bwgood77 wrote:Mr Puddles wrote:bwgood77 wrote:
I think we are definitely in the market for a PG, thus the reason we are trying out all these other PGs. I don't know that anyone behind Rubio would prevent us from taking one if we like the player. As many others have said, I do wish free agency was before the draft though, because if it's a toss up between a PG and a PF, or even a 2 guard, that could help us decide.
Yes, I agree. Our backup PG rotation was a revolving door this past season. Not to mention, non of the guys on our roster can really be considered a long term replacement for Rubio, once his contract expires, unless guys like Jerome make tremendous progress.
We still have so many holes in our roster, I think it comes down to best player available; whether it be a PF, back up PG or back up SG.
Ideally, whatever we draft position wise, I really hope we get a high IQ player who can be a playmaker. I really want the front office to focus on high IQ players who can set up others, shoot and defend well. I don't need the flashiest players, but the more playmakers you have at other positions, it just gives you more options with lineups, and you may not need a traditional PG there if you have several other players who move the ball well and set up others.
I recall James Jones's mention of playmaking as the #1 thing we're looking for - but perhaps more than this, his clarification that defensive playmaking is just as important.
Only one player on the court can be the PG. There are four other players on the court, and if you're just looking at the players who are locked into contracts, we have only 6 players to play those 4 positions (and one of those players is Jalen Lecque). Rubio can defend the 2, so there's a bit of wiggle room, but you know what I'm saying.
Especially if we're continuing the plan of building around Booker, we need more defensive playmaking than just about anything else. More shooting won't hurt, but I've demonstrated in other posts that we have shooters, and that we're worse at pretty much everything else.
My desire for defensive playmaking in particular is why I'm so attracted to guys like Paul Reed, Tyler Bey, Devin Vassell and now, Josh Green. Haliburton blocks shots, too, so you can put him on that list as well, and heck, if you're looking at playmaking on both sides of the ball, clearly he's ahead of the rest of the guys on that list (and only he and Vassell have demonstrated the ability to knock down threes). Plus, you can play Haliburton at the 2 - at least in theory. Dude's a string bean so we're still just speculating that he can even crack this league. FWIW, I'm pretty sure that Vassell and Green will both make it. Reed I'm not so sure about, primarily because of his offense, but I think his ceiling is very high. As for Bey, from what I've seen, most of the negative commentaries are about his ability to work as a small ball 4. But he'll be a 3 in the NBA, and from what I can tell, all he needs to do is continue to work on that long ball and he'll stick in the league.
Most of all, I'm just jealous of the teams with the long 4's, who tend to give us problems and tend also to dominate the league. Davis and Giannis, Siakam and Boucher in Toronto. I love Christian Wood too but don't think we can grab him. Wish there were a guy like that in this draft. Reed is obviously the right prototype, but there's a reason he's projected by most to slip to the back of the first: he's not ready for the league and won't be very useful in year 1.
BTW... we're all talking about Rubio's successor, but dude is younger than when Nash first arrived. Why do we assume he won't be here for the long haul? Ricky's got a lot of game left in him. I guess I just don't understand the obsession, just the constant obsession among our fans to find a young PG. Sometimes I wonder if it's not all part of the obsession with shifting blame away from our *other* PG, Point Book. As in, Booker's not going to have a fair shot at winning games (in the eyes of the fans) until Magic Johnson is running the point. Truly I believe this: if Nash were PG of this team, we would not be as successful as the SSOL Suns, and the fans would blame Nash before they blame Devin.