GAME 13 DIRKIE: Winner KP (67%) | Runner-up THJ (24%)

[fifteenth]

He's such an underrated player, imo, but I don't get why. It's not like his impact is hidden and only discoverable through stats. You can SEE (basically constantly) that he sets the tone of hustle and physicality, goes hardest for 50/50 balls, etc, even when he's not shooting well (which I admit is a drag, sometimes). 

2-3 straight years now of him starting the season in a shooting slump. I can't explain that, but I feel confident he'll be back around 40% when the dust clears. He's already showing signs of getting back into rhythm. This is just how his seasons start, for whatever reason.

Maybe people just like stats. Glue guys are needed. A glue guy that shoots like DFS ought to be coveted. Also, lots of folks like 1 big lineups, and even loved the small ball lineup. DFS is a big part of why we can play those lineups. Reggie can do some of what DFS does, and might even do it better from the small forward spot. But Reggie can't do what DFS does against bigger players. 

I've seen several folks speculate that we don't need DFS anymore because we have Reggie. Crazy talk. We pine for long, defensive minded wings who can shoot for years. We get two. And we want to get rid of one. AND we want to get rid of the one that is the heart and soul of the team.