Should be part of the 8 players rotation in the playoffs , as of now it doesn't look like he's going to be and it's quite the dissapointment
hmmmm...possibly. if i had to go with 8: gasol AD lebron kcp schroder AC trez or drummond (depending on matchup) kuz i suppose i'd add (or matthews, depending on matchup) after kcp? i think THT can only play spot duty because of his shooting and defensive issues. he hasn't improved enough in either area to justify bumping kcp or even matthews, imo.
I got 7 "locked" choices Gasol AD Lebron KCP Schroder AC Morris ( based on last season , he proved he was useful in the postseason, should be better after some rest) We'll see : Wes ( should be based on his profile/experience but not sure Vogel will use him based on his play this season ) Kuz , hasn't proved it last season , based on his play before Lebron went down sure but I'm in the small camp we're better without him so I'm not objective. ( except if we have to defend Kawhi , it's a sure yes for me) Trez not past the 1st round for me , unless we are in a agressive trapping defense
i think kuz is my most trusted player after AD/lebron/eagle, tbh. he generally contributes something positive every night. just rarely all at once. which is fine, because he's not a star.
I'm in the minority I guess but I would love to see a 4 man guard rotation of DS/KCP/AC/THT/spot Matthews minutes for the playoffs. We've barely seen it but when Lebron came back the teams offense looked really really good: THT adding another guy who can attack the pain on top of DS/Lebron and another ballhandler in AC caused defenses all sorts of fits. In my mind, it's got to be a lot of AD at the 5 with a lot of Kuzma/Morris at the 4 and things will work out well on offense and defense. Lakers are still huge across the frontline with Lebron/AD and one of our tweeners 4s with the ability to both stretch the defense and get to the rim.
i just think THT is still a spot duty playoff guy. we didn't really commit the big regular season role/minutes to him to even have a great sense of what his role would be in those situations, imo. wes's role has been the same his whole career, pretty much: three and d. agree on rest: AD/lebron/kuz is big enough against almost anyone up front, and we have gasol to give us 20mpg wrestling with bears like jokic. we can stay big and still be versatile offensively. you know...the way we won the title.
Has anyone seen any update on Wes and his sore(?) / tweaked(?), previously ruptured right achilles? Need this guy for the playoffs.
Well OK. Was just going by the last posts before he disappeared with McLemore getting all the minutes. I have a feeling when we get to the playoffs Vogel will play the guys on his shortened rotations each game that give us best chance to win, and he’s a defense first coach and playoffs are where that’s needed most. He’s not going to lose games because of crappy D and brain farts in that area. Has to do that for ownership, Rob and LeBron and AD1 and the team and the coaching staff.
If he’s health, just like Marc he needs to be worked back into the rotation now. McLemore can be a spark if we can’t hit anything, but the veteran play of Wes, especially on defense, will be crucial going forward. I’ve been down on him this season, he’s disappointed, but this is still the reason we signed him, for this stretch and as far as we go.
I don't even know why it's such a big problem. There are minutes for everyone. Wes is a true professional with so much experience. I feel he can be big for us in the playoffs. Same with the center position. Look at the matchup, give Marc 12-15 minutes every game (he does not have stamina to play more minutes consistently anyway), Drummond 20, Trez 12... maybe 2-3 more for Trez if he's hot or we really need to play more small ball and miss his energy. KCP doesn't always need 30+ minutes, especially if he's not that hot from outside. THT can develop nicely even if he does not get huge minutes. So, carve out some for Wes who can both shoot and defend. I know we can do this.
100% agree with you Karacha. Now is a great time to be finding some minutes for our savvy vets in Marc and Wes. Vogel needs to utilize his roster not shorten it.
And ride the g-damn hot hands of the shooters. Someone’s drilling 3s and is feeling it .... leave them in longer and take advantage of it. We have LOTS of guys who can go off like that.
