Thank you the 2022 season

[esvl]

Let’s not forget all good that last season brought to us. For example, both Aldama and Roddy have proved that they are legitimate rotational NBA players with some room for further growth. JJJ was seen as injury- and foul-prone at the beginning of the season. He has proved he is not. (i was right - thanks Jaren). What else guys?

[VCfor3]

I think there was a lot more good than bad this season. It just unfortunately ended on a low note. We had a ton of injuries and still were the #2 seed.

-Adams continued to be a perfect partner for Ja, opening lanes and feasting on offensive rebounds. He cleaned up a ton of possessions for us.
-JJJ was awesome defensively and fully earned that DPOY award
-Maybe more importantly, JJJ really found his groove on offense and was excellent on both sides of the court. He needs to continue to be aggressive, but I was worried his offense would regress given the injury ruining his offseason.
-Bane took a leap though got bogged down by that toe injury. He looked like a near-all star type player to start the season.
-Tyus continued to be excellent when called upon to start. I wish it better translated to his bench play, and it sucks he struggled in the playoffs, but I think he is a guy who elevates others and is best when playing with other great players. He can't consistently carry a bench of not so good players unfortunately. He again led the league in assist to turnover ratio I believe.
-Again like you said Santi really showed out this year. He looks like he could develop into an awesome bench guy for us.
-Roddy was able to really grow within a specific role. I think we need to let him do a little more of what he did in college (let him work around the basket more), but he looks like a well-rounded player who could be an important bench piece moving forward.
-Junior flashed potential and grew on the defensive end. It'll be interesting to see how he develops moving forward.
-Tillman went from getting DNPs to being one of the few reliable guys in the playoffs. He stayed ready and it paid off. He allows us a little more freedom to potentially move Clarke in a deal if he is required for salary matching.
-Ja had his ups and downs and still was rated as a top 10 player for most of the season. This season is going to motivate him like crazy and I think he'll be loosely in the MVP conversation all next season. His shoes also are still permanently sold out.
-Kennard was a revelation with the spacing he helped provide. It was nice feeling like every shot he took was going to go in. He started to tap back into the player he was in Detroit.
-Brooks is still one of the best perimeter defenders. Ended the season horribly, but the second team All Defense award was fully deserved.
-Jitty is a consistent guy who makes hustle plays. He won't ever score much, but as an end of the bench guy he is great.
-Clarke was his normal great self and the stats still love the Clarke/JJJ pairing. I hate he got injure and may be out for most of next season, but it looked like he was progressing well.

[esvl]

I want to mention that Clarke is the only big in our roster who is a legitimate threat as a roller to the basket. I think his absence in PO was costly for us as the Lakers wouldn’t have a good match for him.

[VCfor3]

I want to mention that Clarke is the only big in our roster who is a legitimate threat as a roller to the basket. I think his absence in PO was costly for us as the Lakers wouldn’t have a good match for him.

Our team is full of guys who each do a unique thing for us. So when we are healthy we can do a little of everything. Unfortunately whenever we aren't healthy, we totally lose an aspect of the game. Clarke and his rolling like you said. Adams and his rebounding. Losing one of Bane or Kennard hurts spacing. JJJ and his post/help defense. Ja and his clutch scoring/creating. Whatever moves happen this summer, hopefully we build in a little more redundancy to help better weather injuries.

[esvl]

I also want to mention disappointments and surprises. Ziare, Laravia and Chandler obviously fell into the former category. I would be truly surprised if either ZW or Jake ever get on a right development track. As to surprises, I have to admit that Kennard made me happily embarrassed. I didn’t want him in the Grizzlies, now I want him to stay. Beyond his remarkable shot, he showed some more good BB skills (like high IQ and even playmaking) surprisingly bundled with so-called “heart”-skills I personally appreciate - he is not DB, but he played with some fire in his chest and eyes. Unlike a complete loser K.Chandler.