10-09-2021, 06:19 PM
(10-09-2021, 05:02 PM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: It is one thing to let our 6'7" beast of an all-NBA player handle creation duties by himself (this seeming emphasis on early offense may help some with his load). But asking Brunson to carry that same load (and see over double teams) is probably too much to ask. I'm with those who pine for another two-way starter, but I'm not sure we have the ammunition for that this season.
This is a good point about Luka's backup, and it's a truth we often blow right past.
In a way, we are wanting the Mavs to find someone to be "Luka" (or at least "almost-Luka") when Luka sits. And that's on us for stupidity in our expectations, not on the Mavs. How many Luka's exist? One. And if there was another, he certainly wouldn't be filling a need for a limited-minutes backup.
Brunson isn't doing that job of replacing Luka, but "well duh." It is inevitable that things are going to look different, and the results will not be the same, when Luka isn't on the floor. What it will take to do that is probably a mix of talents from multiple players, not one.