(04-26-2021, 04:36 PM)StepBackJay Wrote: Where we saw DP get torched was at the start of the season when Rick thought it was a good idea to start DP at the 5 next to DFS for now discernible reason.
That's part of why he sucked so hard. RC's big man rotations certainly were an ugly mess for much of the early season. But the Mavs were shorthanded too, which forced a lot of the ugliness.
But don't forget, DP truly sucked when he played. RC showed a lot of faith in him, or expectation of something good, and it was just awful. Let's not pretend that what we saw vs LA has been there all along, because it wasn't.
In fact, DP was so bad he was buried pretty deep under the bench until WCS was out and the availability of KP and Maxi became intermittent. RC pretty much had no choice but to play him. And typically, his contribution in that context has been mostly (or only) energy.
I think DP has become a good energy guy. But I'm still wary because of what we have seen before -- can we saw Saturday be repeated, since there's no more Drummond on the schedule?
OTOH I have thought all year that playing 5-out -- with KP and Maxi being paired -- was a mistake, even though Maxi has performed at a much higher level. But neither of those guys are true rim-runners, and that's been badly needed. I think it would be better going forward if we see a rim-runner (DP or WCS) on the floor next to a stretch big. What would be ideal would be KP trying to do what DP does (because he certainly could), but that doesn't seem to be how he sees himself.