Woj: Knicks trade for Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovich

[KnixinSix]

Can we blame Deuce for the Knicks back court problems because he actually looked really good for a short time and fooled the knicks FO into thinking they can live without Grimes then as soon as he was traded Deuce looked like a....deuce.

The difference between Duece and Grimes is not really that substantial

[Iron Mantis]

OG as we know is arguably the best most versatile defender in the entire NBA.

Achiuwa is quickly developing into a 2 way PF and backup Center type here. His defense is excellent. This is a BIG X factor now as we have an additional player who can play lock down defense in the front court.

Yes Grimes was a bit of a loss but only defensively. With the emergence of DDV his utility is greatly diminished anyways (though I acknowledge he was the better defender). Also lets not forget if our backcourt is not playing well enough defensively vs certain matchups we still have McBride to come in to play back there when necessary for longer minutes.

Our main issue after the OG trade was 2 things. Bench scoring depth and better ball handling. We got both.

Burks in a more back up role as a ball handler should be fine and is a no doubt more dynamic offensive player than Grimes.

Bogs can play 2 to 4 in different lineups when counterbalanced with Defenders around him and brings spacing and amazing 3 ball and dynamic complementary scoring to the lineup.

The big key is getting healthy because (in theory at least) this is a BETTER team than the 14-2 one after the OG trade.

Politics may force Precious out of the rotation for Bojan Fournier.

There's not many minutes behind Randle and OG. If it's as you say, then Precious has earned his spot in the rotation....And Josh HAS to get his 30 minutes.

Where's Bojs minutes coming from?

Boj at the 2 is worse than Fournier.

This reeks of a Thibs' pet trade: Grimes for Burks. Burks will back up the SG and PG positions and get heavy minutes.

And if Boj gets Fournied by Thibs, it just makes this trade an utter disaster.

Utter disaster is way too strong a take bro.

We essentially gave up a guy whos offensive development curve was simply not looking very good. Could he develop more an offensive game? Possibly. But the guy was starting to look like the NBA version of Kaapo Kakko for the Rangers.

Truthfully I don't think Grimes ever becomes more than a Bruce Brown type. I don't think we gave up the next Latrell Spreewell here.

Boj and Burks are not going to get major minutes but will play complementary scoring roles for us....

Regular season approx minutes before Mitch returns....

I-Hart (27), Achiwa (21)
Randle (30), Bojan (8), Hart(10)
OG(30), Bojan(10), Hart (8)
DDV(30), Burks (10) , Hart(5), Bojan(3)
Brunson(32), Burks (8), McBride(8)

This is Brunson's team and the Nova Boys are kind of its identity. Hart has been pretty bad offensively though. I think 4 guys are considered our greatest core. Brunson, Randle, OG, and then DDV who has been amazing since getting more minutes. These 4 get 30 minutes. Hart with all the additions and DDVs emergence becomes more a 23-25 minute guy. Bojan between 3 spots gets like 20-22 minutes and Burks like 18-20.

Interesting take..but I only see the minutes playing out in such a nuanced way with a different coach.

The Knicks have lost 4 in a row, are still injured, and in the blink of an eye could be in play-in position.

As guys return, you think Thibs will really care about experimenting with rotations and equitable minutes distribution when avoiding the play-in and getting higher playoff seeding is on the line??? Thibs will lean MORE on his "main guys" and his favs to get reg season wins, and the minutes distribution is likely to become more imbalanced. Thibs is who he is...

Josh is one of Thibs' favorite players. Coaching for wins, It doesn't seem realistic that Thibs reduces his minutes at all..he likely stays at his current 30 or goes above.

Coaching for wins, it is also unrealistic that a rabid Thibs reduces OG to 30 minutes when he has averaged 35 here and is the entire catalyst for the Knicks' recent success.

Jalen at 32 mpg? Ha...See you at 36 mpg.

Randle at 30? My guy, Randle has averaged 36 mins in 4 years with Thibs. He's not shaving 6 minutes to keep him fresh or to let a backup get burn.

This is what I think the minutes will be. Thibs is who he is.

Brunson (36) Burks (12)
Donte (28) Josh (18) Burks (2)
OG (36) Josh (12)
Randle (36) Boj (12)
I.Hart (28) Precious (20)

If Mitch comes back, precious or Boj are out of the rotation.

[JayTWill]

Some of the positive reaction to this trade seems to be based off the thought that the bench needed more scoring, Burks and Bojan are better scorers than Grimes therefore the team is better. That was the almost the same basic reasoning used to applaud the Lillard trade to the Bucks. People looked at the Bucks lack of scoring at times especially in late game situations and assumed Lillard would have an incredibly positive impact on the team. Most people ignored his true fit, his lack of defense, his age, his lack of winning success the last few season and his possible decline.

Many assumed whatever flaws Lillard had could be covered well enough that his positives would far outweigh his negatives and what they lost in the trade could be made up for. The logic was simply 30+ scorer + another 30+ scorer was an obvious championship contender. A scoring guard + a dominant big could just spam pick and roll all day but is Lillard a James Harden type guard that can get his big 10+ easy points per game simply as a roll man? Is Giannis a big that constantly plays in a two man game rolling down hill? Or are they two separate guys that love to handle the ball a lot and create their own offense for themselves?

The Lillard trade sacrificed their depth, their identity and did not unlock the team as many thought. They just have less assets now.

[Iron Mantis]

Some of the positive reaction to this trade seems to be based off the thought that the bench needed more scoring, Burks and Bojan are better scorers than Grimes therefore the team is better. That was the almost the same basic reasoning used to applaud the Lillard trade to the Bucks. People looked at the Bucks lack of scoring at times especially in late game situations and assumed Lillard would have an incredibly positive impact on the team. Most people ignored his true fit, his lack of defense, his age, his lack of winning success the last few season and his possible decline.

Many assumed whatever flaws Lillard had could be covered well enough that his positives would far outweigh his negatives and what the lost in the trade could be made up for. The logic was simply 30+ scorer + another 30+ scorer was an obvious championship contender. A scoring guard + a dominant big could just spam pick and roll all day but is Lillard a James Harden type guard that can get his big 10+ easy points per game simply as roll man? Is Giannis a big that constantly plays in a two man game rolling down hill? Or are they two separate guys that love to handle the ball a lot and create their own offense for themselves?

The Lillard trade sacrificed their depth, their identity and did not unlock the team as many thought. They just have less assets now.

Same with adding Fournier and Kemba.

Fortunately, the Knicks' new acquisitions are not starters....Once the team is fully healthy, their minutes can be greatly reduced by Thibs simply doing what he does best.

[KnixinSix]

Politics may force Precious out of the rotation for Bojan Fournier.

There's not many minutes behind Randle and OG. If it's as you say, then Precious has earned his spot in the rotation....And Josh HAS to get his 30 minutes.

Where's Bojs minutes coming from?

Boj at the 2 is worse than Fournier.

This reeks of a Thibs' pet trade: Grimes for Burks. Burks will back up the SG and PG positions and get heavy minutes.

And if Boj gets Fournied by Thibs, it just makes this trade an utter disaster.

Utter disaster is way too strong a take bro.

We essentially gave up a guy whos offensive development curve was simply not looking very good. Could he develop more an offensive game? Possibly. But the guy was starting to look like the NBA version of Kaapo Kakko for the Rangers.

Truthfully I don't think Grimes ever becomes more than a Bruce Brown type. I don't think we gave up the next Latrell Spreewell here.

Boj and Burks are not going to get major minutes but will play complementary scoring roles for us....

Regular season approx minutes before Mitch returns....

I-Hart (27), Achiwa (21)
Randle (30), Bojan (8), Hart(10)
OG(30), Bojan(10), Hart (8)
DDV(30), Burks (10) , Hart(5), Bojan(3)
Brunson(32), Burks (8), McBride(8)

This is Brunson's team and the Nova Boys are kind of its identity. Hart has been pretty bad offensively though. I think 4 guys are considered our greatest core. Brunson, Randle, OG, and then DDV who has been amazing since getting more minutes. These 4 get 30 minutes. Hart with all the additions and DDVs emergence becomes more a 23-25 minute guy. Bojan between 3 spots gets like 20-22 minutes and Burks like 18-20.

Interesting take..but I only see the minutes playing out in such a nuanced way with a different coach.

The Knicks have lost 4 in a row, are still injured, and in the blink of an eye could be in play-in position.

As guys return, you think Thibs will really care about experimenting with rotations and equitable minutes distribution when avoiding the play-in and getting higher playoff seeding is on the line??? Thibs will lean MORE on his "main guys" and his favs to get reg season wins, and the minutes distribution is likely to become more imbalanced. Thibs is who he is...

Josh is one of Thibs' favorite players. Coaching for wins, It doesn't seem realistic that Thibs reduces his minutes at all..he likely stays at his current 30 or goes above.

Coaching for wins, it is also unrealistic that a rabid Thibs reduces OG to 30 minutes when he has averaged 35 here and is the entire catalyst for the Knicks' recent success.

Jalen at 32 mpg? Ha...See you at 36 mpg.

Randle at 30? My guy, Randle has averaged 36 mins in 4 years with Thibs. He's not shaving 6 minutes to keep him fresh or to let a backup get burn.

This is what I think the minutes will be. Thibs is who he is.

Brunson (36) Burks (12)
Donte (28) Josh (18) Burks (2)
OG (36) Josh (12)
Randle (36) Boj (12)
I.Hart (28) Precious (20)

If Mitch comes back, precious or Boj are out of the rotation.

I think that is hopefully closer to post season minutes. But I also think McBride will play in the postseason some minutes due to his defense.

I agree that Thibs can ride the top guys too much, Im hoping regular season with how deep we are, that changes a bit.

[Iron Mantis]

Utter disaster is way too strong a take bro.

We essentially gave up a guy whos offensive development curve was simply not looking very good. Could he develop more an offensive game? Possibly. But the guy was starting to look like the NBA version of Kaapo Kakko for the Rangers.

Truthfully I don't think Grimes ever becomes more than a Bruce Brown type. I don't think we gave up the next Latrell Spreewell here.

Boj and Burks are not going to get major minutes but will play complementary scoring roles for us....

Regular season approx minutes before Mitch returns....

I-Hart (27), Achiwa (21)
Randle (30), Bojan (8), Hart(10)
OG(30), Bojan(10), Hart (8)
DDV(30), Burks (10) , Hart(5), Bojan(3)
Brunson(32), Burks (8), McBride(8)

This is Brunson's team and the Nova Boys are kind of its identity. Hart has been pretty bad offensively though. I think 4 guys are considered our greatest core. Brunson, Randle, OG, and then DDV who has been amazing since getting more minutes. These 4 get 30 minutes. Hart with all the additions and DDVs emergence becomes more a 23-25 minute guy. Bojan between 3 spots gets like 20-22 minutes and Burks like 18-20.

Interesting take..but I only see the minutes playing out in such a nuanced way with a different coach.

The Knicks have lost 4 in a row, are still injured, and in the blink of an eye could be in play-in position.

As guys return, you think Thibs will really care about experimenting with rotations and equitable minutes distribution when avoiding the play-in and getting higher playoff seeding is on the line??? Thibs will lean MORE on his "main guys" and his favs to get reg season wins, and the minutes distribution is likely to become more imbalanced. Thibs is who he is...

Josh is one of Thibs' favorite players. Coaching for wins, It doesn't seem realistic that Thibs reduces his minutes at all..he likely stays at his current 30 or goes above.

Coaching for wins, it is also unrealistic that a rabid Thibs reduces OG to 30 minutes when he has averaged 35 here and is the entire catalyst for the Knicks' recent success.

Jalen at 32 mpg? Ha...See you at 36 mpg.

Randle at 30? My guy, Randle has averaged 36 mins in 4 years with Thibs. He's not shaving 6 minutes to keep him fresh or to let a backup get burn.

This is what I think the minutes will be. Thibs is who he is.

Brunson (36) Burks (12)
Donte (28) Josh (18) Burks (2)
OG (36) Josh (12)
Randle (36) Boj (12)
I.Hart (28) Precious (20)

If Mitch comes back, precious or Boj are out of the rotation.

I think that is hopefully closer to post season minutes. But I also think McBride will play in the postseason some minutes due to his defense.

I agree that Thibs can ride the top guys too much, Im hoping regular season with how deep we are, that changes a bit.

Yea me too. But there's 27 games left and 8 of the next 10 games out of the break are against .500+ teams.

Brunson, Josh, and any starter that returns(besides I.hart) can expect to be thrust into 35+ minutes on the reg until seeding is locked in.

[K_ick_God]

My meltdown about this aside, it's interesting that Detroit really may have gotten the best player. If I had to pick between paying IQ, a paid RJ, or seeing what Grimes can do next season, I am pretty sure I pick Grimes.

He's had a rough season and it's not a great sign, but he always gives you good defense. He has the most NBA skill of the three.

[Besart19]

My meltdown about this aside, it's interesting that Detroit really may have gotten the best player. If I had to pick between paying IQ, a paid RJ, or seeing what Grimes can do next season, I am pretty sure I pick Grimes.

He's had a rough season and it's not a great sign, but he always gives you good defense. He has the most NBA skill of the three.

You all are beating a dead horse!

Our problems lie elsewhere... our players dont move a lot on offense and above all our coach is limited on offense! If we shoot poorly (which happens a lot often, we suck badley and are easily beaten)...

Cavs bench when they won a ring had Jones, Smith, Shumpert, Mozgov, Frye, Jefferson and the teo Williams... also in their NBA finals the likes of Bellavedova, Korver, Green and even Calderon

The starting lineup does the difference and at best 3 bench players! While we have 7 solid bench players if all healthy

Splitter / Bonner
Duncan / Diaw
Kawhi / Belinelli
Green / Ginobili
Parker / Mills

Only Manu has been a starter caliber, though he wasnt playing more than 25 mins at best

[Kampuchea]

My meltdown about this aside, it's interesting that Detroit really may have gotten the best player. If I had to pick between paying IQ, a paid RJ, or seeing what Grimes can do next season, I am pretty sure I pick Grimes.

He's had a rough season and it's not a great sign, but he always gives you good defense. He has the most NBA skill of the three.

A fair portion of the deal is getting the salary on the books for another year. Grimes wasn’t paid enough, we’d have to include players in a trade we don’t want to part with.

[cgf]

Getting bojan was fine. Bringing Burks back seemed unnecessary

Eh. Burks is the one who'll probably help us more in the playoffs. Bojan's minutes will shrink to the old Obi role once Julius is back unless his defense improves massively. But if DDV or Hart aren't hot this spring, Burks could be our best two-way option next to OG, Brundle, & RobinHart.

[Deeeez Knicks]

Getting bojan was fine. Bringing Burks back seemed unnecessary

Eh. Burks is the one who'll probably help us more in the playoffs. Bojan's minutes will shrink to the old Obi role once Julius is back unless his defense improves massively. But if DDV or Hart aren't hot this spring, Burks could be our best two-way option next to OG, Brundle, & RobinHart.

Donte is better then Burks on both ends

[cgf]

Getting bojan was fine. Bringing Burks back seemed unnecessary

Eh. Burks is the one who'll probably help us more in the playoffs. Bojan's minutes will shrink to the old Obi role once Julius is back unless his defense improves massively. But if DDV or Hart aren't hot this spring, Burks could be our best two-way option next to OG, Brundle, & RobinHart.

Donte is better then Burks on both ends

Donte has been better for us than Burks so far and has better defensive metrics this season. But Donte's also struggled with his 3ball in the playoffs before...and teams have more success isolated / picking on DDV, despite him creating more turnovers; 1.44 ppp when isolating on Donte this season vs 0.65 PPP when isolating Burks.

So if DDV cools off this postseason as well, I won't be surprised to see Burks closing over him.

https://www.nba.com/stats/players/isolation?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*divincenzo&SeasonYear=2023-24&TypeGrouping=defensive&dir=D&sort=POSS
https://www.nba.com/stats/players/isolation?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*burk&SeasonYear=2023-24&TypeGrouping=defensive&dir=D&sort=POSS

[cgmw]

Utter disaster is way too strong a take bro.

We essentially gave up a guy whos offensive development curve was simply not looking very good. Could he develop more an offensive game? Possibly. But the guy was starting to look like the NBA version of Kaapo Kakko for the Rangers.

Truthfully I don't think Grimes ever becomes more than a Bruce Brown type. I don't think we gave up the next Latrell Spreewell here.

Boj and Burks are not going to get major minutes but will play complementary scoring roles for us....

Regular season approx minutes before Mitch returns....

I-Hart (27), Achiwa (21)
Randle (30), Bojan (8), Hart(10)
OG(30), Bojan(10), Hart (8)
DDV(30), Burks (10) , Hart(5), Bojan(3)
Brunson(32), Burks (8), McBride(8)

This is Brunson's team and the Nova Boys are kind of its identity. Hart has been pretty bad offensively though. I think 4 guys are considered our greatest core. Brunson, Randle, OG, and then DDV who has been amazing since getting more minutes. These 4 get 30 minutes. Hart with all the additions and DDVs emergence becomes more a 23-25 minute guy. Bojan between 3 spots gets like 20-22 minutes and Burks like 18-20.

Interesting take..but I only see the minutes playing out in such a nuanced way with a different coach.

The Knicks have lost 4 in a row, are still injured, and in the blink of an eye could be in play-in position.

As guys return, you think Thibs will really care about experimenting with rotations and equitable minutes distribution when avoiding the play-in and getting higher playoff seeding is on the line??? Thibs will lean MORE on his "main guys" and his favs to get reg season wins, and the minutes distribution is likely to become more imbalanced. Thibs is who he is...

Josh is one of Thibs' favorite players. Coaching for wins, It doesn't seem realistic that Thibs reduces his minutes at all..he likely stays at his current 30 or goes above.

Coaching for wins, it is also unrealistic that a rabid Thibs reduces OG to 30 minutes when he has averaged 35 here and is the entire catalyst for the Knicks' recent success.

Jalen at 32 mpg? Ha...See you at 36 mpg.

Randle at 30? My guy, Randle has averaged 36 mins in 4 years with Thibs. He's not shaving 6 minutes to keep him fresh or to let a backup get burn.

This is what I think the minutes will be. Thibs is who he is.

Brunson (36) Burks (12)
Donte (28) Josh (18) Burks (2)
OG (36) Josh (12)
Randle (36) Boj (12)
I.Hart (28) Precious (20)

If Mitch comes back, precious or Boj are out of the rotation.

I think that is hopefully closer to post season minutes. But I also think McBride will play in the postseason some minutes due to his defense.

I agree that Thibs can ride the top guys too much, Im hoping regular season with how deep we are, that changes a bit.

Every year this board is filled with 10-man rotations and fans “hoping [Thibs] changes.”

When somebody tells you who they are, listen. When somebody tells you who they are year-in and year-out for decades and you’re still hoping for change, you’re just deaf.

[Deeeez Knicks]

Eh. Burks is the one who'll probably help us more in the playoffs. Bojan's minutes will shrink to the old Obi role once Julius is back unless his defense improves massively. But if DDV or Hart aren't hot this spring, Burks could be our best two-way option next to OG, Brundle, & RobinHart.

Donte is better then Burks on both ends

Donte has been better for us than Burks so far and has better defensive metrics this season. But Donte's also struggled with his 3ball in the playoffs before...and teams have more success isolated / picking on DDV, despite him creating more turnovers; 1.44 ppp when isolating on Donte this season vs 0.65 PPP when isolating Burks.

So if DDV cools off this postseason as well, I won't be surprised to see Burks closing over him.

https://www.nba.com/stats/players/isolation?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*divincenzo&SeasonYear=2023-24&TypeGrouping=defensive&dir=D&sort=POSS
https://www.nba.com/stats/players/isolation?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*burk&SeasonYear=2023-24&TypeGrouping=defensive&dir=D&sort=POSS

I think we are in trouble if we are depending on Burks to close out games. He has bad playoff numbers too. But Thibs does have irrational trust with him. If he is hot or if there’s injuries maybe he gets that shot.

[cgf]

Donte is better then Burks on both ends

Donte has been better for us than Burks so far and has better defensive metrics this season. But Donte's also struggled with his 3ball in the playoffs before...and teams have more success isolated / picking on DDV, despite him creating more turnovers; 1.44 ppp when isolating on Donte this season vs 0.65 PPP when isolating Burks.

So if DDV cools off this postseason as well, I won't be surprised to see Burks closing over him.

https://www.nba.com/stats/players/isolation?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*divincenzo&SeasonYear=2023-24&TypeGrouping=defensive&dir=D&sort=POSS
https://www.nba.com/stats/players/isolation?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*burk&SeasonYear=2023-24&TypeGrouping=defensive&dir=D&sort=POSS

I think we are in trouble if we are depending on Burks to close out games. He has bad playoff numbers too. But Thibs does have irrational trust with him. If he is hot or if there’s injuries maybe he gets that shot.

Oh no doubt the best case scenario is Donte staying hot and us only needing Burks for the non-Brunson minutes...especially if Hart could start regressing towards his career averages as well.

But I see a much clearer path to significant postseason PT for Burks than for Bojan unless Juju's injury is REALLY bad.

Burks is bad in too big of a role and Donte is just playing better than he is right now, but Burks can be solid in a supplementary role and the role he'd fill seems less secure to me than Bojan's.

[cgmw]

The point of making a move for depth is depth. With all the injuries and in the aftermath of swapping two rotation players for OG, the added depth provides much needed flexibility.

KnicksGod’s meltdown notwithstanding, QG was barely playing well enough to hold down a role in Thibs’ rotation. So in a way, it was a “2-for-one-half” trade. And as much as we all (Chanel notwithstanding) hate Burks, he has added value because Thibs will play him no matter what which makes it slightly less likely that Jalen Brunson gets injured.

There were too many injuries while flirting with the 2 seed not to make a move like this.

[Deeeez Knicks]

Donte has been better for us than Burks so far and has better defensive metrics this season. But Donte's also struggled with his 3ball in the playoffs before...and teams have more success isolated / picking on DDV, despite him creating more turnovers; 1.44 ppp when isolating on Donte this season vs 0.65 PPP when isolating Burks.

So if DDV cools off this postseason as well, I won't be surprised to see Burks closing over him.

https://www.nba.com/stats/players/isolation?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*divincenzo&SeasonYear=2023-24&TypeGrouping=defensive&dir=D&sort=POSS
https://www.nba.com/stats/players/isolation?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*burk&SeasonYear=2023-24&TypeGrouping=defensive&dir=D&sort=POSS

I think we are in trouble if we are depending on Burks to close out games. He has bad playoff numbers too. But Thibs does have irrational trust with him. If he is hot or if there’s injuries maybe he gets that shot.

Oh no doubt the best case scenario is Donte staying hot and us only needing Burks for the non-Brunson minutes...especially if Hart could start regressing towards his career averages as well.

But I see a much clearer path to significant postseason PT for Burks than for Bojan unless Juju's injury is REALLY bad.

Burks is bad in too big of a role and Donte is just playing better than he is right now, but Burks can be solid in a supplementary role and the role he'd fill seems less secure to me than Bojan's.

It'll be interesting to see how the rotation works out when everyone is healthy. I wonder if Thibs would consider a bigger lineup with Bojan at SF such as C/Randle/Bojan/OG/Brunson. Maybe against bigger teams like the Celtics or Bucks. Bojan is the better player over Burks imo. Think he should get more minutes then just backing up Randle .. And can maybe work out well next to Randle since he's a really good shooter. I don't know if we will close out games that way and we sacrifice defense for shooting, but think for some stretches it would make sense as we should stagger subs

[cgf]

Interesting take..but I only see the minutes playing out in such a nuanced way with a different coach.

The Knicks have lost 4 in a row, are still injured, and in the blink of an eye could be in play-in position.

As guys return, you think Thibs will really care about experimenting with rotations and equitable minutes distribution when avoiding the play-in and getting higher playoff seeding is on the line??? Thibs will lean MORE on his "main guys" and his favs to get reg season wins, and the minutes distribution is likely to become more imbalanced. Thibs is who he is...

Josh is one of Thibs' favorite players. Coaching for wins, It doesn't seem realistic that Thibs reduces his minutes at all..he likely stays at his current 30 or goes above.

Coaching for wins, it is also unrealistic that a rabid Thibs reduces OG to 30 minutes when he has averaged 35 here and is the entire catalyst for the Knicks' recent success.

Jalen at 32 mpg? Ha...See you at 36 mpg.

Randle at 30? My guy, Randle has averaged 36 mins in 4 years with Thibs. He's not shaving 6 minutes to keep him fresh or to let a backup get burn.

This is what I think the minutes will be. Thibs is who he is.

Brunson (36) Burks (12)
Donte (28) Josh (18) Burks (2)
OG (36) Josh (12)
Randle (36) Boj (12)
I.Hart (28) Precious (20)

If Mitch comes back, precious or Boj are out of the rotation.

I think that is hopefully closer to post season minutes. But I also think McBride will play in the postseason some minutes due to his defense.

I agree that Thibs can ride the top guys too much, Im hoping regular season with how deep we are, that changes a bit.

Every year this board is filled with 10-man rotations and fans “hoping [Thibs] changes.”

When somebody tells you who they are, listen. When somebody tells you who they are year-in and year-out for decades and you’re still hoping for change, you’re just deaf.

This. No coach who won a series last postseason relied on their bench more than Thibs. He's proven to us that he's no Nurse and will lean on his bench when he has the depth. But the playoffs are the playoffs; the margins get smaller, so you can't get away with not having your best lineups on the court, or an unfavorable matchup, as much.

Now we do have more situational depth pieces this year...like behind Julius at 4, Bojan & Achiuwa are about as radically different as two 4s could be...so matchups will likely shift the rotation almost as much as who's hot & healthy. But in general we'll play an 8.5 man rotation.

Especially as series' wear on & Thibs gets the opportunity to see who's winning their matchups against a specific team and who's just not helping us in a given series.

[JayTWill]

Donte has been better for us than Burks so far and has better defensive metrics this season. But Donte's also struggled with his 3ball in the playoffs before...and teams have more success isolated / picking on DDV, despite him creating more turnovers; 1.44 ppp when isolating on Donte this season vs 0.65 PPP when isolating Burks.

So if DDV cools off this postseason as well, I won't be surprised to see Burks closing over him.

https://www.nba.com/stats/players/isolation?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*divincenzo&SeasonYear=2023-24&TypeGrouping=defensive&dir=D&sort=POSS
https://www.nba.com/stats/players/isolation?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*burk&SeasonYear=2023-24&TypeGrouping=defensive&dir=D&sort=POSS

Stop praying on the downfall of my guy DDV since I said he could replace much of what IQ gave the team at a much cheaper price
If DDV struggles in the playoffs he would be replacing IQ's struggles there too

[cgf]

I think we are in trouble if we are depending on Burks to close out games. He has bad playoff numbers too. But Thibs does have irrational trust with him. If he is hot or if there’s injuries maybe he gets that shot.

Oh no doubt the best case scenario is Donte staying hot and us only needing Burks for the non-Brunson minutes...especially if Hart could start regressing towards his career averages as well.

But I see a much clearer path to significant postseason PT for Burks than for Bojan unless Juju's injury is REALLY bad.

Burks is bad in too big of a role and Donte is just playing better than he is right now, but Burks can be solid in a supplementary role and the role he'd fill seems less secure to me than Bojan's.

It'll be interesting to see how the rotation works out when everyone is healthy. I wonder if Thibs would consider a bigger lineup with Bojan at SF such as C/Randle/Bojan/OG/Brunson. Maybe against bigger teams like the Celtics or Bucks. Bojan is the better player over Burks imo. Think he should get more minutes then just backing up Randle .. And can maybe work out well next to Randle since he's a really good shooter

Definitely going to be interesting to see how it all shakes out if we ever get healthy, especially with how situational some of our depth pieces are.

The big question with Bojan will be on the defensive end. I like that he moves his feet better than I was expecting from a 35yo, but so far he's been an absolute disaster defensively...like his negative impact in his first two games was almost as big as OG's positive impact was in his first two games.

Now some of that has been because he just didn't know our schemes and because we were so beaten up that Thibs stopped practicing the team between games. So hopefully this mini break is giving them the opportunity to get Bogey on the same page with everyone else, but I still need to see Bojan not just immediately implode our defense.

What I could see working is playing Julius, Bojan, and OG together, with Julius banging with the biggest body, OG protecting the rim, and us hiding Bojan the best we can...but I dunno if Thibs would go to a lineup like that if unless forced too by injuries/foul-trouble.