AROUND the NBA: Pat Bev Suspended 4 Games Next Season| PHX Fires Vogel

[KillerLeft]

I think its sustainable. Brunson will probably never be a "star", but he's here to stay.

I agree that it's sustainable, but I'd submit that he already is a star. For me, "star" kind of translates to "the offensive engine for a playoff team" and that is kind of exactly how I'd describe Brunson.

People really underrate the things Brunson can do. I like Dinwiddie more than I thought I would before that trade, but...the idea that he could replace what Brunson does was always kind of laughable. 

Brunson is a three-level scorer. Both are good catch and shoot and pull-up three guys, but with Dinwiddie, there's some reason to be suspicious of his percentages this year and last...maybe they continue to be stellar, maybe they settle back to where he used to be. For now, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Both are great at penetrating and scoring in the paint. GREAT. I'll give the edge to Dinwiddie there, because he seems better at drawing fouls in the process, and because his style of driving doesn't seem quite so dependent on recklessly sacrificing his body. I think Brunson will likely attempt shots in the paint less and less as time goes on due to health and wear and tear. 

But, the MIDRANGE? Brunson is literally one of the best in the NBA at creating shots off the dribble in the midrange. He has (no hyperbole) a dozen different ways to do this, and Dinwiddie seems to have zero. In a league designed to run people off of the three point line and then funnel them into the help defense waiting for them in the paint, there comes a point in every season where no matter which team you're playing, they're probably pretty good at making shot attempts from those two places really, really difficult. THAT is when having players like Luka, Brunson, Kawhi Leonard, etc, etc, who have midrange counters in their bags becomes the difference between winning and losing. 

Dinwiddie is simply not in Brunson's class as a scorer.