3 hours ago
(5 hours ago)F Gump Wrote: Yeah, I'm still not buying the "newcomers get priority" assumption that says PJ will be fated to the back of the line for minutes (or sent packing). That's what you are basically wanting us to assume, even if you won't put it in those words.
Injuries will inevitably make way more minutes available than we expect, so EVERYONE should get plenty of opportunity, but I don't think PJ's body of work will be dismissed because he has been the starter here already. More likely the opposite. That's how the NBA tends to work.
I tend to think PJ will end up playing a TON of minutes because he is a superb defensive player with some O as well, and MM say that's what they want the most. Not sure any of the others are anywhere near the defender he is. I think that will matter way more than it may look on paper - good legit 2-way players are very hard to find.
Yes they were able to add some interesting new pieces - but it can't be ignored that other teams were willing to let them go and the price was incredibly low on all of them. There's probably a significant "why" that will become quite apparent for each when the games begin. No one is guaranteed anything just because they came in a trade. Other than Morez, none of the newcomers owns much of a Mavs commitment, which puts the Mavs in the position of being able to treat them as a tryout of sorts and see what happens. (See Wood C. for a notable similar example.)
I think it’s quite easy:
PJ - as almost every player that has been here in the Luka years - has to prove himself again in two regards, that are connected:
Can he perform next to Cooper Flagg, like he could with Luka - not in the same style, but adding similar value?
Can he perform in Dusty May‘s system, ideally on offense and on defense, like he could under Jason Kidd in the Luka years?
If that turns out to be a „no“, he’s gone - at the latest after the season, maybe at the trade deadline.