2021-2022 MAVS NEWS: 4th in West | WCF loss [ARCHIVED]

[KillerLeft]

Was thinking about Sterling Brown and the amount of time he gets during the game. After 3 games I'm curious why he's getting the nod over Josh Green. It's not like either can score and if we're looking for playmaking Green gets the edge there too.

All of what I'm about to say is assumption, based in part on general (amateur) NBA knowledge, more extensive knowledge of how Carlisle did things and mild speculation about Kidd based on how Brown has been used here so far. 

What I think is that the term "wing" gets used a little too liberally these days by fans and media. 

DFS/Bullock are CLEARLY forwards. You can call them wings, too, I suppose. Some would even put Kleber in this category, but I don't. I think he's one more step towards "big." If you want to, you can get away with calling him a wing around here, I've noticed, but I personally don't find that label fitting for him at all. 

Brunson, Burke, Brown and Ntilikina are all clearly guards, at least in my mind. They, too, get called wings all the time. 

The responsibilities for all players above might overlap greatly in some sets/actions, and they might even be 100% interchangeable during some parts of some games in some teams' systems, but I don't think it's wise to assume so as a given. 

Brown has been handling the ball an awful lot during this young season, as if he is being given a shot to prove he can play a specific role on offense that Kidd wants someone to grow into. To me, this is an indication that he started behind only Luka, Brunson and THJ on the guard list, and tbh, that's right were I thought he'd be. I also feel like a guard's ability to play both on and off ball might be valued more or less from coach to coach - system to system. It's not clear to me yet where Kidd falls on that spectrum. 

Green, imo, falls into a category with THJ - can play big guard or small forward. They're called wings often, too, but what if Kidd doesn't view that versatility as something as crucial as we're accustomed to thinking? Or, what if he values it in established pros like THJ (2/3) and DFS (3/4) but thinks it's wise to limit "learning on the job" young players to one position at a time? Expanding on that, what if he thinks the 3 should be Green's starting point, not the 2? 

If that's the case, then I think it's quite easy to determine why Brown would be playing ahead of Green. I don't agree that he's a better playmaker than Brown, and I feel like I can say that confidently without even having a real grasp on Brown's playmaking ability - that's how much of an afterthought I think Green's playmaking is at this point. I think Green's ceiling in this league is 3&D with the added bonus of being able to run the floor (something we know Kidd values) and he has not yet demonstrated the ability to hit 3's. In other words, at this time, Green is not a player with a clear path onto the court, imo. 

I think Green might get some burn tonight as a result of Porzingis being out, ironically, not because of Brown. No KP means more minutes with one big, probably, which means more DFS at the 4 and more DFS/Bullock on the floor together. I think this might mean we see Green during a stint or two instead of adding minutes for guys like Kleber, WCS, Powell, etc. It just depends on how Kidd wants to handle that. But, at this time, I think Green is in the mix with the forwards, not the guards. 

I am fully expecting Ntilikina to get the first shot at picking up Brown's slack, as I bet they are in closer competition for a rotation spot than people realize, with Brown being given the role to lose. 

Again, this is all my speculation, but to me the logic of it tracks.