Wing Defender or POA?

[Anderson Hunt]

we could do better... rui, vando and dalton for klay naji and gafford

There won't many takers for a geriatric LeBron James, and there won't be many teams he'll want to play on, even less that can afford to give him 40 million.

Dallas is the perfect destination for LeBron James, and getting Gafford and Washington for him along with expirings in Marshall and Thompson is great for the Lakers.

[Anderson Hunt]

So many so-called informed Laker followers continue to perpetuate the idea that the Lakers need a wing defender.

I think they are caught up in the notion that Doncic and Reaves are guards, so because the Lakers need defense, they'll have to add defense at SF, but that's flawed thinking.

The Lakers need a guy who can guard Jamal Murray, Maxey, Brunson, and Quickley.

Reaves has no chance against those guys, and if you rely on Vincent to spell Smart, you'll need him to at least provide more offense than Smart.

Doncic is a point guard on offense, but on defense, he'll guard 1-4, whoever is easiest. He'll almost never check PGs.

[stan francisco]

Bron stays (obviously). Reaves stays. Put Adou and Smart and LaRavia and Vando on guys like Murray. Should work. If we can flip Vando and Knecht for a Dyson Daniels/Quentin Grimes/Herb Jones elite defense first player who plays both ends, sure. We’re deep as things are. Happy with what we have.

[LeGoat23]

Absolutely no motivation for the Kings to trade Ellis. They'd want to dump Monk's contract, but Ellis will be resigned this summer. Keon Ellis is not being traded.

Malik Monk is definitely not a top-tier defender. You're right. I'd argue that they need much more than a defender though. They need a guy who is a much better point of attack defender than either Reaves, Hachimura, or LaRavia, and they need a guy who offers superior speed, athleticism, and shooting. With Smart (and Devin Carter) already in tow setting an elite defensive tone, defense is only one part of what the Lakers need, so a shooting, high-flyer with erratic defense is more valuable than a purely defensive POA-guy like Kris Dunn who is a much better defender but doesn't offer the same game-breaking speed and athleticism.

Herb Jones is a 6'8 elite defender who, in my opinion, guards the average PF better than a point guard, the main position he'd be guarding on this team. It's not an ideal role for him unless the Lakers get rid of Hachimura.

Also, and most importantly, Herb Jones, despite his paltry numbers and contract would be highly, highly coveted on the open market.

New Orleans could get top-dollar for him, including at minimum two 1st round picks.

Long-story short, do the Lakers have what it would take to secure Jones?

I don't think so. When/if Jones becomes available, there will be at least 10 other teams (probably more) angling for his services.

It doesn't seem realistic at all. His skill set is the most coveted archetype in the NBA. THE Lakers aren't stealing him with Hachimura and a first.

Two Picks is a huge stretch for someone who is an inconsistent shooter in this league. Besides I'd definitely prioritize a smaller POA guy over Herb, who is a switching wing. I feel that position(SF/PF) is already over populated on our roster since Bron/Luka/Rui all slot there defensively. Herb would just add to the list.

We need a smaller guard / wing that excels at defending the top ball handling guards/wings on direct switches with Austin. As someone already said - a replacement for Smart, that can hopefully shoot. The top choices(Toumani Camara, Thompson bros, Jaden McD, AC, Dort, Ellis, Dyson Daniels) are definitely off the table considering how highly their teams value them for obvious reasons.

So here's my list really available from in preference order -
1. Dillon Brooks - elite 1v1 against bigger wings & doesn't become a liability on offense (39.7% 3fg for 2024-25)
2. Matisse Thybulle - what most Laker fans think Vando is, but he really isn't. Absolutely elite on and off ball defender who hesitates less than before while shooting (43% 3fg on very low volume(3.5 3fg) for 2024-25)
3. Kris Dunn - Top POA defender with a somewhat poor shot, but better than Smart
4. Jrue - If bought out

These are all players on tanking/poor teams with no shot in hell. Ideally we can get Brooks for the one pick we have & a swap. And get Thybulle for a straight swap with some deadwood, cos the Blazers don't seem to give a ****.. xD

I'd really like to clear the books of Vando's toxic contract during any trade we're involved in. Wonder what talent evaluation Rob did while giving him 48m/4yrs, while thinking AC wasn't good enough for 18m/2yrs. Man still has a job though - RESPECT!

[LeGoat23]

This!!

So many so-called informed Laker followers continue to perpetuate the idea that the Lakers need a wing defender.

I think they are caught up in the notion that Doncic and Reaves are guards, so because the Lakers need defense, they'll have to add defense at SF, but that's flawed thinking.

The Lakers need a guy who can guard Jamal Murray, Maxey, Brunson, and Quickley.

Reaves has no chance against those guys, and if you rely on Vincent to spell Smart, you'll need him to at least provide more offense than Smart.

Doncic is a point guard on offense, but on defense, he'll guard 1-4, whoever is easiest. He'll almost never check PGs.

[Anderson Hunt]

Aaron Holiday.

Plus POA defender and plus shooter/scorer.

Unfortunately, they'd have to wait 'til this summer when he's a free agent because there is no way the Rockets trade him to the Lakers this season.

[danfantastk32]

I'd really like to clear the books of Vando's toxic contract during any trade we're involved in. Wonder what talent evaluation Rob did while giving him 48m/4yrs, while thinking AC wasn't good enough for 18m/2yrs. Man still has a job though - RESPECT!

Hopefully not much longer. I hope the new owner(s) go through, and clean at least 80% of management. Some people wanna give Rob credit for the Luka AD trade. I guess he get's a sliver of credit for having a long-time relationship with Nico. That apparently meant something.....so I guess in a weird round-about way...he sorta has to get SOME credit. But let's call a spade a spade here: Nico concocted this insane decision himself, and reached out to Rob. Rob's only real "work" there in all of this, was forming the words "H-E-L-L - Y-E-A-H" with his mouth.

Other than this amazing gift falling from heaven...it's been nothing but one stupid, desperate, and short-sighted decision, after another, from the front office for about a decade.

Didn't we give up a FRP (and some serious talent) to get Brick...who almost everyone could see was gonna be a disaster? And then....didn't we give up a FRP to get rid of him??!? How's that work?? Oh that's right! We traded Brick and a FRP for stupid D'angelo, who we later offloaded...ALONG WITH 3 SECOND ROUND PICKS!! for the completely irrelevant Dorian Finney Smith...who went on to walk like 3 months later. BEAUTIFUL work by our FO.

As you pointed out...we resign Vando for more than we let Caruso go for. We traded Zubac for Mike Muscala..another golden move.


I could go on....but it just get's me worked up. Needless to say...this offseason was nice with the pickup of Ayton and Smart. Good players we got for great deals. Rare work by our FO. I vote we let them leave on a high note. You left us with half our future FRP's gone...and I believe all but one second rounder.....but at least you can walk on a high note.

But for this amazing gift Nico...our real hero....granted us, we were seriously gonna go to war with a Maxed out AD for the next 3 years, and Lebron for as long as he wanted huge stacks of $$$. NEVER EVER forget that everyone!!

Rob: OUT
Rambi: OUT
Assistant GM: OUT
Anyone with the last name Buss: OUT - I think we're stuck with Jeanie for a while, but maybe we can move her back to being in charge of non-team operations, like she was when her Father ran things.
Scouting dept: GONE - It's start....hopefully a sign of what's to come

[Anderson Hunt]

I'd really like to clear the books of Vando's toxic contract during any trade we're involved in. Wonder what talent evaluation Rob did while giving him 48m/4yrs, while thinking AC wasn't good enough for 18m/2yrs. Man still has a job though - RESPECT!

Hopefully not much longer. I hope the new owner(s) go through, and clean at least 80% of management. Some people wanna give Rob credit for the Luka AD trade. I guess he get's a sliver of credit for having a long-time relationship with Nico. That apparently meant something.....so I guess in a weird round-about way...he sorta has to get SOME credit. But let's call a spade a spade here: Nico concocted this insane decision himself, and reached out to Rob. Rob's only real "work" there in all of this, was forming the words "H-E-L-L - Y-E-A-H" with his mouth.

Other than this amazing gift falling from heaven...it's been nothing but one stupid, desperate, and short-sighted decision, after another, from the front office for about a decade.

Didn't we give up a FRP (and some serious talent) to get Brick...who almost everyone could see was gonna be a disaster? And then....didn't we give up a FRP to get rid of him??!? How's that work?? Oh that's right! We traded Brick and a FRP for stupid D'angelo, who we later offloaded...ALONG WITH 3 SECOND ROUND PICKS!! for the completely irrelevant Dorian Finney Smith...who went on to walk like 3 months later. BEAUTIFUL work by our FO.

As you pointed out...we resign Vando for more than we let Caruso go for. We traded Zubac for Mike Muscala..another golden move.


I could go on....but it just get's me worked up. Needless to say...this offseason was nice with the pickup of Ayton and Smart. Good players we got for great deals. Rare work by our FO. I vote we let them leave on a high note. You left us with half our future FRP's gone...and I believe all but one second rounder.....but at least you can walk on a high note.

But for this amazing gift Nico...our real hero....granted us, we were seriously gonna go to war with a Maxed out AD for the next 3 years, and Lebron for as long as he wanted huge stacks of $$$. NEVER EVER forget that everyone!!

Rob: OUT
Rambi: OUT
Assistant GM: OUT
Anyone with the last name Buss: OUT - I think we're stuck with Jeanie for a while, but maybe we can move her back to being in charge of non-team operations, like she was when her Father ran things.
Scouting dept: GONE - It's start....hopefully a sign of what's to come

I give Pelinka credit for signing Danny Green, Avery Bradley, and LaRavia, but I'd be willing to bet that they weren't his ideas, so I'm with you, he's a nincompoop.

If I owned the Lakers, I'd be moving hell and earth to sign Masai Ujiri. He's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he is far more visionary than Pelinka.

As far as Vanderbilt, Reddick is not a fan of garbage men/hustle guys. He values spacing and shooting. Reddick doesn't know how to utilize Vanderbilt and instill confidence in his developing jumper.

Vanderbilt has shown a greater willingness to shoot from deep, so it's obvious to me that he's been putting in the work. At this point he needs minutes and he needs to be encouraged to let it rip. Reddick is doing neither.

I believe in Vanderbilt. Adding a jumpshot is the easiest thing to fix in the NBA. I'd bet a small fortune that en elite wing defender learns to shoot before an elite shooter learns to play defense.

The only chance of Vanderbilt getting an opportunity for big minutes is if Hayes and Ayton go down and Kleber becomes the main center. Reddick would rationalize playing Vanderbilt alongside a jumpshooting center but not with Hayes and Ayton.

As it stands, Vanderbilt is stuck here as the Lakers groom his replacement in Thiero.

If they're lucky, the Lakers will be able to trade LeBron James, Bronny James, and Vanderbilt this summer for Gafford, Washington, Thompson, and Marshall, but if that doesn't happen, Vanderbilt won't be tradeable until he's an expiring.

[Anderson Hunt]

I really liked D'Moi Hodge from a couple of years ago. He was a great 3&D prospect as an undersized shooting guard at the point of attack.

[LeGoat23]

[list]

Hopefully not much longer. I hope the new owner(s) go through, and clean at least 80% of management. Some people wanna give Rob credit for the Luka AD trade. I guess he get's a sliver of credit for having a long-time relationship with Nico. That apparently meant something.....so I guess in a weird round-about way...he sorta has to get SOME credit. But let's call a spade a spade here: Nico concocted this insane decision himself, and reached out to Rob. Rob's only real "work" there in all of this, was forming the words "H-E-L-L - Y-E-A-H" with his mouth.

lol.. facts

Other than this amazing gift falling from heaven...it's been nothing but one stupid, desperate, and short-sighted decision, after another, from the front office for about a decade.

Didn't we give up a FRP (and some serious talent) to get Brick...who almost everyone could see was gonna be a disaster? And then....didn't we give up a FRP to get rid of him??!? How's that work?? Oh that's right! We traded Brick and a FRP for stupid D'angelo, who we later offloaded...ALONG WITH 3 SECOND ROUND PICKS!! for the completely irrelevant Dorian Finney Smith...who went on to walk like 3 months later. BEAUTIFUL work by our FO.

As you pointed out...we resign Vando for more than we let Caruso go for. We traded Zubac for Mike Muscala..another golden move.

Russ was blamed on Bron/AD. Zub was blamed on Magic.

Also you didn't mention the 23+ guys that immediately retired after their 2022 & 2023 seasons, while he kept selling the Bron+AD are not worth investing in narrative.

Jeanie conveniently always bought his snake oil, which is all that seems to matter. Man's exceptionally good at deferring responsibility for his Ls and keeping his job.


Unfortunately, I think Jeanie got the final W by kicking out her two step bros, who seemed to be the only Buss kids that were somewhat competent & actually seemed invested personally the club's success. They were also the only two who voted against the sale because they wanted their shot at it. Who knows, but it's possible that Jeanie got a retainer clause in the sale agreement for Rob, Rambii & her ex. Not a big deal for Guggenheim to shell out a few mil extra over the next 5 years, which is how long these agreements tend to be good for.

[danfantastk32]

Russ was blamed on Bron/AD. Zub was blamed on Magic.

Also you didn't mention the 23+ guys that immediately retired after their 2022 & 2023 seasons, while he kept selling the Bron+AD are not worth investing in narrative.

Jeanie conveniently always bought his snake oil, which is all that seems to matter. Man's exceptionally good at deferring responsibility for his Ls and keeping his job.


Unfortunately, I think Jeanie got the final W by kicking out her two step bros, who seemed to be the only Buss kids that were somewhat competent & actually seemed invested personally the club's success. They were also the only two who voted against the sale because they wanted their shot at it. Who knows, but it's possible that Jeanie got a retainer clause in the sale agreement for Rob, Rambii & her ex. Not a big deal for Guggenheim to shell out a few mil extra over the next 5 years, which is how long these agreements tend to be good for.

You know, I was in full rant mode....but you're prob right that Magic moved Zubac.

In all honesty, I don't think this was all, or even maybe 'mostly' Rob. My understanding is that he was against the Brick trade. There is an alternate universe where he gets to sit down with me over a couple beers, and we go over each trade (including ones he wanted that didn't happen) for the last 6-7 years, and perhaps I walk away thinking he's great......I doubt it, but it's certainly possible. I have to admit that there are likely a million decisions that I never got to see...a million times where he said "that's a horrible idea" and was overridden, but went out there and towed the line.

My beef is with the entire FO. I think we're an antiquated system that still runs off the fumes of the great Dr Buss. It's why I want as complete an overhaul as possible.....and I understand we will lose a few of the good ones in doing that, but it's the overall mindset, and approach that needs to be removed....not just a guy here or there that are "terrible at their job" .

I just wish Jeanie would leave as well. I know she has her security thingy in the deal....but she's the biggest offender IMO. This is still the late 90's in her mind....at least it seems to be. Hopefully she goes back to her old job under her father...which was running the 'company' side of things, while new blood runs team operations moving forward.

It's a dual edged sword. It saddens me a little that the Buss family don't own it. I liked that. I think Jeanie actually loves the Lakers in a way that no big conglomerate could fathom. And while their star-driven team building mentality irritates me....there is no denying that it seems to find ways of working out. Having Lebron suddenly decide he wants to be a Laker....through no affiliation, or being born in LA or anything. And then we suddenly get this Nico guy with some insane idea that he needs to move Luka, and just decides...."I know...there's this dude on the Lakers that I used to shotgun beers with back in college....I'll meet with him in secret!" <------ I mean...how crazy is that sh**, yet it happened! So it's like the power of prayer.....there's no way to measure it, but you can't deny at least occasional success.

I'm just ready to move on from the Buss chapter. God bless Dr Buss. The GOAT. And Jeanie had many great things about her. She did bring a title. I will look back overall at the Busses with nothing but respect (except Jim..he was a chode) in 10-15 years. But the game has changed. It's moved on, and this parity crap (which a absolutely HATE, for the record) has made it a completely new paradigm. And they just don't seem to get it. So I say clean house, and get rid of all the people who've been raised off the old way of thinking. There will be a few "casualties" in flipping the FO, but it needs to be done. Whether or not Rob was actually a decent GM...or even maybe a good GM....oh well.

[Anderson Hunt]

I've been following basketball for decades. One thing I've noticed is that the easiest position to fill on the basketball court is the undersized shooting guard.

Nobody wants these guys so they are plentiful. My avatar is named after a very talented one that NEVER even got a real shot in the league.

These guys are plentiful because you can only play them alongside oversized point guards. Not only do you need a starting oversized point guard, you also need an oversized backup point guard as well, and not many teams have this luxury.

The Lakers do.

The Lakers are in the position where they can find a tiny shooting guard off the trash heap pretty easily.

Is it harder to find a tiny SG who can also play defense? Of course, but there are many options out there.

I mentioned in an earlier post the name D'Moi Hodge. He has crazy, disruptive defensive pedigree and he's a shooter who has never hit his stride.

I'm serious when I say this: I'd find him wherever he is and sign him to a three-year minimum deal, and then I'd start him.

Based on what I know about his game, he's exactly what the starting five needs. Pelinka would look like a damn genius:

PG Doncic - Vincent - James
SG Hodge - Smart - Vanderbilt
C Ayton - Hayes - Kleber
PF Hachimura - James - Thiero
SF Reaves - LaRavia - Knecht

[LeGoat23]

You know, I was in full rant mode....but you're prob right that Magic moved Zubac.

I said he managed to blame Magic & Bron/AD for the bad trades, while he took credit for the wins.

In all honesty, I don't think this was all, or even maybe 'mostly' Rob. My understanding is that he was against the Brick trade.

There's reporting to the contrary. Rob, Jeanie & the Rambii were absolutely head over heels about getting the player Kobe is quoted to have mentioned multiple times as the closest to his own self. And to be fair, he was coming off those three triple double seasons, the last of which was spent helping Beal win the scoring title.

Anthony Irvin, Darius Soriano & Pete Zayas have spoken about this multiple times. Bron/AD brought like 40 names to the FO every summer & the Lakers had their pick of them. That is until the Russ fallout in 2022, when they leaked the "They made their bed.." story via Ramona Shelburne. Klutch gave them hell, so they had to severe ties with Ramona publicly, but she's very much back in the fold now that the heat died down. Just a lousy bunch of idiots running the club honestly.

My beef is with the entire FO. I think we're an antiquated system that still runs off the fumes of the great Dr Buss. It's why I want as complete an overhaul as possible.....and I understand we will lose a few of the good ones in doing that, but it's the overall mindset, and approach that needs to be removed....not just a guy here or there that are "terrible at their job" .

100%

[LeGoat23]

I've been following basketball for decades. One thing I've noticed is that the easiest position to fill on the basketball court is the undersized shooting guard.

Nobody wants these guys so they are plentiful. My avatar is named after a very talented one that NEVER even got a real shot in the league.

These guys are plentiful because you can only play them alongside oversized point guards. Not only do you need a starting oversized point guard, you also need an oversized backup point guard as well, and not many teams have this luxury.

The Lakers do.

I'll replace your use of 'oversized' with 'long, athletic, high motor' & we DON'T have that. I believe with almost absolute certainty that this combo can not really win anything serious. Perhaps they can make a cute run in the pre-Steph era, but it's just not happening anymore.

It's great for a fun offensive regular season, but we have no real hope in the post season with this back court.

[tamaraw08]

The consensus is that the Lakers need a wing defender like Herb Jones, but unless they trade one of Doncic, James, Hachimura, LaRavia, or Reaves, there aren't enough minutes to go around for a guy like Herb Jones.

Doncic, Reaves, James, and LaRavia aren't going anywhere, so unless it's a trade of Hachimura for Jones, I don't see any room in the rotation for a guy of Jones' stature. He'd only play 15 minutes a game.

In my opinion, if they keep all their players, they don't need a rotational wing defender, they need a rotational POA defender.

With the team as presently constructed, this team needs an impactful backup to Smart who can effectively guard at the point of attack and score and shoot better than Smart with more quickness and athleticism than Smart as well.

The team's biggest need, as presently constructed, isn't a wing defender. They need a dynamic and energetic guard who can guard point guards and add offensive punch.

Out of all the available players on the market, the Lakers need Malik Monk.

Is he known as a defender? No, but I believe he can guard when motivated, especially as understudy for Smart.

What he offers is shooting, speed, and athleticism in the backcourt. He's the guy the Lakers should be targeting:

Vincent, Kleber, and Knecht
for
Monk and Devin Carter

PG - Doncic - Monk - Smith (tw)
SG - Smart - Carter - James
C --- Ayton - Hayes - Koloko (tw)
PF - James - Hachimura - Thiero
SF - Reaves - LaRavia - Vanderbilt

The Lakers get two athletic guys in their backcourt, one as immediate impact guy (Monk) and one (Carter) as a future defensive replacement for Smart. The Lakers also get 3 million under the cap for a future signing.

This is negative for the Lakers because Monk is a 20 million dollar guy for the next three seasons and probably wouldn't be an easy guy to trade. He also doesn't have defensive pedigree, and they need him to defend, so there are definite risks.

Not a fan of Monk with the way the team is constructed right now.

If you are keeping Reaves and Doncic, you need a top-tier defender in the back-court (in addition to Smart). Herb would be ideal. His contract is such that in a non-Lebron 2026-27 you can chase 30M+ FAs and still keep Reaves.

As an alternative, you could try to get a guy like Keon Ellis from the Kings.

ohhh I love Keon Ellis. The guy is a pretty good defender AND A freaking good 3pt shooter at a career 42% from 3 unlike Smart who is struggling from there at 25% and he is rotting in the bench.
I'm not sure how much would the Kings ask for him though.

[Anderson Hunt]

If you think the Lakers need elite defense on the wing, why aren't the Lakers playing their one elite wing defender?

Why does Jarred Vanderbilt get zero minutes a game if (you believe) the key to this team's success is better wing defense?

The easy answer here is shooting, but how much of Vanderbilt's shooting issues are actually coaching issues?

More than anything, Vanderbilt's lack of shooting is a confidence issue. Do we get the feeling that Reddick has ever empowered Vanderbilt to shoot at all?

I don't think Reddick values Vanderbilt's strengths. I don't think he values lockdown defenders. He puts all of his emphasis on team defense, so lockdown guys like Vanderbilt aren't really special to Reddick.

I also don't think Reddick values dirty-work/hustle guys, so it's difficult for Reddick to appreciate what Vanderbilt brings to the table.

I have an extremely difficult time accepting the notion that Vanderbilt can't shoot himself into becoming a shooter. He just needs to be encouraged to "let it fly" without hesitation. He'll look horrible shooting some nights and great other nights, and that's fine.

It's just silly to me that sooooo many people think the Lakers are an elite wing defender away from true contention when there is an elite wing defender already on this team that is being completely under-utilized.

Anybody can shoot. It's the easiest skill to learn. A coach must convince his player that he wants him to shoot, assure his player that if he misses three in a row, he still wants him to shoot it a fourth time.

It's this type of encouragement that turned Bruce Bowen and PJ Tucker and Trevor Ariza into efficient three-point shooters.

Vanderbilt has to put in the work, no question, but he also needs opportunity and assurance from his coach, but it seems Reddick doesn't believe Vanderbilt can add anything of value, and that's unfortunate.

[Anderson Hunt]

I'd love to see a five minute stretch like this:
PG - Doncic
SG - Smart
C --- Ayton
PF - Vanderbilt
SF - Reaves

That'll never be a closeout lineup, but it's the type of lineup that sets a tone. Unfortunately, it'll probably never happen because Reddick seemingly cannot coach a team unless the players he's given fit his system rather than adapting to the system to his players.

Vanderbilt, potentially, can add a lot to this team. The skill set he offers is what this team is most lacking.

[LeGoat23]

If you think the Lakers need elite defense on the wing, why aren't the Lakers playing their one elite wing defender?

Why does Jarred Vanderbilt get zero minutes a game if (you believe) the key to this team's success is better wing defense?

The easy answer here is shooting, but how much of Vanderbilt's shooting issues are actually coaching issues?

More than anything, Vanderbilt's lack of shooting is a confidence issue. Do we get the feeling that Reddick has ever empowered Vanderbilt to shoot at all?

I don't think Reddick values Vanderbilt's strengths. I don't think he values lockdown defenders. He puts all of his emphasis on team defense, so lockdown guys like Vanderbilt aren't really special to Reddick.

I also don't think Reddick values dirty-work/hustle guys, so it's difficult for Reddick to appreciate what Vanderbilt brings to the table.

I have an extremely difficult time accepting the notion that Vanderbilt can't shoot himself into becoming a shooter. He just needs to be encouraged to "let it fly" without hesitation. He'll look horrible shooting some nights and great other nights, and that's fine.

It's just silly to me that sooooo many people think the Lakers are an elite wing defender away from true contention when there is an elite wing defender already on this team that is being completely under-utilized.

Anybody can shoot. It's the easiest skill to learn. A coach must convince his player that he wants him to shoot, assure his player that if he misses three in a row, he still wants him to shoot it a fourth time.

It's this type of encouragement that turned Bruce Bowen and PJ Tucker and Trevor Ariza into efficient three-point shooters.

Vanderbilt has to put in the work, no question, but he also needs opportunity and assurance from his coach, but it seems Reddick doesn't believe Vanderbilt can add anything of value, and that's unfortunate.

Vando isn't an elite wing defender. He's mid/poor at 1v1 POA, and constantly makes mental mistakes(overhelp/missing rotations) that compromise the team's defensive scheme. For a guy with negative offensive impact, you just can't have that on the floor.

He's an elite passing lanes interrupter & rebounder. That's it. Too small a skill set to deserve any discussion.

[stan francisco]

I think Adou is our new Vando, but better. A defensive lineup of, later in the season…

Vincent, Smart, Adou, LaRavia, Kleber should get some stops.

[Anderson Hunt]

Vando isn't an elite wing defender. He's mid/poor at 1v1 POA, and constantly makes mental mistakes(overhelp/missing rotations) that compromise the team's defensive scheme. For a guy with negative offensive impact, you just can't have that on the floor.

He's an elite passing lanes interrupter & rebounder. That's it. Too small a skill set to deserve any discussion.

It's difficult to argue defense, but although I agree with your assessment that he's elite playing passing lanes and rebounding, I disagree with you suggesting that he's "mid" as a point of attack defender and one on one defender.

Before I go on, I must concede that because Vanderbilt doesn't get many minutes, I can't really argue against any notion that Vanderbilt doesn't defend like he used to two years ago. I frankly don't see him enough of late to properly assess him as a defender after his foot surgeries, so if you're making the argument that he doesn't defend one on one or at the point of attack like he used to, I can't argue against it. I just don't have enough film/observation to argue against that idea.

To me, he seems healthy. If he defends like he did two years ago, he absolutely is a well above-average POA defender.

What's my proof? My eyes. He has fantastic lateral quickness, anticipation, speed, and effort.

My eyes tell me one thing, then the opinions of innumerable scouting reports all tell me the same thing.

The reality is that when he played under a coach (Ham) who valued hustle guys and got opportunities to prove his defensive impact, Vanderbilt did just that, but under a coach who doesn't value scrappiness and doesn't scheme to accentuate Vanderbilt's gifts (namely one on one defense instead of switch-heavy), Vanderbilt doesn't look as good.

Maybe you see him getting into the games too exuberant, too eager to make plays, so he commits too many fouls. I see that too in his limited minutes, but that can be cleaned up with a defined role and expectation.

Vanderbilt needs to be nurtured. He needs to be given an opportunity to prove himself defensively and offensively.

When given an opportunity, 20 minutes a game as part of a defined role, he's shown thus far in his career that he's a well above average defender who has tremendously impacted the game with his defensive pedigree and hustle.