MAVS NEWS: Luka Is Hurt, But is Trudging On | DLive's Mom Passes Away| Maxi OUT

[KillerLeft]

Its interesting because last season Timmy (and Powell for that matter) had one of the better D ratings and one of the better net ratings on the team.  The Luka/Kyrie/Timmy lineups had a D rating of 111 and a net of +13 on a bad team.  That is from a sample of 226 minutes, which would be in the top 10 of 3 man lineup samples for this season.

So why are the numbers so wildly different this season?  Did both players get worse?  Is the lineup construction killing them?  Is there a ton of noise in these stats?

Its easier to see in Powell's case.  He has lost a step.  He is playing in smaller lineups.  He is being asked to play drop coverage instead of switching.  His on/off sub last season (at least early on) was McGee, who was a disaster on/off.

Agree all around. 

I am surprised people are acting like Hardaway's defense is some big problem. My eyes tell me he's competing hard on that end and even making some tough defensive plays at crucial moments. Tough for me to put stock in numbers that say otherwise. I will be interested to see how those numbers change in the coming months, as my eyes are also telling me that the team is improving, defensively. 

I also think Powell has been disappointing on defense. I don't think he's as well-suited for the drop coverages they've chosen this year (for Lively, obviously) as he is in a more switch-heavy scheme. He's basically wasted. It's very, very clear that Kleber was the team's plan for backup 5, as he's much more suited for drop coverage/paint defense than Powell (though I'd argue that sells him a bit short, too) and Holmes doesn't appear to be in consideration for anything other than a part-time-as-needed role. 

Not sure what to do about this backup 5 issue, because the answer is 100% NOT to have Lively and another big similar to him. Anyone who follows the NBA should see the flaw with that thinking a mile away. What if one of them (or, *gulp* BOTH) simply can't hang in the playoffs? I would say the likelihood of that becoming a problem is quite high. 

So, the backup 5 needs to be someone who CAN hang on a switch, at least for a few seconds, and then RECOVER to the paint. And I say this in full knowledge that the Mavs are trying to avoid playing that way. At some point, they won't have a choice. That's how the playoffs work, it's not optional. On the other end, if the player has no offensive utility, or even a limited one, he puts an insane burden on the others to create offense against playoff-caliber defenses. JJ Redick and others have been vocal recently about the idea that this problem, having to play someone who doesn't have to be guarded, guarantees that a team cannot win in the playoffs. I agree.

I like this team LESS after most of the trades for centers I see. I'm not saying backup 5 is not a concern, but I don't know if I'm ready to declare that hoping for Kleber's healthy return to playing confidently isn't the best solution. It seems like Kidd is currently in the process of making sure Grant Williams knows that position's responsibilities, too. I think that's wise, and might be a good way to go at times in the playoffs (imagine the spacing). Kidd realizing that he needs to cultivate options and different play styles is encouraging to me. It's telling that he is going with Williams/Morris at the 5 more than Holmes. I don't think that's ALL about his opinion of the level of Holmes' game, but also about his opinion of the STYLE of Holmes' game.