Trade & FA 2023-24: Stein-Ingram Trade Inevitable| LAL Want Lebron Back On Any Terms

[michaeltex]

Your question about the overlap involved with Luka and Kyrie is an interesting one. There are times when I wonder if Luka will even be a PG for his entire NBA career. He’ll always be great with the ball in his hands, both scoring and passing, but he has been wearing down a bit at the end of seasons, recently, especially last year. He also seems incapable of doing anything but walking the ball up the court every time. The way he uses pace in his 1-on-1 play is second to none, but he doesn’t seem to get how advantageous it would be for the pace of the TEAM’s play to be unpredictable. Or, he has to conserve so much energy that he CAN’T play any other way.

Now, we’re hearing that he’s trying to get back in bubble shape. That’s encouraging, I think, if he’s going to be the main PG. But, if weight continues to be a problem as he ages (relatively, it’s not like he’s Zion) I wonder if it doesn’t ultimately make sense to have another guy be the PG who brings the ball up, assesses the scene, looking for a way to press or a mismatch somewhere before setting Luka up to go to work. In other words, make him a forward on BOTH ends, albeit an exceptionally great playmaking forward.

Also, the Mavs have slowly but surely been turning into the Harden Rockets, a team on which 4-6 players are asked to play defense and then make shots when Luka creates them. Great on paper, but that’s a difficult rhythm for players to thrive in, and the best teams always seem to understand that when everyone touches the ball, good things happen.

Kyrie understands all of that. I don’t know how well they’ll fit, but one training camp will be enough. We should know by Christmas if it’s a promising fit, I think. What I’ll be looking for is something more synergetic than “my turn, your turn” where both of them are engaged when they’re off-ball, rather than resting. It’s obviously Luka’s team, but if I’m being honest I have a little more faith in Kyrie’s understanding of how to do that off-ball thing right now.

This is kind of what was running through my head when asking the question. Does it continue with taking turns on offense? Kyrie isn't really big enough, IMO, to play anything but PG, which he has shown is a great position for his skill set. 

So where does this leave Luka when they are both on court? Does Luka move to the SF position and play a Larry Bird role of being able to attack without worrying about the energy required to advance the ball? Can Kidd design a movement offense that creates off-ball mis-matches that take advantage of Luka and Kyrie's abilities? Does Luka accept not being the superhero any more? Does Kyrie?

At least it's something to think about during the summer doldrums and another "Excessive Heat Warning" day in TX.