For sure, but I dont think you want your best player having to become the primary wing defender when that's not his primary defensive position. It's something he can do, but I wouldnt make him start games doing that.
Unfair bump!
So where do you play him? And don't say spacing the floor or in the corner. That's what he wants to get away from.
We move our guys around running motion and read and react so much, that I dont see us having a set or a zone system. Kessler is less flexible, so what I mainly see in Collins is somewhat similar flexibility like Lauri has. Both are 3 level scorers that can get to the rim in a hurry but also punish from the 3. They both create space, and both benefit from space created by the other.
happy face!!!
It was also Gay's first night from injury and he played OK. I think Hardy is going to continue to spread minutes around, sit some of the back end guys some nights, play them others, etc.
It's freaking awesome is what it is. The kid is solid already and the potential to pick up the scoring he had in college is tantalizing. In 4-6 years he will be a force, solid starter, maybe more. Loved having him start. I would start him over Vando personally, give us a 3 7-footer line-up, 4-out offense, with rim protection. That's tough.
Gay plays his best when making season debuts or coming back from injury... then its all downhill from there.
So you are saying we should play him for 3 games, kick him out for 4-6 games with an "injury" then play him 3 games again, timing it so he is "returning from injury" right when we need him to have a big game in the playoffs. I can get behind that.
He's also very poised and just calm. I still think there is a limit on his ceiling/upside but love what I've seen so far. If he was a better version of Poeltl that would be amazing. He seems to be about all the right things.
There probably is a limit on his upside, but really who knows? Who would have EVER imagined Lopez as a front-runner for DPOY? Kessler has shown an ability to get shots off quickly and accurately at the rim, with some little layups and small hook shots. And in college he was taking 3's, not many but he has good form. Once he gets comfortable I could see him adding a mid-range wrinkle to his game. Could surprise all of us. Hell he has surprised us so far. We'll see. Either way, it is fun to watch right now.
I totally saw the Poetl comps before the season started, but I dont really see them anymore. Has he even attempted a baby hook all season?
Yeah but Gobert always looked clunky with those short shots and layups, even put-backs that weren't dunks looked awkward and stiff. Kessler is way more fluid than Rudy in that regard. I see that as a good sign, he feels more comfortable with the ball in his hands under the basket.
Well yeah, you trade all time length for something that is more fluid, but I still think Gobert had underrated fluidity on his layups and rim rolls. Gobert had some super awkward moments and I feel like those standout in people's minds more than all the stuff he did really well with the ball.
I wasn't slighting Gobert, I want him back on this team and would sacrifice Kessler in a heartbeat if we could do that. I was just noting that as a rookie Kessler is already smoother with the ball on offense than Gobert is now after 9 years in the NBA. That is just a fact.
While I dont think KO is the answer between Lauri and Kessler, I do like the idea that if Lauri develops his defense and aggressiveness while Kessler develops his scoring and physicality, we might end up having two solid 7" bigs who can defend, block, average double figures in boards and score around or even well above the 20 point mark.
