12-04-2024, 08:48 PM
(12-04-2024, 04:49 PM)F Gump Wrote: It's observations like this ^ that confuse the understanding of Kidd's preferences, because it omits a key part of the context.
In that game, Lively was injured and did not play. Neither did Naji. Nor Klay. So the lineup was a scramble as others had to fill in those C and SF minutes.
For that reason, Kidd used Kleber as a backup at C and SF as well as PF. Without wading through pbp, probably ...
Gafford 27 Powell 15 Maxi 6
PJW 37 Maxi 11
Grimes 36 Maxi 10 OMax 3
Oh yeah I know. Lively being out was definitely a part of it. I just was just observing that Kidd stayed with Maxi even longer than expected if I’m remembering it right. Gafford wasn’t in foul trouble. It was something I noticed at the time but was watching the game on delay so didn’t post.
It seems like Kidd’s preference is to always have one big. But he played a ton of small ball with Maxi next to PJ in the playoffs and in their run up. It reminded me of that— him prioritising defensively versatility above all else to close games. I think Lively being even more up to speed defensively may change that equation sooner than later. The wild card being Lively’s free throw shooting. The other variable is now you can play Lively as the one “non-shooter” with DJJ replaced at the end of games with Naji/Grimes/Klay. But 5 Out WITH rim protection remains the platonic ideal.