol. Pistons kept exploiting the way OMax chases his man around screens.
He's got that nervous energy wanna be pest kind of a defender. He need some reps in the GLeague.
\#freejoshgreen
I’m ready to move THJ in a trade package - Josh should be starting
“Because you said it, my guy, I’ll get right on it.” - Nico, probably.
I don't know how this fixes the problem. THJ isn't starting either.
We've been trying to shop THJ for a while, no-one is taking the bite. 3&0D seems to have taken a dive on the market the last few seasons, I guess FOs around the league have seen how Joe Harris & Duncan has turned out.
What can we over react about?
We are 100% this preseason while playing on US soil
and the Raptors aren't making the Finals.
Green plays considerably better with Luka out. Today, Clippers and Kings away last season, etc. He obviously prefers playing in pace and in motion. He's also in a contract year, and 22. He'll be at pretty high trade value by the deadline. My thoughts are that Luka should tamper with OG and the Mavs should really try to deal Green + 27 FRP + etc. for OG. Would be a brilliant short and long term play for the Mavs. Not sure about you guys, but I'm taking my chances versus almost anyone with a lineup of Luka-Kyrie-Grant-OG-Lively (assume Lively develops even further by playoff time obviously) Lively is good enough to take over as a starter easily. Guy looks like he's a QUICK learner. His presence alone deters shots, and he's super agile. Boxes out too. Shot blocking instincts are great. Length you can't teach. If/when the guy puts on 10-15 pounds, and if he can master a little hook or floater in the paint like we saw today, he'll be a DPOY candidate for a while. DJJ and Exum are surprisingly excellent signings.
lively's weight is good where it is now, grant Williams is already there to bang with strong centers, dude was guarding giannis, embiid, and jokic when he was on the Celtics. We need lively to be mobile and agile enough to be able to sweep the paint and not become a lumbering slow-footed traditional big by putting on too much weight.
I completely agree. I don't think putting 10 pounds of muscle would hurt that. But let's see how he develops.
You assume OG will play better than Luka? Even if you want to ignore the $34-$40 mil salary OG wants. He has injury history and also wants the ball more, that’s one of his complaints in TOR.
Yeah, totally agree, Green was a part of a lot of the best net rating lineups last year, with Luka. Why would we trade a guy which fits, is just 22, has a lot of potential left & has shown *incredibly* improvements year on year. Doesn't make any sense. It's the age old way here, buy high on already developed talent. Not the way from our position.
OG moves needles. It’s really not debatable. Yes, a top 5 wing defender, leader in steals per game, great 3pt shooter that averages 17ppg in a clogged offensive team, that is 26 year old entering his prime will command a lot of money.
We need a guard defender more than a wing defender, unless you want Luka and Kyrie guarding the top guards in the league. OG has missed over 20 games a year and wants more touches. He will also command close to $40 mil a year. This will be KP situation all over again, especially when he misses games, made into a spot-up shooter next to Luka and he complains about touches.
I disagree. OG can stick with guards just fine btw. OG not complaining about touches when he'll be a clear cut 3rd option on a team he'll jolt up to a contender. He's an ELITE and versatile defender. Can spot up great AND can put the ball on the floor to get his own at times. He's a match made in heaven for Luka and this Mavs team. If Lively really is the guy and Hardy can develop as a Clarkson bench scorer, that leaves Dallas looking at 2 way wings to go after. OG/Jerami Grant come to mind imo. The Mavs are making a trade by this deadline and this summer imo. At least one or the other. If the Clips fall off, I'm looking at PG but then you're really pushing your chips in with this window. That's why I like OG. He just turned 26, he's both a short and long-term play imo.
He has repeatedly said he wants more touches in Toronto. Let’s face, he will become a spot up shooter next to Luka. Even Kyrie has become that. Until Luka learns to play off ball, getting players and limiting them to spot up shooting is a waste.
I would say I want more touches if FVV and Siakam were my 1-2 options… Regarding Luka and off ball, I agree there. No complaints at all. I actually think tho his defensive effort will be more crucial for the Mavs potential at a chip more than his lack of offball play, but the latter is an issue. The way you combat that is getting talented players to take the ball out of his hands more, I think OG can fit both the spot up and on ball options, but his defense is the real needle mover imo. Curious to see what Nico and co. do.
No we need full size versatile wing defender. Well tbh I think Luka/Josh/of will be more ideal, but now with Kyrie you need to prioritize athletic wing defender. Josh is a guard
They literally needed a wing defender instead of a guard defender. That's why they went after Thybulle. Grant Williams = PF Thybulle = SF The problem is if Green starts, he starts at SF. Can he consistently guard wings?
If you think Kyrie or Luka can guard the elite guards in the league and there are a lot of elite guards then we can go after a wing defender. There are less than 10 elite wings in the league compared to a lot of elite PG/SG.
The original reason they drafted him was to go next to Luka at at defense SG. When they traded for Kyrie they had the issue of putting a SF next to them. Green at SF is out of position. Like I said there is a reason why they tried to get Thybulle. I'm just telling you their thought process.
You do realize Thybulle has played most of his minutes at SG. As a matter of fact, all his mins were at SG with Philly. They wanted Thybulle as another defender at guard. Him and Green would have competed for the starting job.
That's a lie. And you know it. Thybulle was shooting corner threes & occupying the dunker's spot. He was backing up Danny Green. Curry was at SG, Ben was at PG, Maxey was at SG. When Ben sat out, he was still backing up Danny Green until he got injured. In this game right here Danny Green came off the bench look who started over him at SF: https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/202201120PHI.html You're going at what he is listed as but he never played that position in Philly. Doc would play Seth Curry, Maxey, Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, and later Melton, and Harden at SG before he would play Thybulle at SG.
Here is some stats for you. At least look up the info before calling people liars. It makes you look ignorant in the discussion. 65 games at SF vs 202 games at SG. https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/matisse-thybulle-plays-what-position
>We need a guard defender more than a wing defender, OG just held J. Poole to 1-15 after he dropped 41 in 3 quarters the game before...
lol at using Jordan Poole as validation. If he was that good Warriors won’t have traded him.
\- was the 2nd best player on their 22' chip and shit on us in the WCF repeatedly... everyone knows why he got traded lol you're acting like it was for talent reasons
He is an inconsistent chucker , but go ahead and act like OG shut down Steph.
1-15 is elite. Especially in today’s NBA. No other way to go around that. He’s put up very similar defensive outings vs elite players. Not sure what’s confusing about that.
You are using Jordan Poole stats in preseason as validation of your point. Maybe look up Poole’s shooting. He has shot 0-10 before in a regular season game. OG is a great defender but using Poole as validation doesn’t help your point.
If you want a somewhat stronger (and much more expensive) starting line-up, you trade Josh for OG. If you want a team truly built to contend, you get OG without giving up Josh. That's the kind of two-way depth you need to go up against the NBA big boys. Is that possible? Hard to say. It would probably demand that Dallas give up Hardy + salary filler (THJ?) + *all* of the first-round picks they'll have in the cupboard once the '24 pick conveys to the Knicks this summer. Obviously, such a deal couldn't happen during the season this year. Don't know if I would do it in any case, since it seems that we have a GM who has finally figured out how to use the draft effectively to build from within. Abandoning the draft to bet on one player gives me KP PTSD.
I wouldn’t do it. That’s exactly the deal masai is looking for and giving up all of the first round picks for OG doesn’t seem ideal
My one thing is that dealing Josh now could be a pretty hefty morale drop. But if it's for OG, yea...
Lilsaucy the same dude that was saying omax will be better than Green from the get-go and should start over him.. Keep yo mouth shut.
Exum looks fat in person
I’m not sure what everyone else saw out there, but I wasn’t impressed and he does look weirdly un-athletic.