If the Rockets offense is defined by threes and layups, it's made possible by Hardin and a rim rolling center who sets screens, finishes lobs, grabs offensive rebounds and has zero career three point attempts.
I think people forget how critical this role is in the modern NBA. Good roll men don't clog the lane. In fact they have gravity of their own. They open up space for guys like Doncic and Hardin to score.
Five out is great and a lot of teams finish games that way; but most of the game is being played with a lob threat on the floor. Capela plays 33+ MIN per night. He's number 2 in both offensive and total rebounds.
This role is obviously critical in Dallas as well. Although Powell is a top-flight finisher, he is undersized and can get pushed around. And unfortunately, since moving to the starting lineup, we've seen bigger, more physical players limit his effectiveness; and both his usage and scoring efficiency is down over last season.
The recent Lakers game sealed the deal for me. Vogel said the key to their win was they simply stayed home on shooters and played 2 v 2 in the paint. i.e. they locked down shooters, sealed Doncic's drives and Powell couldn't finish over the Lakers length. On the other end Lakers bigs dominated as they shot 19 of 25 for 49 points.
If the Mavs are going to compete with the best teams in the West they need to add some size next to Porzingis. If teams want to play 2 v 2 in the lane, the Mavs need a big, physical roll man next to Doncic who can finish and force teams to tag or get punished with relentless dunks. This will lead to more open shooters in the playoffs.
That's brings us to Drummond. A confounding player who has never led a winning team. If he would only limit his game to screen & roll, rebounding and defense. i.e. if he would only play like Capela, it would be a no brainer to add him.
Can Drummond play like Capela? Yes. In fact, I think he could be better than Capela at doing "Capela-things". And there are certain things Drummond does well that Capela doesn't do well at all. But will Drummond give consistent effort? Will he cut out the multi dribble post ups and ball stopping? Will he change his game to fit the Mavs system? Who knows.
Maybe he ought to ask his buddy KP if winning is worth changing the way he plays.
I think people forget how critical this role is in the modern NBA. Good roll men don't clog the lane. In fact they have gravity of their own. They open up space for guys like Doncic and Hardin to score.
Five out is great and a lot of teams finish games that way; but most of the game is being played with a lob threat on the floor. Capela plays 33+ MIN per night. He's number 2 in both offensive and total rebounds.
This role is obviously critical in Dallas as well. Although Powell is a top-flight finisher, he is undersized and can get pushed around. And unfortunately, since moving to the starting lineup, we've seen bigger, more physical players limit his effectiveness; and both his usage and scoring efficiency is down over last season.
The recent Lakers game sealed the deal for me. Vogel said the key to their win was they simply stayed home on shooters and played 2 v 2 in the paint. i.e. they locked down shooters, sealed Doncic's drives and Powell couldn't finish over the Lakers length. On the other end Lakers bigs dominated as they shot 19 of 25 for 49 points.
If the Mavs are going to compete with the best teams in the West they need to add some size next to Porzingis. If teams want to play 2 v 2 in the lane, the Mavs need a big, physical roll man next to Doncic who can finish and force teams to tag or get punished with relentless dunks. This will lead to more open shooters in the playoffs.
That's brings us to Drummond. A confounding player who has never led a winning team. If he would only limit his game to screen & roll, rebounding and defense. i.e. if he would only play like Capela, it would be a no brainer to add him.
Can Drummond play like Capela? Yes. In fact, I think he could be better than Capela at doing "Capela-things". And there are certain things Drummond does well that Capela doesn't do well at all. But will Drummond give consistent effort? Will he cut out the multi dribble post ups and ball stopping? Will he change his game to fit the Mavs system? Who knows.
Maybe he ought to ask his buddy KP if winning is worth changing the way he plays.