Claxton: What's His Role?

[MrDollarBills]

There is no reason why we should play small anymore unless it's to exploit a match up. LMA/Claxton at the 5, Blake/Millsap at PF, KD/Harris at the three, with Johnson/Bembry for defense at 3 and 4.

We have defenders at every position now which is also a plus: Carter at PG, Brown at SG, Bembry at SF, Johnson at PF and Claxton at C.

This is an excellent roster.

[Prokorov]

I believe he will be both a back up big and a starter over the course of the season. Nic's problem is shooting, he has got to improve. If he can develop a a little 10 -12 foot shot he is going to have a long career in the NBA. Stat is still our big guy coach but I haven't heard a peep about him working with Nic. He definitely has the tools but he really needs to put in the work.

96 minutes between PF/C

Blake - 24
LMA - 24
KD 35

That leaves 13 minutes for Millsap, James Johnson, Claxton and any time Bruce brown spends at PF

2 of Claxton/millsap/Johnson/LMA will be out of the rotation on days where one of Blake/KD are both active.

The writing's on the wall, Joe is going to the bench. I have no doubt he'll be one of the minutes leaders on the squad because he's an iron man, but he'll be primarily a 2nd unit and closing lineup dude for us this season.

That does nothing to clear up the minutes issue. because we cant play blake at PF or durant at SF.

[Prokorov]

96 minutes between PF/C

Blake - 24
LMA - 24
KD 35

That leaves 13 minutes for Millsap, James Johnson, Claxton and any time Bruce brown spends at PF

2 of Claxton/millsap/Johnson/LMA will be out of the rotation on days where one of Blake/KD are both active.

The writing's on the wall, Joe is going to the bench. I have no doubt he'll be one of the minutes leaders on the squad because he's an iron man, but he'll be primarily a 2nd unit and closing lineup dude for us this season.

That's the way I feel too. I think MIllsap + LMA will start, with KD moving to 3. LMA was an automatic starter when he got here last season, and Shams has repeatedly said that Millsap will compete for a starting spot here. If that is the case, then Joe is obviously going to the bench.

You cant start 2 slow unathleitc aging/declining players (while benching your best center - blake) and moving KD to a position he struggle to defend BEFORE the achillies

[Prokorov]

There is no reason why we should play small anymore unless it's to exploit a match up. LMA/Claxton at the 5, Blake/Millsap at PF, KD/Harris at the three, with Johnson/Bembry for defense at 3 and 4.

We have defenders at every position now which is also a plus: Carter at PG, Brown at SG, Bembry at SF, Johnson at PF and Claxton at C.

This is an excellent roster.

There is a great reason. because when we go "big" no one can gaurd their position.

[DarkXaero]

The writing's on the wall, Joe is going to the bench. I have no doubt he'll be one of the minutes leaders on the squad because he's an iron man, but he'll be primarily a 2nd unit and closing lineup dude for us this season.

That's the way I feel too. I think MIllsap + LMA will start, with KD moving to 3. LMA was an automatic starter when he got here last season, and Shams has repeatedly said that Millsap will compete for a starting spot here. If that is the case, then Joe is obviously going to the bench.

You cant start 2 slow unathleitc aging/declining players (while benching your best center - blake) and moving KD to a position he struggle to defend BEFORE the achillies

1) Ageing millsap has almost exclusively played PF last few seasons next to slow Jokic.
2)KD can absolutely defend 3s, he has not lost his mobility. If anything, he struggles defending big centers in the post.
3)LMA is a career PF turned center now and he is no slower than Jokic.

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[MrDollarBills]

That's the way I feel too. I think MIllsap + LMA will start, with KD moving to 3. LMA was an automatic starter when he got here last season, and Shams has repeatedly said that Millsap will compete for a starting spot here. If that is the case, then Joe is obviously going to the bench.

You cant start 2 slow unathleitc aging/declining players (while benching your best center - blake) and moving KD to a position he struggle to defend BEFORE the achillies

1) Ageing millsap has almost exclusively played PF last few seasons next to slow Jokic.
2)KD can absolutely defend 3s, he has not lost his mobility. If anything, he struggles defending big centers in the post.
3)LMA is a career PF turned center now and he is no slower than Jokic.

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KD having to defend bigs is not what we want at all either for him physically if we want to get him to May at 100%.

Let LMA and Claxton play C, and we can rotate Blake, Millsap, and Johnson at PF.

I prefer not to play small 90% of the time because last year we gave up offensive rebounds way too many times after we got a stop. Clean that area up and our point differential will explode.

[therealbig3]

You cant start 2 slow unathleitc aging/declining players (while benching your best center - blake) and moving KD to a position he struggle to defend BEFORE the achillies

1) Ageing millsap has almost exclusively played PF last few seasons next to slow Jokic.
2)KD can absolutely defend 3s, he has not lost his mobility. If anything, he struggles defending big centers in the post.
3)LMA is a career PF turned center now and he is no slower than Jokic.

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KD having to defend bigs is not what we want at all either for him physically if we want to get him to May at 100%.

Let LMA and Claxton play C, and we can rotate Blake, Millsap, and Johnson at PF.

I prefer not to play small 90% of the time because last year we gave up offensive rebounds way too many times after we got a stop. Clean that area up and our point differential will explode.

Meh, I think we really clamped down defensively in the playoffs, because of our small lineups. Yeah, we got hurt on the offensive glass, but we also defended really well and actually got stops.

Playing big = no stops. We're not deterring anybody from easy baskets. It's the same fallacy people used to try and justify playing time for Deandre Jordan. Just because he's a big body doesn't mean **** if he can't move his feet or reasonably contest anything and guards are finishing over and around him with ease. It's just a fact that Millsap and LMA are both slow footed bigs that have lost a lot on the defensive side of the ball and I suspect it'll be easy money for opposing offenses if both of them are out there together. Opposing teams can get a clean look pretty much any time they want with both of them out there.

I would still bench Joe, but I think Griffin and Claxton should be getting more minutes, and should at least be out there with one of Millsap or LMA. I think playing both Millsap and LMA together is a recipe for disaster defensively. Hopefully I'm wrong, but in LMA's last full season, he became a defensive liability, and Millsap got benched and barely got playing time in the playoffs because of how ineffective he was.

[jigga_man]

The writing's on the wall, Joe is going to the bench. I have no doubt he'll be one of the minutes leaders on the squad because he's an iron man, but he'll be primarily a 2nd unit and closing lineup dude for us this season.

That's the way I feel too. I think MIllsap + LMA will start, with KD moving to 3. LMA was an automatic starter when he got here last season, and Shams has repeatedly said that Millsap will compete for a starting spot here. If that is the case, then Joe is obviously going to the bench.

You cant start 2 slow unathleitc aging/declining players (while benching your best center - blake) and moving KD to a position he struggle to defend BEFORE the achillies

-2018 - Kevin Durant’s Defensive Player of the Year Candidacy Isn’t Perfect, but It’s Real
-2018 - Finished Top Ten DPOY Voting

[Prokorov]

That's the way I feel too. I think MIllsap + LMA will start, with KD moving to 3. LMA was an automatic starter when he got here last season, and Shams has repeatedly said that Millsap will compete for a starting spot here. If that is the case, then Joe is obviously going to the bench.

You cant start 2 slow unathleitc aging/declining players (while benching your best center - blake) and moving KD to a position he struggle to defend BEFORE the achillies

-2018 - Kevin Durant’s Defensive Player of the Year Candidacy Isn’t Perfect, but It’s Real
-2018 - Finished Top Ten DPOY Voting

He played PF for the warriors (between iggy and draymond). im referring to his time with the thunder.

[Prokorov]

You cant start 2 slow unathleitc aging/declining players (while benching your best center - blake) and moving KD to a position he struggle to defend BEFORE the achillies

1) Ageing millsap has almost exclusively played PF last few seasons next to slow Jokic.
2)KD can absolutely defend 3s, he has not lost his mobility. If anything, he struggles defending big centers in the post.
3)LMA is a career PF turned center now and he is no slower than Jokic.

Sent from my LM-V405 using RealGM mobile app

KD having to defend bigs is not what we want at all either for him physically if we want to get him to May at 100%.

Let LMA and Claxton play C, and we can rotate Blake, Millsap, and Johnson at PF.

I prefer not to play small 90% of the time because last year we gave up offensive rebounds way too many times after we got a stop. Clean that area up and our point differential will explode.

if you are a PF, your not defending bigs. the only bigs today are at C, and even then most arent physically opposing

[DarkXaero]

1) Ageing millsap has almost exclusively played PF last few seasons next to slow Jokic.
2)KD can absolutely defend 3s, he has not lost his mobility. If anything, he struggles defending big centers in the post.
3)LMA is a career PF turned center now and he is no slower than Jokic.

Sent from my LM-V405 using RealGM mobile app

KD having to defend bigs is not what we want at all either for him physically if we want to get him to May at 100%.

Let LMA and Claxton play C, and we can rotate Blake, Millsap, and Johnson at PF.

I prefer not to play small 90% of the time because last year we gave up offensive rebounds way too many times after we got a stop. Clean that area up and our point differential will explode.

Meh, I think we really clamped down defensively in the playoffs, because of our small lineups. Yeah, we got hurt on the offensive glass, but we also defended really well and actually got stops.

Playing big = no stops. We're not deterring anybody from easy baskets. It's the same fallacy people used to try and justify playing time for Deandre Jordan. Just because he's a big body doesn't mean **** if he can't move his feet or reasonably contest anything and guards are finishing over and around him with ease. It's just a fact that Millsap and LMA are both slow footed bigs that have lost a lot on the defensive side of the ball and I suspect it'll be easy money for opposing offenses if both of them are out there together. Opposing teams can get a clean look pretty much any time they want with both of them out there.

I would still bench Joe, but I think Griffin and Claxton should be getting more minutes, and should at least be out there with one of Millsap or LMA. I think playing both Millsap and LMA together is a recipe for disaster defensively. Hopefully I'm wrong, but in LMA's last full season, he became a defensive liability, and Millsap got benched and barely got playing time in the playoffs because of how ineffective he was.

I'm not against playing big until I see it turn out to be negative on the court. It's not like we're suggesting playing two slow 7 footers together. I think some people are overstating the "slowness" of Millsap and LMA. Millsap has been playing 4 the entire time in Denver next Jokic, who is arguably the slowest center out there. Despite that, Denver had a respectable defense. LMA is a career PF who has been converted into strictly a center late in his career, and he's far from the slowest center out there. LMA has been able to defend the paint at a pretty good level since he has been played as a center and he still has that crazy wingspan. You brought up DJ but last season when LMA replaced DJ, we saw the difference in activity level immediately. It was much improved.

Also, Millsap got benched when Nuggets traded for Aaron Gordon midseason, who is obviously an upgrade on Millsap at this point. It wasn't some random benching, it was because they made a significant trade for a player at his position. In the playoffs, Denver ran into matchups where playing big didn't make much sense, hence less minutes for Millsap (since Jokic obviously can't be benched). It might have been a different story regardless if Denver were at full strength. Millsap's minutes were reduced even further in Phoenix series (and he was DNP'd in game 4), and they still got swept in that series, so he wasn't the reason why Denver struggled.

[MrDollarBills]

I'm not suggesting that we play 80s basketball, I just prefer to try to have the team not give up so many offensive rebounds. You can't just pretend that those extra possessions didn't come back to haunt the Nets versus the Bucks.

It's not like this team is some run and gun squad of speedsters, our offense is literally either watch Harden probe to create shots or give KD and Ky the ball and move out of the way. I think we can live with giving our bigs minutes and not playing small 90% of the time, watching Guards snag offensive rebounds or bigs getting uncontested putbacks

Anyway, our line ups will be match up based so the point is moot. Sometimes LMA will start, sometimes Blake will start.

[Claud]

Honestly lowkey disappointed with Clax.

He looked a lot bouncier/mobile in his rookie season. Now he's always slumbering around the court. Not sure what happened to him.

I thought he had a bigger offensive ceiling after showing some nice moves, but he's been booty offensively for a minute now.

Luckily for him, his overall defense is outstanding which is what will get him pt. Curious to see where he goes with his talent.

[3pt_chucker]

Honestly lowkey disappointed with Clax.

He looked a lot bouncier/mobile in his rookie season. Now he's always slumbering around the court. Not sure what happened to him.

I thought he had a bigger offensive ceiling after showing some nice moves, but he's been booty offensively for a minute now.

Luckily for him, his overall defense is outstanding which is what will get him pt. Curious to see where he goes with his talent.

Unfortunately, I think he needs consistent reps to properly work on his offensive game. Last season the Nets did not practice so there was no time for him to properly work on it. Also he was such a good defender and the offense is soo good, he was limited to just playing at the rim as a lob threat(aka Capela)

I just hope he and the Nets stay patient, because I still think he has talent to be a better than just a lob threat on offense. Won't be surprised if gets traded for a draft picks though. A mid round 1st probably does it tbh

[Prokorov]

This is why i didnt like the LMA signing. it basically relegated Claxton to the theo pinson cheerleader role. Milsap i love the addition, but from a high level standpoint, it just gives nash another big shooter to play over claxton at center (like how he went with green small ball 5 so much last year).

Im fine with blake starting, but claxton needs to play. we have ZERO rim roll threat with claxton out and DJ not here and clax is easiliy our best defender