lol our offense looked bad because we employ two of the nba's best offensive players and neither was in uniform.
I get it, Luka and LeBron and Reaves aren’t playing, but do we have to get blown out again? Guess I should just wait until they count since these first two have been UGLY. Maybe they’ll make a run in the fourth. I’m going to bed.
Luka, Lebron, Reaves, Smart and Kleber the chosen one are all missing. That’s basically our whole starting lineup. So look at positives, Ayton is trying on defense and can rebound. Vando - who always looks better around better players - is super active defensively and I’m pumped to see him this season. Hayes is looking decent for a backup, imagine him against second units with Luka. Gabe showed some good signs of life. The negatives are; Rui has looked just ok. LaRavia looks like a 9th or 10th player - which isn’t a shock. Bronny and Knecht don’t look like NBA rotation players.
Was hoping to see more from LaRavia and Ayton, but OTOH, those are two guys who could really benefit from the Luka/Lebron archetype setting them up or just taking the best defensive guys away from them. I mean, he'd have to be rolling for a guy like Jimmy Butler to guard LaRavia consistently. Ayton looks like a solid rebounder and will protect the rim: even without the offense that's a big upgrade from last year. Still he should be better and when he can play off legit playmakers I could see that changing quick
What's the advantage of playing a preseason like this? I understand the situation of Luka who has Eurobasket minutes, but why not let the others play?
We’re missing Kleber which is really a big loss. Arguably the best player on the team on both sides of the ball. Once he comes back alongside his Luka and Lebron sidekicks we should be good.
lol, i'm actually the reverse. i'm not sure what the harm in playing a healthy luka 15-20mpg in the preseason can be. guys need reps with him, as he's a huge part of what we'll do, and he has limited experience with the team. if lebron's banged up in any way, let him sit. he's very old. same with smart. who's not as old, technically, but needs to be treated as such. i don't think rui forgot how to play over the summer, so i feel like him, vando, gabe, hayes, and laravia all looking very playable is a pretty positive thing from the first couple games. that's five rotation guys in addition to luka/lebron/reaves/ayton. if smart can give us anything, we have a full rotation for the regular season, with bronny and knecht only seeing the floor in blowouts or due to injuries. i didn't watch the second half, but the first half we played them pretty evenly with guys like curry and horford (who were clearly trying) and butler and green (who both seemed a bit half-speed, to be fair). they basically had all their guys and played about even with our second string--lineups that will probably never see the floor this year. this last part takes me back to mone's question, though--what's the point of these first two games for us? they're certainly not helping us prep for the season in any meaningful way. maybe to get guys like vando and gabe some confidence.
Our first five or so regular season games will be our real “preseason.” That is, if Smart and LeBron are ready to go. I’m in complete agreement- for a Championship Aspiring team, the preseason should be for the regular units to iron out the kinks. Since LeBron and Smart aren’t ready, we might have a rocky start to the season when they do matter. Also, according to LeBron, “seeding in the playoffs don’t really matter.”
i was talking to my dad about this the other day, and i can see why lebron and others would think this based on recent events. i mean, we went to the conference finals as a play-in team and then got blasted in the first round as a 3-seed last year. the gap between the west's top teams is just so small--you're playing quality opponents every round. i still think home court and the ability to rest guys at the end if you have a cushion is advantageous, though.
There has still only been one champion seeded outside the Top 4 in their conference (95 Rockets), and the vast majority of champions even in recent memory have been top seeds. OKC 1 seed last year. Boston 1 seed 2024. Nuggets 1 seed 2023. Warriors 3 seed in 2022, started off extremely hot and then rested down the stretch. Bucks 3 seed in 2021. Us in 2020. Raptors 2 seed in 2019. I think the broader point is that the teams that attack the regular season, and spend October through March building good habits, are still the ones that ultimately prevail in the end. You don't get to sleepwalk through the regular season and just show up in the first round of the playoffs ready to go.
I can’t disagree with this. Contributing point: Since all the playoff teams in the West are very close in talent, every small edge, like home court advantage matters even more than if the top three seeds were way ahead of the rest of the pack.
yeah, i'm on your team here: all advantages are useful in such a level playing field talent-wise. i just think some players (and coaches) think the early season is preseason and you just have to be on a heater at the right time. in fairness, i think rick carlisle is like this, and he was an achilles tear in game 7 from another ring based on the same principle.
We look to be 10 deep heading into the season. Luka, Lebron, Austin, Rui, Ayton, Gabe, Vando, Smart, Jaxson, and Jake. Let’s hope for some good health. We have enough rotation players to be in the mix.
I agree with this. I would say LaRavia is being asked to do more with the top 2/3 being out. He will fit much more seamlessly when the stars are back and his role is limited. Rui is mindblogging. Still don't know his best fit. You would expect him to be a focal point on offense when the top 2/3 is out but he hasn't. But then when the stars are there he gets less touches. I really don't see how Rui maximizes this team and I'm more and more inclined for him to be someone we trade down the line. Ayton has focused on rebounds and paint protection and that's good. His offense will come easy with Luka and Bron back. Gabe looks much better when he has the ball but he won't when we are healthy. He gives us a nice safety net if Luka/AR miss time, but is not maximized off the ball and you don't want him on the ball when we have everyone. Bronny is not ready for the NBA. I imagine he will be in Europe when he finishes his contract. We should trade Knecht for 2nds. We broke him and he won't be getting playing time. When he does due to injuries, I don't think he'll be great. Hayes will be a decent backup center. We are very thin from the 11th spot up. They don't look like NBA ready guys and each of them will play for each injury we get and we may have a few in between Bron, Smart, Vando...
