limbo wrote:If Luka is gonna play like this you don't really need that much around him honestly, especially on the offensive end. Although it would be nice if KP actually produced as advertised, that is an all-star level player, instead of playing way below average. But he gets a pass for this regular season due to coming back from a long lay off.
As i was saying. Luka is currently passing his audition for the Batman role, being a LeBron/Harden type of player. This role means he's going to be having the ball and consequently, pulling the strings the majority of time on offense. As such, the right fit becomes more important than just stacking talent on talent.
For example, if Giannis somehow ended in Dallas, the ability to maximize both Luka and Giannis on the same team becomes a problem, because both need the ball in their hands to squeeze league-leading impact out of them. In this case, the question becomes who sacrifices what and how. I'd rather just give Luka the ball to do what he does, and bring two quality starters that complement his game rather than going all out for a Top 20 NBA player.
There's actually not that many superstars in the league that could play 2nd fiddle to Luka, while still getting the most out of their impact. Guys like Lillard, Kemba, Kyrie, Westbrook... honestly, i'd rather have role players instead of picking one of these guys to pair with Luka.
Luka is leading the best offense in the league right now, with Porzingis struggling. If there are moves that need to be made, it's getting guys who make their impact on the defensive end. Someone like Horford would be ideal. Great defensively, can shoot, great screener and passer. If not, i'd like an Isaac, Adebayo, Mitchell Robinson, Robert Williams... that type of player. The same with wings. Three and D guys over stacking all-star talent to the brim with diminishing returns and no bench.
It's fascinating how we're seeing this top tier of offensive players slice through defenses with statistical efficacy unmatched by previous eras...and yet we're not seeing team ORtg's continue to rise. While I think these LeBron-style unipolar stars are clearly a very good way to build an offense, in general, I remain on the side of a more egalitarian approach to team play having the higher ceiling.
But there are exceptions to this. The gold standards for offense in the pre-Kerr Warriors eras were led by genius floor generals (Magic, Nash). I look at Luka and if I were Dallas, I'd be building around him having faith that he can be one of those guys. Heck, the way he's started this season, he already looks like one, and you have to think he can improve at least one more tier.
