10-07-2021, 07:39 AM
It is hard to "know" anything being it is pre-season and two starters were missing...
But, the biggest takeaway from last night for me was that Luka and KP were on the floor together almost the entire time they played. If it holds, that's a fairly big departure from years past. The pattern last night was a big and a wing are replaced by a big and a wing (WCS and S. Brown enter the game and join Luka/KP and THJ). Then moments later Maxi and Brunson enter for KP/Luka (reinforcing the idea that Maxi is the backup four behind KP). Interestingly, THJ is the last starter on the floor and gets some time with the bench guys before he was subbed out for Bullock.
It is hard to draw conclusions about how the starters get reworked into the game. I suspect they got some extra time in the late first and second quarter last night since the plan was for them to sit the second half. A normal rotation where Luka/KP play and sit together would be about 8 minutes on, 8 off and 8 on. The key then is how do you survive the 8 minutes off. One way is to leave THJ on with Brunson and 3 other bench guys for two-three minutes past where Luka and KP sub out. Another is to bring Luka back a hair earlier than KP. Now you are down to 3-4 minutes where Brunson, Brown, Bullock, Maxi and WCS have to hold down the fort without any help from the starters. Boban could play a role here since the WCS for Powell sub comes fairly early. It could actually be Boban/Maxi/Bullock/S. Brown and Brunson for a few before Luka returns for S. Brown (getting a few minutes with Brunson) and then the other starters filter back to finish the quarter.
We didn't have DFS, so we really didn't get to see whether we'd spend any time with a single big (since DFS is kind of key to that lineup). Something to watch for once we have everyone available.
One thing that was a holdover from the Carlisle years was players 11/12 on the depth chart jumped to starter status rather than someone from the 6-10 spots. It keeps the rotation in tact rather than disrupting both the starters and the bench when someone is out. It also gives this particular bench mob more time to work together. I have no doubt we will win the Luka-On minutes. The question for me has always been how do you win the Luka-Off minutes (especially if KP is also off at the same time).
But, the biggest takeaway from last night for me was that Luka and KP were on the floor together almost the entire time they played. If it holds, that's a fairly big departure from years past. The pattern last night was a big and a wing are replaced by a big and a wing (WCS and S. Brown enter the game and join Luka/KP and THJ). Then moments later Maxi and Brunson enter for KP/Luka (reinforcing the idea that Maxi is the backup four behind KP). Interestingly, THJ is the last starter on the floor and gets some time with the bench guys before he was subbed out for Bullock.
It is hard to draw conclusions about how the starters get reworked into the game. I suspect they got some extra time in the late first and second quarter last night since the plan was for them to sit the second half. A normal rotation where Luka/KP play and sit together would be about 8 minutes on, 8 off and 8 on. The key then is how do you survive the 8 minutes off. One way is to leave THJ on with Brunson and 3 other bench guys for two-three minutes past where Luka and KP sub out. Another is to bring Luka back a hair earlier than KP. Now you are down to 3-4 minutes where Brunson, Brown, Bullock, Maxi and WCS have to hold down the fort without any help from the starters. Boban could play a role here since the WCS for Powell sub comes fairly early. It could actually be Boban/Maxi/Bullock/S. Brown and Brunson for a few before Luka returns for S. Brown (getting a few minutes with Brunson) and then the other starters filter back to finish the quarter.
We didn't have DFS, so we really didn't get to see whether we'd spend any time with a single big (since DFS is kind of key to that lineup). Something to watch for once we have everyone available.
One thing that was a holdover from the Carlisle years was players 11/12 on the depth chart jumped to starter status rather than someone from the 6-10 spots. It keeps the rotation in tact rather than disrupting both the starters and the bench when someone is out. It also gives this particular bench mob more time to work together. I have no doubt we will win the Luka-On minutes. The question for me has always been how do you win the Luka-Off minutes (especially if KP is also off at the same time).
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