Line-ups, rotation, analysis thread.

[gambitx777]

I think the next time Kispert gets hot and is making 3s, they should trade him for whatever they can get and just put more effort and opportunity into developing Q Jackson. He’s already going to be a significantly better defender than Kispert and he’s only a few months older.

There is no need I can see for you to play these two guys off against each other as if it's either one or the other.

It's not usually a good idea to trade a good young player on a value contract.
(That said, of course every player should be available if someone makes you an offer you can't refuse...)

In any case, as much as I like Quenton Jackson (a lot!), he has to establish himself before you make decisions based on him.

I love Jackson but there isn't a reason to play these two guys against each other. There are plenty of wing minutes up for grabs, and they can both play two potions and Jackson will earn more as he can guard more. If you wanna point to anyone to fmcut out to give Jackson more minutes it's Nunn.

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[NatP4]

I think the next time Kispert gets hot and is making 3s, they should trade him for whatever they can get and just put more effort and opportunity into developing Q Jackson. He’s already going to be a significantly better defender than Kispert and he’s only a few months older.

There is no need I can see for you to play these two guys off against each other as if it's either one or the other.

It's not usually a good idea to trade a good young player on a value contract.
(That said, of course every player should be available if someone makes you an offer you can't refuse...)

In any case, as much as I like Quenton Jackson (a lot!), he has to establish himself before you make decisions based on him.

Players can’t establish themselves while riding the bench. Garrison Mathews is a good example of a quality player that always sat behind other overrated players.

Kispert is what he is, an average rotation piece. There is no upside. He’s about to be 24 years old in a couple weeks. He’s alright, if you can move him to crest opportunity for a better prospect+get good value in return, it’s a move I’m making.

[payitforward]

...Kispert is what he is, an average rotation piece. There is no upside. He’s about to be 24 years old in a couple weeks. He’s alright, if you can move him to crest opportunity for a better prospect+get good value in return, it’s a move I’m making.

Look, Nat... I know perfectly well that you are capable of very interesting, sometimes quite original & unexpected ideas. Cool.

This isn't one of them. I like Jackson; that's well known. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm the one who introduced his name to this board in the run up to the 2021 draft. Don't need convincing & am really looking forward to his minutes w/ the team.

But, nothing could more clearly indicate that you are just punching wildly & to no purpose in pitting Jackson & Kispert against each other than your having raised the so-called "issue" of Corey Kispert having limited upside, because he'll be turning 24 soon. Quenton Jackson turned 24 last September.

[gambitx777]

I'm starting to think Beal and KUZ don't really fit well together?

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[DCZards]

I'm starting to think Beal and KUZ don't really fit well together?

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Why do you say that?…especially following a W where Kuz, Brad and KP all played well…and where Kuz had 33pts/9rebs and Beal had 19pts with some timely hoops down the stretch.

[gambitx777]

I'm starting to think Beal and KUZ don't really fit well together?

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Why do you say that?…especially following a W where Kuz, Brad and KP all played well…and where Kuz had 33pts/9rebs and Beal had 19pts with some timely hoops down the stretch.

I don't know. I just think that when you have two high volume guys one has to be a little more efficient than the two of them are. Maybe I'm wrong.

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[gambitx777]

So let's say we bring Westbrook back and he starts. Morris still pulls about 2 bench minutes and he takes those from Nunn and wright. Who have played well. While Russ is an upgrade over Morris even today, does wright and Nunn loosing valuable minutes where they have done well cancel that out.


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[DCZards]

So let's say we bring Westbrook back and he starts. Morris still pulls about 2 bench minutes and he takes those from Nunn and wright. Who have played well. While Russ is an upgrade over Morris even today, does wright and Nunn loosing valuable minutes where they have done well cancel that out.


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They ain't adding Russ. There's currently a solid guard rotation of Beal, Morris, Wright & Nunn. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

[payitforward]

So let's say we bring Westbrook back and he starts. Morris still pulls about 2 bench minutes and he takes those from Nunn and wright. Who have played well. While Russ is an upgrade over Morris even today, does wright and Nunn loosing valuable minutes where they have done well cancel that out. ...

You think Russ today is an upgrade over Monte Morris...? Unbelievable....

Russ is a first-ballot HOF player, as we all know. & even now there are a lot worse PGs in the league. I would have bought out Schroder before I bought out Russ.

That said, Russ is certainly not "good" at this point. & Monte certainly *is* good -- quite good.

[FAH1223]

58 games in..

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/WAS/2023.html

Record: 28-30, 9th in NBA Eastern Conference

Last Game: W 114-106 at MIN

Next Game: Friday, Feb. 24 vs. NYK

Coach: Wes Unseld (28-30)

Executive: Tommy Sheppard

PTS/G: 113.6 (18th of 30) Opp PTS/G: 113.3 (14th of 30)

SRS: 0.45 (15th of 30) Pace: 98.8 (17th of 30)

Off Rtg: 114.6 (15th of 30) Def Rtg: 114.3 (15th of 30) Net Rtg: +0.3 (17th of 30)

Expected W-L: 30-28 (17th of 30)

[gambitx777]

So let's say we bring Westbrook back and he starts. Morris still pulls about 2 bench minutes and he takes those from Nunn and wright. Who have played well. While Russ is an upgrade over Morris even today, does wright and Nunn loosing valuable minutes where they have done well cancel that out. ...

You think Russ today is an upgrade over Monte Morris...? Unbelievable....

Russ is a first-ballot HOF player, as we all know. & even now there are a lot worse PGs in the league. I would have bought out Schroder before I bought out Russ.

That said, Russ is certainly not "good" at this point. & Monte certainly *is* good -- quite good.

I think he's probably still to this day ainor upgrade. I think he's still better than Morris. I just have questions on how lunch better he is, put against his flaws, and against the guys loosing minutes Wright( our defensive heart) and Nunn (a quality bench spark) . Is it really worth bringing him in? Idk the answer anymore.

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[payitforward]

So let's say we bring Westbrook back and he starts. Morris still pulls about 2 bench minutes and he takes those from Nunn and wright. Who have played well. While Russ is an upgrade over Morris even today, does wright and Nunn loosing valuable minutes where they have done well cancel that out. ...

You think Russ today is an upgrade over Monte Morris...? Unbelievable....

Russ is a first-ballot HOF player, as we all know. & even now there are a lot worse PGs in the league. I would have bought out Schroder before I bought out Russ.

That said, Russ is certainly not "good" at this point. & Monte certainly *is* good -- quite good.

I think he's probably still to this day ainor upgrade. I think he's still better than Morris. I just have questions on how lunch better he is, put against his flaws, and against the guys loosing minutes Wright( our defensive heart) and Nunn (a quality bench spark) . Is it really worth bringing him in? Idk the answer anymore.

Anyone can "think" anything, gamby.

The numbers are perfectly clear. Morris has been an outstanding PG for us. He's a terrific player. He's shooting over 40% on 3's, posting a .586 TS% overall, getting lots of assists & basically never turning the ball over.

Yes, Nunn has been a pleasant surprise. But Morris is playing a whole lot better than Kendrick Nunn, & he's done it all this season & all his career. TBH, I don't know what Monte Morris has to do to get some respect around here!

As to Russ, he appears to be pretty much washed -- tho in fairness he's such an exceptional individual that I wouldn't put anything past him, including a total turnaround in his play. But, the current reality doesn't favor him.

[gambitx777]

You think Russ today is an upgrade over Monte Morris...? Unbelievable....

Russ is a first-ballot HOF player, as we all know. & even now there are a lot worse PGs in the league. I would have bought out Schroder before I bought out Russ.

That said, Russ is certainly not "good" at this point. & Monte certainly *is* good -- quite good.

I think he's probably still to this day ainor upgrade. I think he's still better than Morris. I just have questions on how lunch better he is, put against his flaws, and against the guys loosing minutes Wright( our defensive heart) and Nunn (a quality bench spark) . Is it really worth bringing him in? Idk the answer anymore.

Anyone can "think" anything, gamby.

The numbers are perfectly clear. Morris has been an outstanding PG for us. He's a terrific player. He's shooting over 40% on 3's, posting a .586 TS% overall, getting lots of assists & basically never turning the ball over.

Yes, Nunn has been a pleasant surprise. But Morris is playing a whole lot better than Kendrick Nunn, & he's done it all this season & all his career. TBH, I don't know what Monte Morris has to do to get some respect around here!

As to Russ, he appears to be pretty much washed -- tho in fairness he's such an exceptional individual that I wouldn't put anything past him, including a total turnaround in his play. But, the current reality doesn't favor him.

That's kind of what I was getting at Morris wouldn't loose minutes he would go to the bench and probably be even better against bench guys but we would loose minutes for wright and Nunn and is Westbrook that big of an upgrade to make up for that? I don't think he is even though I really enjoy him and think he still has something left

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[Kanyewest]

I don't think Westbrook is necessarily washed - it just seems like playing in LA or playing with LeBron was never going to work out. Looking how Nunn is playing with the Wizards leads me to believe that perhaps Westbrook could have some sort of renaissance.

But I also think the upside of signing him could be very limited given his shooting, shot selection, and erratic defense. Not sure he would be happy in a limited role if he can't close games. Or worse if he sees more minutes than he needs over more deserving players.

[gambitx777]

I don't think Westbrook is necessarily washed - it just seems like playing in LA or playing with LeBron was never going to work out. Looking how Nunn is playing with the Wizards leads me to believe that perhaps Westbrook could have some sort of renaissance.

But I also think the upside of signing him could be very limited given his shooting, shot selection, and erratic defense. Not sure he would be happy in a limited role if he can't close games. Or worse if he sees more minutes than he needs over more deserving players.

Like is a minor upgrade with issues worth the draw backs. I don't know. I doubt it and I brought it up.

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[nate33]

So let's say we bring Westbrook back and he starts. Morris still pulls about 2 bench minutes and he takes those from Nunn and wright. Who have played well. While Russ is an upgrade over Morris even today, does wright and Nunn loosing valuable minutes where they have done well cancel that out. ...

You think Russ today is an upgrade over Monte Morris...? Unbelievable....

Russ is a first-ballot HOF player, as we all know. & even now there are a lot worse PGs in the league. I would have bought out Schroder before I bought out Russ.

That said, Russ is certainly not "good" at this point. & Monte certainly *is* good -- quite good.

I think he's probably still to this day ainor upgrade. I think he's still better than Morris. I just have questions on how lunch better he is, put against his flaws, and against the guys loosing minutes Wright( our defensive heart) and Nunn (a quality bench spark) . Is it really worth bringing him in? Idk the answer anymore.

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gambix777, all I can say is that if you think Westbrook is still a good player, you are doing a poor job of assessing the negative impact of bad plays. Yes, we all know Westbrook can still do amazing things with his energy and athleticism, and it's easy to remember the good plays and think to yourself that Westbrook still "has it", but you just can't ignore the monumentally negative impact of all his turnovers, missed shots, and undisciplined defense. For goodness sake, the man is shooting 41% from the floor, 29% from arc, and 65% from the free throw line while committing 4.4 turnovers per 36 minutes on a team where he doesn't really even need to be a primary ball handler. There isn't a player in the league who is better at giving away possessions to the opposition.

[dckingsfan]

Very small sample size since everyone is healthy (MP). I think this will probably be the trend going forward. I left out minutes for some players but this seems to be the 9 man rotation that Wes will go with (if there aren't foul issues):

Code: Select all

Bradley Beal         34:40:00   32:53:00
Kyle Kuzma           34:37:00   35:54:00
Kristaps Porziņģis   31:57:00   29:30:00
Monte Morris         21:12:00   27:45:00
Daniel Gafford       19:25:00   14:53:00
Corey Kispert        32:03:00   18:28:00
Delon Wright         29:11:00   29:23:00
Deni Avdija          24:12:00   18:03:00
Kendrick Nunn        12:43:00   13:52:00

[Dat2U]

So let's say we bring Westbrook back and he starts. Morris still pulls about 2 bench minutes and he takes those from Nunn and wright. Who have played well. While Russ is an upgrade over Morris even today, does wright and Nunn loosing valuable minutes where they have done well cancel that out. ...

You think Russ today is an upgrade over Monte Morris...? Unbelievable....

Russ is a first-ballot HOF player, as we all know. & even now there are a lot worse PGs in the league. I would have bought out Schroder before I bought out Russ.

That said, Russ is certainly not "good" at this point. & Monte certainly *is* good -- quite good.

I think he's probably still to this day ainor upgrade. I think he's still better than Morris. I just have questions on how lunch better he is, put against his flaws, and against the guys loosing minutes Wright( our defensive heart) and Nunn (a quality bench spark) . Is it really worth bringing him in? Idk the answer anymore.

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Minor upgrade how? Sure he creates more opportunities, shots and points but with a significant opportunity cost as he burns possessions like GMs were burning 2nd rd picks at the trade deadline. He's woefully inefficient and a huge drag offensively as he can't play off the ball or space the floor. Morris is clearly unexiciting but he's the penultimate game manager who's efficient, protects the ball & gets his team into its sets without pounding the life outta the rock. Excelling at 3 major flaws Russ has yet to overcome.

Russ would surely tank our playoff hopes which is why I quietly welcome him. He's arguably the 2nd worst high volume (non-rookie) shot creator in the league this year (only John Wall is worse). He also regularly takes plays off on defense nowadays so he'll crater the defense as well. As a regular Wemby scouting tape watcher, I'd absolutely love to see Russ in DC.

[doclinkin]

Russ would surely tank our playoff hopes which is why I quietly welcome him. He's arguably the 2nd worst high volume (non-rookie) shot creator in the league this year (only John Wall is worse). He also regularly takes plays off on defense nowadays so he'll crater the defense as well. As a regular Wemby scouting tape watcher, I'd absolutely love to see Russ in DC.

Right. Any minutes where you sub Russ for Delon in particular will help put us in that top 4 lotto slot.

[nate33]

Very small sample size since everyone is healthy (MP). I think this will probably be the trend going forward. I left out minutes for some players but this seems to be the 9 man rotation that Wes will go with (if there aren't foul issues):

Code: Select all

Bradley Beal         34:40:00   32:53:00
Kyle Kuzma           34:37:00   35:54:00
Kristaps Porziņģis   31:57:00   29:30:00
Monte Morris         21:12:00   27:45:00
Daniel Gafford       19:25:00   14:53:00
Corey Kispert        32:03:00   18:28:00
Delon Wright         29:11:00   29:23:00
Deni Avdija          24:12:00   18:03:00
Kendrick Nunn        12:43:00   13:52:00

It took me a while to understand this, but now I see that this was the minutes played over the last 2 games when everyone was healthy.

I agree that this is the 9-man rotation, but I don't think those two games are necessarily representative of what we will be doing going forward. The Minnesota game in particular was an aberration because Gobert was such a factor that Wes benched Gafford and started Kispert in the 2nd half just to pull Gobert out of the paint. We even saw some extensive minutes with Beal at SF, for pretty much the first time all season. The Golden State game was kind of weird too because of the way they spread the floor - another bad matchup for Gafford and a game where Wright played more minutes than normal.

With everyone healthy I see:
PG Morris-26, Wright-22
SG Beal-35, Nunn-13
SF Kispert-26, Avdija-22
PF Kuzma-35, Porzingis-8, Avdija-5
C Porzingis-24, Gafford-24

The minutes for the guards, Kuzma and Porzingis will be pretty consistent. The minutes for Kispert, Avdija and Gafford will fluctuate much more depending on the matchups, but the averages should come out to what I have above.