GAME 46 DIRKIE: Winner Delon (89%) & Runner-up Luka (11%)

[Kammrath]

Who was the "player of the game" who raised his game to help the team win?

[Jym]

30+ minutes a night for Wright please

[omahen]

It was a nice team effort. I give it to Luka for 40 % three pointers and 0 turnovers. Still working on those FT though

[Jym]

Delon's night, but Hardaway really played great too. 
Short list of SGs playing better

[Hypermav]

Delon just needs to follow Brunson into the paint for easy offensive rebounds

Brunson was fine shooting just a little farther out.  

Anyway, I thought Delon deserved the Dirkie tonight.

[dmavs4life03]

loved the activity on the boards from delon, that and his defensive efforts helped a lot. Honorable mention to brunson and thj. The 3s fell for Luka tonight which was nice but still think he forces 2-3 a game.

[ThisIStheYear]

Delon catches unjustified criticism on this board from some.  He’s been a nice addition.

[Jommybone]

Yes, DW for sure. But I was tempted to say THJ. First time I recall seeing him play a good game. I’ve seen great. And I’ve seen awful. But good, sustainable, low-usage ball? This was a first.

[cow]

Wright was disruptive the whole night.

[Lucky Luciano]

Delon is amazing. He should be starting next to Luka. He's shooting 38% from the 3 this year and is a magician at the cup finishing. He also is the best on ball defender on the team hands down.

I can see this being the solution to the PG logjam imo.

Delon
THJ
Luka
DFS or Maxi
KP

Brunson
Curry
JJ
Maxi or DFS
WCS


Honestly my favorite line up right now is

Delon
Luka
DFS
Maxi
KP

So much defense and so much deep threat with a couple slasher and rim threats. Seems like the best all around line up we can put together atm imo.

[Reunion Mav Old]

I agree that Delon is our best defender, much the best on ball defender for the guys he is big enough to handle. He is just to small on some of the guys he gets switched on to. 

I like Delon a lot as well. That is not to say he doesn't have much to learn offensively. But, he is playing offense better than I thought he would at the beginning of the year so the more time he gets the more improvement we can expect.

[dirkfansince1998]

I agree that Delon is our best defender, much the best on ball defender for the guys he is big enough to handle. He is just to small on some of the guys he gets switched on to. 

I like Delon a lot as well. That is not to say he doesn't have much to learn offensively. But, he is playing offense better than I thought he would at the beginning of the year so the more time he gets the more improvement we can expect.

I always get the feeling that Maxi is our best defender against any kind of matchup. Even guards. Delon has quick hands but he lacks some lateral quickness. Maxis length and mobility make up for his lack of quickness.

[SportPsychMav]

I agree that Delon is our best defender, much the best on ball defender for the guys he is big enough to handle. He is just to small on some of the guys he gets switched on to. 

I like Delon a lot as well. That is not to say he doesn't have much to learn offensively. But, he is playing offense better than I thought he would at the beginning of the year so the more time he gets the more improvement we can expect.

I always get the feeling that Maxi is our best defender against any kind of matchup. Even guards. Delon has quick hands but he lacks some lateral quickness. Maxis length and mobility make up for his lack of quickness.

I still think Maxi could play Small Forward.

[Jommybone]

SF? Heck, Maxi could play SG! And he defends 2-5 like nobody's business. DFS is nearly as effective defending 1-4. It's just amazing how much better those 2 guys are this season. Their improvement is almost as remarkable as Luka's. Add THJ to that group, and it’s a stark reminder of how early it is to be giving up on anybody. (Justin Jackson haters, I’m talking to you!)

[jesusshuttlesworth82]

Delon catches unjustified criticism on this board from some.  He’s been a nice addition.

What criticism?  I have not seen him criticized at all.  

He shows up on some nights and is a complete non factor on some nights like tonight.  That's why he is a career backup and his previous team didn't match $9 million a year.

[DanSchwartzgan]

Delon catches unjustified criticism on this board from some.  He’s been a nice addition.

What criticism?  I have not seen him criticized at all.  

He shows up on some nights and is a complete non factor on some nights like tonight.  That's why he is a career backup and his previous team didn't match $9 million a year.

Agree.  I suspect what TITY is meaning by criticism is that Wright gets included in some trade proposals.  I see three logical reasons for that:

1.  He shows up well in advanced stats.  That means he may have value to some teams.  You have to give value to get value.
2.  We have a surplus among non-starer level ball handlers
3.  He gave off some negative vibes about his role in an interview with The Athletic and his brother has expressed dissatisfaction on Twitter.

I guess a fourth reason may be that he has enough salary, when combined with Lee, to get you to some pretty high level salary matches.  As I've said before, he came here presuming to be a starter.  He was paid in a way that shows the team presumed he'd be a starter.  When neither side got what it wanted in a deal, you have to at least consider the possibility of a trade.  I personally like the way he and Maxi have been entering as the first guys off the bench.  Curry can play the same role, but he's starting right now.  If it costs one of those two to get that elusive defensive 3/4 or 4/3, and the person traded for is an upgrade on a talent basis (he would also be an upgrade from a fit standpoint), then one of those guys can certainly be part of the package.  Same for Brunson.  It is what people refer to when the discuss a more balanced roster.

I don't think that is a criticism of Wright (or Seth or Brunson).  It is an acknowledgement that we have a hole in the roster and we may have to use a rotation player, in a spot where we have excess, to fill that hole.