That historic offense is super important to our success... So Rudy, Donovan, and Mike are non-negotiable... they need to be on the floor. With the main lineup are you replacing Royce with a better defender or Bojan? Those are two critical floor spacers.
So then do you swap out JC or Joe for the wing defender to share some minutes with Rudy? Both guys have a critical role on offense in some units so the defender needs to be able to replicate some of that role.
Its just such a tough proposition. To swap out Joe or JC, plus some distant draft asset and find a defensive upgrade that won't murder the offense. And please do so while decreasing salary if possible. We are trying to find the most desirable type of player that all nba teams are looking for.
The Jazz look quite different defensively when Royce is replaced by a bigger wing. Royce is tough and plays hard, but he's not big or long enough to disrupt big wings, and he's not quick enough to guard talented scoring guards. If the Jazz are going to be small in the backcourt, I'm not sure they can afford to be small on the wing as well. I like Royce, but there are certain matchups he's vulnerable to.
I'm not saying trade Royce, but I'd want another option for certain matchups. That's why Rudy Gay was brought in, but Gay is looking pretty old right now. Honestly, the Jazz's problem is that Ingles and Gay are both pretty old. I really can't picture Ingles guarding Paul George like he did in the OKC series a few years ago.
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