07-15-2022, 11:33 AM
I'll push back and say that Luka is ball dominant because he HAS to be ball dominant for team success. Until JB developed later last season and SD found his balance after the trade, Luka was the engine that made everything go.
It basically boiled down to "who are you going to trust", and often the trust was situational. KP was a disaster as a post-up, but was somewhat reliable in spot up shooting. KP needed tending to try and get his tradability back up. DP was only good as a lob partner. Maxi is another spot up shooter with variable reliability (he went really cold for multiple games at times.) DFS developed more reliability as the season went on, but was trying to drive past closeouts early on with spotty success. Bullard was horrid until after the holidays. Even Brunson would stink it up on offense sometimes.
A lot of these guys wouldn't have the success they had if all eyes weren't on Luka, wondering what he was going to do next.
Kidd wants to lessen the reliance on Luka initiating the offense. He has stated they want to get him playing behind the defense. That requires building trust between teammates and having a roster that can play different sets than 5-out with Luka on top. I think Wood is a good addition, I'm hopeful THJ is better honed after having 9 months to heal and work on improvements. SD knowing expectations are higher will (hopefully) motivate him to take the next step, especially after letting his injuries completely heal. Interested to see if Bertans can up his game or if he's just here for the paycheck.
I'm also thinking if we go back 12 months ago, we were having similar "sky is falling" conversations. Everyone thinks the WCF run was smoke and mirrors, but there is a functional core that is mostly intact with some of the weak spots improved.
It basically boiled down to "who are you going to trust", and often the trust was situational. KP was a disaster as a post-up, but was somewhat reliable in spot up shooting. KP needed tending to try and get his tradability back up. DP was only good as a lob partner. Maxi is another spot up shooter with variable reliability (he went really cold for multiple games at times.) DFS developed more reliability as the season went on, but was trying to drive past closeouts early on with spotty success. Bullard was horrid until after the holidays. Even Brunson would stink it up on offense sometimes.
A lot of these guys wouldn't have the success they had if all eyes weren't on Luka, wondering what he was going to do next.
Kidd wants to lessen the reliance on Luka initiating the offense. He has stated they want to get him playing behind the defense. That requires building trust between teammates and having a roster that can play different sets than 5-out with Luka on top. I think Wood is a good addition, I'm hopeful THJ is better honed after having 9 months to heal and work on improvements. SD knowing expectations are higher will (hopefully) motivate him to take the next step, especially after letting his injuries completely heal. Interested to see if Bertans can up his game or if he's just here for the paycheck.
I'm also thinking if we go back 12 months ago, we were having similar "sky is falling" conversations. Everyone thinks the WCF run was smoke and mirrors, but there is a functional core that is mostly intact with some of the weak spots improved.
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