Start Keyonte George

[Thee Jazz Fan]

If we are tanking then yes. If we want the playoffs then I would hold off for more data.
Should have been playing kessler and ochai from day one last year and traded conley prior to the season

Nah. The way things are we will be perfectly fine for the tank. Ultimately JC and THT will prove to be one of the worst guard lines in the league. THT needs to stick his *** on the bench, Sexton and Ochai need to be starting with JC and Key coming off the bench to replace them. Ultimately… Ochai is our best wing defender and a knock down shooter spotting up and Sexton is a far superior player starting than coming off the bench.

Personally I’m fine stealing our top 8 protected pick back, so by all means let’s keep starting JC and THT.

I’m so confused that Coach Hardy actually thinks JC and THT are the best bet to win games.

 

[Bawse Dawg]

Yes please

 

[Ron Mexico]

I think it’s kind of the opposite. As a starter he can take a backseat to JC, Lauri and attack when he has advantages or space the floor. Defensively more is required but offensively he should be able to let stuff come to him working off our best players.

Hmm, I can see that in some ways. Expectations are definitely higher on a starter though. I also prefer him to earn it over time. Which could happen quickly and that would be great but I dont want to just throw him in because he is a rookie with potential.

 

[Ron Mexico]

he played 14 minutes in the second half. so that's a 28 minute per game pace, which is more than two starters last night and 3 and 4 minutes less than the other starters. but the bottom line is, while it does usually require more, it doesn't have to - as HH pointed out above it might even be easier for him to play within himself. he could start and play 14 minute halves and play just like he did last night.

Maybe I am seeing the stats wrong but basketball reference says 11 minutes in the second. If he played 14 in the second that means he played 5 in the first? that doesnt seem right to me.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Hmm, I can see that in some ways. Expectations are definitely higher on a starter though. I also prefer him to earn it over time. Which could happen quickly and that would be great but I dont want to just throw him in because he is a rookie with potential.

Agree on earning minutes and I do think last night he moved that narrative forward a little. Was solid and made the right plays... I am in no rush. I was really impressed with his poise though. Was calm all the way throughout.

I do have a feeling with this roster we are going to feel the loss of Mike a lot stronger than we did end of season last year. The schedule is really tough to open up and getting off to a 2-8 start or something like that will be a nightmare to try and come back from. It would be our luck to tank the year after the big prospects at the top got drafted.

 

[Ron Mexico]

Agree on earning minutes and I do think last night he moved that narrative forward a little. Was solid and made the right plays... I am in no rush. I was really impressed with his poise though. Was calm all the way throughout.

I fully agree with that. I think he will be the starter at some point in the next 25 games or so. If its sooner I hope its because you cant keep him off the court with his play. I would rather see THT try to bully the other teams bench a bit unless he can really step up. I think all the minutes will be wonky though due to a tough start but more due to not knowing the roles for each player at all.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

I fully agree with that. I think he will be the starter at some point in the next 25 games or so. If its sooner I hope its because you cant keep him off the court with his play. I would rather see THT try to bully the other teams bench a bit unless he can really step up. I think all the minutes will be wonky though due to a tough start but more due to not knowing the roles for each player at all.

And we may end up having an injury or two and this stuff all smooths out a bit. Last night was kinda my worst fears realized... so much dribbling and very little playmaking. Lauri not getting it in his spots, spacing was a mess, no feel or coherence to the offense. So much dribbling to nowhere and "my turn" going on. Key seemed to be one of the few playing the right way and playing with purpose... so very encouraging. Honestly more encouraging than if he had just had a hot shooting night and put up 20.

 

[KqWIN]

Watching last nights game, I just couldn't help but notice how hard it was to play with the other guards. They have no ability to shoot off the dribble. There's no drive and kick and when the defense doesn't respect the off the bounce jumper. Even JC is leaning towards mashing the ball into the paint and shooting tough floaters. We need as many guys who can shoot off the dribble as possible, and Keyonte is one of the rare guys that might be able to. Even if he doesn't do it well, it stretches out the defense.

Having said that, there's no doubt that defense was our biggest issue last night, and I'm not sure Keyonte or any rookie PG is going to do us favors.

 

[SoberasHotRod]

The two considerations are how that will effect the team this year and how this will effect Keyonte or the team long term.

I'm down on this year and don't really care if him starting effects the team this year. I don't think we have enough data to know either way.

I'm a believer in not giving young players more than they can handle, so I would be a proponent of starting Keyonte as soon as he seems ready for it. He is definitely our most promising prospect as a long term solution to our point guard position.

 

[KqWIN]

The two considerations are how that will effect the team this year and how this will effect Keyonte or the team long term.

I'm down on this year and don't really care if him starting effects the team this year. I don't think we have enough data to know either way.

I'm a believer in not giving young players more than they can handle, so I would be a proponent of starting Keyonte as soon as he seems ready for it. He is definitely our most promising prospect as a long term solution to our point guard position.

Honestly, it might be easier for Keyonte if he's playing with the starters, especially on offense. I'm not sure playing in the 4 guard lineup with Dunn + Sexton/THT is the easiest task. I think it's unfair to compare Keyonte to Don, but if you remember Don's rookie year he kinda stunk it up when coming off the bench. He only started being good once he was with the starters, and I think playing alongside better players is what helped enable that.

 

[SoberasHotRod]

Honestly, it might be easier for Keyonte if he's playing with the starters, especially on offense. I'm not sure playing in the 4 guard lineup with Dunn + Sexton/THT is the easiest task. I think it's unfair to compare Keyonte to Don, but if you remember Don's rookie year he kinda stunk it up when coming off the bench. He only started being good once he was with the starters, and I think playing alongside better players is what helped enable that.

I definitely think that's a consideration. If he is playing in the starting lineup he is the 3rd or 4th option on offense. If he's coached right he will be looking to get the ball to Lauri and JC as his first option when he touches the ball, which could really expand his game moving forward.

On the other hand he could get obliterated by starting caliber offensive players and defenders and wreck his confidence.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

I definitely think that's a consideration. If he is playing in the starting lineup he is the 3rd or 4th option on offense. If he's coached right he will be looking to get the ball to Lauri and JC as his first option when he touches the ball, which could really expand his game moving forward.

On the other hand he could get obliterated by starting caliber offensive players and defenders and wreck his confidence.

I also think there is something to what Hardy was saying with the pairings stuff. THT/Dunn/Sexton is likely going to be rough from a shooting perspective.

We probably need to consolidate... but injuries could happen so... I give this janky *** setup like 10 games before I consider bigger changes but its off to a rough start.