thebuzzardman wrote:GnarlesOakley wrote:Hernangomez definitely needs more burn, he looks like an NBA player. His defense will be more exposed against better teams but his instincts are better than given credit for - his foot speed means his defensive ceiling probably isn't high but he should be able to hold his own with experience. At the very least give him enough time per game to grow.
It was nice to see ennings play distributor. He still did dumb stuff out there and that's why he's better off on the bench, but it's nice to see him be effective. I'll take stat lines like that from him anyday.
Kuz should also be a rotation player, he has a lot of issues but he has more talent than Lance.
ChilledAlex wrote:If Willy doesn't become next Pau I will be very dissapointed. Their games are so similar - both have great hands, great footwork, great finishing around the rim and most importantly instincts off the ball. Lots of promises from 2nd rounder, Love it! Thank you Gaines
Pau is 7', Willy is 6'10". This alone is significant.
Being realistic, we can't expect him to be either Gasol, but I'm glad he's locked up for now, he's a player worth developing.
As far as an NBA bench goes, if a team is deep, it'll have a guy or two who should be NBA starters, and the quality of that 6th or 7th man is a function of how good the starting lineup is. So a stacked team like the Warriors (extreme example) has in effect a 6th starter in Iggy.
Anyway, most other NBA teams have guys with more limitations - they are either good at defense, but not offense, or better offensively, less so on defense, or the guys who are "ok" at both (Lance Thomas on a good day)
So, if you want the "2nd unit" to have an identity, it could have a defensive one based on the bench having more of those strengths, where they try to keep the lead even (or the deficit) or maybe even chip into it, with defensive play. An offensive one will more go bucket for bucket with the other team, again, holding the points where they are, or maybe catching up a little.
I don't think the Knicks, outside of Holiday, really have a "plus" defender on the bench. KOQ is "ok". LT is "ok". WillieB and Kuz are probably less the "ok" at this point. I think Jennings is ok, but can go plus against certain opponents.
So, I'd go with playing Hernangomez and Kuz over KOQ and Thomas, with Jennings and Holiday. Jennings and Holiday have shown enough offense in a team oriented way to play with any unit. Kuz and WillieB are more offensive threats who move, space and pass while being legit offensive threats.
Might as well try to keep the score even or extend it a little with offense, not defense, in the 2nd unit. Also, in terms of staggered lineups, WillieB and Kuz offer better versatility and, importantly, chemistry in style of play with Porzingis.
Just my two cents. I'll admit to being biased towards Kuz and WillieB plus really disliking Thomas.
