Gant wrote:One way to look at this question is to ask a different one, which is... Who will run the team when Kemba goes out?
It seems like Smart is the easiest choice for that, as he's a very good floor general. Maybe Hayward could do it, but Hayward as a main distributor seems like more of a short minute gimmick. So probably Smart will come off the bench a lot. Realistically, who else is there to back up Walker?
Having said that, you'd think the starting group will be constantly changing according to health, matchups, and who's earned it.
I'd extend to asking who the whole base-case lineup is without Kemba. My first thought is:
Kanter (scoring, rebounding)
Tatum (scoring, team defense)
Brown (4th-option scoring, man defense)
Smart (ball-handling, defense)
Edwards (scoring, ball-handling)
Of course, with a Walker/Edwards swap, that could be the starting lineup too.
Basically, if you're going to play both Kanter and a defensively-questionable PG, then you want your three other guys to be good defenders. And if you're aiming for that and you're still suspicious of Hayward's defense, then probably when Hayward and Kanter are on the court together, the other guys should be Smart plus two other reliable defenders.