DonaldSanders wrote:I agree with watch1958 and michael that Moody should have gotten more minutes period. I do recognize this team is a bit tough to decide who to give minutes to -- it's a pretty deep team, but one without a lot of top end talent.
CDM hits the nail on the head, Klay looks like the antidote to our lack of top end talent when he's in a groove... but when he's not, Steve needs to recognize that and lean into our defensive players like Moody. I think we all pray for as much en fuego Klaymaker as possible
Despite Moody struggling at times, he gets a decent amount of easy buckets in 'found money' type situations he gets through hustle and effort. This boosts his TS% to .579, Klay is at .575. Klay's 3P threat has him worth more on offense in general, but Moody isn't as far behind as it seems just from watching. Moody at 36.1% from 3, that's not amazing but considering his defense is fine. I wish he got longer stints this season, that period where he was starting he finally got a chance and looked great.
The thing for me is that Moody needs minutes as well, to feel confident and get his shot grooved, and when he was given regular minutes in the play-offs last year absolutely delivered when a player most needs to deliver and had fairly stellar conventional stats as well; I rely on CDM/FNQ for deeper statistics.
My view of both Kerr and Klay pretty much coincided with CDM’s for most of this season. Just at this point in time the argument from those with the opposing point of view that the team needs a second shooter/volume scorer and that Klay is the only likely candidate is looking pretty good though. I am hoping that his recent form is not just variance, and that he had a moment of self realisation himself that he wasn’t the old Klay, which a statement from him when he was sent to the bench seemed to indicate ie that no longer being one of the best players in the NBA as a starter was difficult to contemplate but that Manu Ginobli was a great and important player as a 6th man. Playing less minutes is very likely beneficial as well given his injuries and age.
The way Kerr was playing Klay most of the year, including for 35 minutes a game and as a closer when defense was the major requirement remains inexplicable to me. Perhaps he has a blind spot for Klay with whom he likely has a strong personal friendship, and maybe those who have speculated he was more interested in helping Klay get his next contract than the overall success of the team are not completely to be dismissed.
Kerr does seem to have an obsession with small ball which also played out when he coached the US FIBA team. Sure it worked during the dynasty but that involved long, strong and smart guys who were mostly also young and played great defense, with the small ball dearth squad famed for defense more than anything else. The 3 and 4 guard line-ups involving small, slow and old guards he played this season remain crazy imo unless employed sparingly and situationally and definitely not as part of closing units.
So I don’t consider you, I and CDM different overly, I agree with more Moody, particularly when defense is what is required and 25 minutes for Klay adjusted to how he is performing. Imo Klay who is usually tired by then shouldn’t close at all except if scoring is required, he may still be among the best options in the entire NBA for a clutch 3.
If the team gets bounced by the Lakers in the play-in any argument that Kerr was bringing Klay along carefully to peak at just the right time for the team is null and void imo btw. They lost more than a few games at the death despite significant leads late in games to which Klay playing no defense and chucking contributed, again imo, and should comfortably have a seeding well above a play-in position.
