(02-26-2023, 09:52 PM)Jason Terry Wrote: I think both were leaders on the team. JB was a calming presence on the court that we miss. Though i do think Kyrie will mostly replace that over time
DFS was definitely the leader on defense. Many games over the years you hear him on mics on the court calling out plays and yelling at players when they’re out of position etc.
Personally i don’t think JB wanted to play with Luka anymore. But we have Kyrie and we were in a better position than last year. What makes no sense is not making another move for a defender. Even if we had to move THJ and/or Wood for pennies on the dollar we should have brought in SOMEONE
Now it all depends on Kidd getting Luka to mature. And holding this together enough so Kyrie stays. So we can build it better in the offseason. It was a big risk not to add someone
Jalen's leadership was more pronounced on the offensive side though. I don't think he had a big impact organising the defense.
Look at Brunson's TOP numbers this season. He's third. Also second behind Luka in average seconds per touch. He's basically just as ball dominant as Luka. That's why he didn't want to play him with anymore, because his effectiveness is directly correlated with his level of ball dominance. Kyrie on the other hand is less ball dominant than Steph Curry this season.
I also don't think Kidd will have much effect on Luka maturing. I think it's just gonna happen naturally with age and experience. You can't stay a kid forever, and it does click at a certain age for some players. Hopefully that's soon for Luka.