Back to THT: he's still so young. Crazy he's 20 and playing in his 3rd year in the league. Just keep add a few percentage points each year to the 3pt shot and who knows what his ceiling is. He's not hitting his prime till another 4 to 5 years!
Agreed, Russ as a screener to Lebron is going to be deadly. I also think him as a secondary attack when things break down will be good.
The expectations are clear. They see him as a 2 way contributor and really need him on defense. The con is the an unclear role and structure. I feel like I'm in a time loop reading these comments and it reminds me of how Vogel and the franchise handled Kuzma last year. Either fully commit to A) Starting him next to the Big 3 to provide defense, speed, young legs, etc Or B) Have him be the first perimeter player come off the bench, ease into the game with 2 of the Big 3 and eventually letting him run the show for the 2nd unit. I get that there's flexibility necessary with Lebron coming in and out of the lineup but if Vogel is serious about THT then give him a full commitment on a role. The last thing a developing player needs is lack of a clear role and second guessing himself that he might get pulled if he makes a mistake. Vogel is right about believing in the investment they made in THT but they gotta put him in the right positions to succeed (which they did not do with Kuzma and Kuz is equally at fault too). The last few years the young guy who improved significantly was KCP and its no surprise since he was given a clear role on this team.
So glad to have him back. THT was great on both sides of the ball today. Huge contributor to our win.
He was awesome going to the rim and looked so much more under control than Westbrook. Glad he is back. Hopefully he can get that shot to go down.
Watching the game in; very strange the 20 yo playing his first game and the Lakers gave home the ball. Not sure it's a good sign the guy you traded all your assets for and the value of the trade seems to be admittedly after one game of creating space for your young guy to get minutes. Shades of the Eddie George Jones trade. Given the fact THT is not the prospect of a young Kobe, the Lakers brass and coaching staff seem to have already moved to the point that Westbrook is going to be on a short lease
I liked the starting line up. Clearly shows Vogel is fed up with KB. Restores my faith in Vogel a bit. Between Talen, Austin and Avery our perimeter D will be solid. Maybe we are waking from the nightmare that has been our season so far.
i wonder if it's as much about bazemore as it is about not playing 4 guards. the starters from the last game sort of shocked me given that i'm sure the coaching staff had access to the same lineup data we did, and it indicated that AD + four guys under 6'5" was going to be bad. i assume you mean eddie jones? and i'm not sure it's a referendum on the russ trade that THT got the ball, but it's certainly a commentary on russ's play to this point.
Looked a lot better than I expected in his first game. The late circus layup was clutch. I believe he had his hands on 3 big plays during that stretch with the score, assist, or assist that led to the assist. The biggest takeaway for me was his engagement and that he didn't look lost like last season. Only one game, but that's a big step he has to take. I think if/ when we're healthy he should be the first guard off the bench and the first forward not named Melo. I'd give him all the minutes Russ doesn't play. I don't think he should start next to the big 3 because that's too many players who need to get to the rim.
he hit some catch and shoot threes in the preseason. if he can do that consistently, he can play with lebron and westbrook, particularly when AD is at center. but i think they used him in game 1 as mini-lebron, and that may be his role this year in general.
Well, Rondo CAN be a spot up shooter when Russ is on the court, but you don't want him in that role because you're not maximizing that player or the lineup. I still think Ellington is the perfect fit with 360 when everyone is back, Matt Murock could even see this one. If THT is the replacement for Russ (or Bron depending on what position he's playing) in the lineup, you're still maintaining a driver specialist. We have shooters on this roster to shoot.