Reeko wrote:Thaddy wrote:Reeko wrote:Projecting forward, I don't see why our solution wouldn't be to have both Gradey and Ja'Kobe starting. Does IQ do anything other than maybe passing at a higher level than those two are projected to? I think they both have a lot of potential in terms of passing as well tbh. We'll see, maybe Quickley really has taken that next step to where you can conclusively say that he's our PG of the future but as of right now I'm not fully bought in on that idea.
IQ scores the above the break 3 better than a lot of guys in the NBA, he has issues getting up volume though. Until Gradey and Walter can get their three point shots in line they aren't overtaking IQ.
If it's just a matter of 3 point shooting then it's just a matter of time before they overtake him. It's not like IQ is some 40% 3 point shooter at this stage, he's a career 37.5% shooter from 3. Gradey's shooting 35.4% on the season and I assume that both he and Walter will both get significantly better as time goes on.
IQ isn't great from the corners but his above the break three point percentage must be the highest on the team. Gradey, Walter, Agbaji, and several of our other players can't really space the floor because they are weak threats from extended 3pt range. We also saw this same issue with OG. When players can only hit 3s from the corner it gives a false presumption they are shooters, this is one of the reasons why a lot of posters on this site have been suggestion to get rid of corner threes.
My philosophy on building a winning team in the current NBA is different than the 6'9 idea that Masai had. For my philosophy you need 2 great shooters, a point forward, and two big men (1 7+ foot rim protector with rolling gravity and 1 switchable defender with stretch and scoring ability).
Gobert / Adebayo / Allen / Lively (2025 Draft Target: Maluach?, Zikarsky?)
JJJ / Markannen / Durant (2025 Draft Target: Flagg?, Demin?)
Barnes
Dick
Walter
A prime Barnes should be capable of being a full time point guard, and the combo guards should be able to provide secondary ball handling for pressuring defenses. This would give us 2 scoring options from our back court, 2 scoring options from the front court, and 2 defensive anchors with an elite help defender in Barnes.
One of the keys to a great team is depth. We are seeing higher pace than ever and we need players with legs for shooting and defense in long seasons. A good development pipeline is key, I also think that every year we're seeing more skill entering the league. The average prospect in the 2025 draft is likely much more skilled than a prospect from 2015, 2005, or 1995. A steady turnover on the end of the bench will make sure we have high end talent on our roster for years to come and maintain flexibility when it comes to making trades. You'll see a lot of teams in the league who have 3-4 highly paid players while the rest are minimum contracts, that makes it difficult to make future trades.
