eyriq wrote:Idiosyncratic wrote:eyriq wrote:What is different about a Franz-less team vs a Paolo-less team?
Franz is a universal adapter, he can plug-and-play in a variety of lineups and assume a variety of roles. Primary engine? Connector? Primary wing-defender? No problem.
Paolo is a primary engine. Rotations become a bit more awkward, depth becomes a bit more essential, since you need to fill the roles that Franz could seamlessly slide into. Can TDS handle primary wing defense or secondary playmaking? That fit could be even worse than it was with Franz. JI can handle primary wing defense but you lose playmaking and spacing.
I think the "AB is a wing" theory gets tested without Franz.
Franz has a career +312 plus minus even though he played on the #1 pick 21/22 team.
Paolo is at -214 career despite not being on that horrible team.
That's the difference.
There are so many free games that I think they probably should still be able to win a bunch, but obviously would not predict much playoff success without Franz.
That's a crazy contrast. I don't think it explains much, though. Lacks context about roles across various rotations and matchups.
I disagree, that's a large sample. Plus minus/ net rating ain't lying over the course of that many games for guys who play that many minutes. It doesn't tell ~everything~ but it is a significant data point.
Paolo hasn't been a large positive on the court in his career yet. Even if you believe in the guy there is no point revising what has already happened. We expect that to change, but so far it hasn't. Significantly below league average TS% combined with poor defense makes that very easy to comprehend. I believe in AB, but I would say the same about him. He hasn't been a huge positive yet. I think he is trending that way, just as I think Paolo was trending that way pre injury. Young players get better, but compared to Franz who already has had elite impact both will look a lot worse.
I expect some will label me a hater for pointing out a fact. But I still think the guy will get better, but if we are talking his career to this point the on/off, the scoring efficiency and the defense have been not that good. I fully expect he will get better, he's still young. Doesn't mean I fully expect him to be a bigger positive than Franz though.
I think Paolo will improve and I think the rest of the team is good enough this year to where we will still win a lot of games even if Franz misses significant time, especially combined with what feels like a league that lacks elite teams. We have schedule stretches coming up that are like Pacers, Wizards, Bulls, Nets , Pacers, Sixers, Pelicans, Grizzlies, Grizzlies, Hornets
