01-08-2021, 11:38 PM
(01-08-2021, 06:34 PM)F Gump Wrote: I don't understand why the conversation skips KP + WCS.
Your observation is that "Powell > Maxi" when paired with KP. He's apparently a better fit, due to the way the skills align.
Powell's decline in ability due to injury has made "WCS > Powell" at doing what Powell does. The difference in results is significant - plus minus differential is stunning.
So it feels like KP + WCS would be the best KP lineup of all of them, and perhaps by quite a lot.
It is more than just “better fit” as it relates to Powell. We have some history of Powell playing alongside a still rusty KP and the pairing was incredibly effective. If one believes Powell will never get back to some semblance of normal, then they wouldn’t have Powell in the rotation at all. I just don’t believe that. He’s way ahead of schedule.
To your bigger point, they absolutely will play KP and WCS together some. It happened in most of the games where KP and WCS both played last season. It was a total of 16 minutes over six games. It was basically an overlap that averaged about 3 minutes as one of them subbed in and played with the other before the other subbed out. SUPER SMALL SAMPLE SIZE ALERT. The D-Rating for those 16 minutes was 129 with a massively negative net rating. It would be ridiculous to try to use that sample size to prove anything. But, I look at the current success of WCS + Maxi, the historical success of Maxi and Powell and KP and Powell and I have to think the least likely pairing as a starting unit is KP and WCS. I’m not opposed to trying it. I’m writing more about what I think they will do.