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[KillerLeft]

My response to that in particular is that there's no way for me to know how McGee is supposed to work in this offense. Kidd and Nico obviously see something. On the other hand, I had several years to think about Powell's flaws.

Right.

But, we KNOW they’re going to be a pnr based offense. It’s built around Luka. Not Kawhi Leonard, not LeBron. Luka.

We KNOW what, GENERALLY, McGee can/can’t do within that system. We can debate whether he’d do it better or worse than Powell, but in reality the potential improvement isn’t some magical realm of wonder. He’s not going to add the dimension of catching on the short roll and executing a two-dribble pull-up. Consequently, he’s not going to catch on the short roll and make a second pass to a cutter or to the corner, because there’s no reason for him to be respected by the defense outside of the paint. I could go on, but the moral of the story is that he’s going roll hard every time, just like Powell. And honestly, my SPECULATION is that he won’t be quite as clever with reacting to the defense on his angle, or screen assisting in the paint for Luka when the first action breaks down. These are things that Powell does routinely that go almost completely unappreciated around here. 

Powell’s degree of ability to do what he’s good at wasn’t the issue. It’s the other stuff that he can’t do that was missing. Even if McGee is better at all the same things, he will still be unguarded in the playoffs, just like Powell was. 

You know who IS capable of adding offensive dimensions? Wood. Can roll OR pop. Can catch on the short roll and put stress on the defense, both on the move with dribble moves or by simply stopping and facing up. Can punish switches in a variety of ways in situations when Luka can’t. All of this will be mitigated significantly with someone in the dunker’s spot. It’s nothing personal against McGee.

And on top of all that, I’m honestly worried (speculation, as again, I admit they aren’t done yet) that they’re positioning themselves to need to play BOTH of them.