sol537 wrote:OG on Hali (fights over screens and has length/smarts)
Mitch on Siakam (he can at least take away the post ups)
KAT on Turner (Turner has been meh in this series)
Brunson on Neismith
Mikal on Nemhard (Mikal as the guy helping when necessary)
You can switch the Hali screens with KAT/Mitch because OG can guard Turner or Siakam.
So you make Hali play more 1-on-1 than he wants. Stagnates and slows down their offense.
Thibs would never.
Generally I like all your proposed ideas but in the end they'll be running all those screens and cross screens to attack Brunson and KAT. Matchups in that regard don't matter that much unfortunately. We have two defensive liabilities and they are going to get attacked 48 minutes a game. Zone would be the only defensive tactic to prevent that but generally it does not work well in the NBA. The funny thing is that leaving defense aside, we should actually be able to outscore the Pacers as well as we are more talented offensively at almost every positions except OG vs. Siakam. Pacers are definitely beatable but not with Thibs approach. That has to be established in November. You can't just throw out an 8th and 9th man in game 96 and 97 and hope it turns an ECF around. We lost against the Pacers not in the last 7 days but with Thibs approach to start the season.