A lot of people are suggesting that brining in PDA means that we are poised to make a run at Iggy, and that a core of Iggy, Reke, and Demarcus could be the start of something really big. My question is whether Reke and Iggy could coexist, and if so, does it make sense to pair them?
Pros:
Perimeter defense. We would suddenly have two plus level perimeter defenders with good length and defensive instincts. An Iggy/Reke pairing on the wings would be welcomed by Malone's defense first approach, and would help cover (at least temporarily) for the lack of shot-blocking presence behind them.
To be determined:
Ball sharing. I actually think Iggy and Reke bring slightly different skill sets to the table, such that they could coexist offensively. Iggy is much more of a play-maker (sort of a point-forward) and Reke a slasher. The potential problem, however, is that they are both very ball dominant. I suppose it could work if you clearly define their roles on the court, and you also stagger their minutes so that they both get time when they are the only one on the court. That is something I would no have trusted Smart to do, but something I have faith Malone could work out.
Cons:
Shooting. I have long thought that the way to make Reke work at SG was to have one plus shooter and one exceptional shooter at the PG and SF positions in order to make up for Reke's lack of scoring from the outside. Iggy is certainly not a plus outside shooter. He is, at best, an equal outside shooter to Reke. That puts the onus on finding a PG who is a lights out shooter, but (as to the point above) is not ball dominant and can survive in a "stretch the floor, hit open threes role."
That PG is not currently on the roster. IT is too ball dominant to pair with Reke and Iggy. TD is too poor of a shooter, especially as the only outside shooter. Drafting Carter Williams adds an even worse shooter to the mix, and Burke seems like an IT clone in terms of ball dominance. Jimmer is an interesting thought, especially with Reke and Iggy cleaning up his defensive mistakes, and Iggy initiating the offense (Jimmer could basically be a 30 minute a game spot up shooter at the PG position), but I don't know if he is ready to provide the night in, night out consistency of that role. Plus, with DMC on the block, and Iggy and Reke scoring best in the paint, is one stretch shooter enough to space the floor (even if he is lights out)?
One other possibility is to start PPat, thus giving you stretch shooting at the 1 and 4 position. That certainly helps (and brings back memories of the Bonzi/Artest bump and thump days when the post play was provided by our wings and the floor stretching by our big man), but is not a long term solution (ideally the long term plan is to get a defensive big alongside Cousins).
So the real question - assuming a long term starting lineup of DMC, a defensive 4, Iggy, and Reke - is if you could ever get enough shooting in the lineup, even with a non-ball dominant, lights out shooting 1 on the roster?
Pros:
Perimeter defense. We would suddenly have two plus level perimeter defenders with good length and defensive instincts. An Iggy/Reke pairing on the wings would be welcomed by Malone's defense first approach, and would help cover (at least temporarily) for the lack of shot-blocking presence behind them.
To be determined:
Ball sharing. I actually think Iggy and Reke bring slightly different skill sets to the table, such that they could coexist offensively. Iggy is much more of a play-maker (sort of a point-forward) and Reke a slasher. The potential problem, however, is that they are both very ball dominant. I suppose it could work if you clearly define their roles on the court, and you also stagger their minutes so that they both get time when they are the only one on the court. That is something I would no have trusted Smart to do, but something I have faith Malone could work out.
Cons:
Shooting. I have long thought that the way to make Reke work at SG was to have one plus shooter and one exceptional shooter at the PG and SF positions in order to make up for Reke's lack of scoring from the outside. Iggy is certainly not a plus outside shooter. He is, at best, an equal outside shooter to Reke. That puts the onus on finding a PG who is a lights out shooter, but (as to the point above) is not ball dominant and can survive in a "stretch the floor, hit open threes role."
That PG is not currently on the roster. IT is too ball dominant to pair with Reke and Iggy. TD is too poor of a shooter, especially as the only outside shooter. Drafting Carter Williams adds an even worse shooter to the mix, and Burke seems like an IT clone in terms of ball dominance. Jimmer is an interesting thought, especially with Reke and Iggy cleaning up his defensive mistakes, and Iggy initiating the offense (Jimmer could basically be a 30 minute a game spot up shooter at the PG position), but I don't know if he is ready to provide the night in, night out consistency of that role. Plus, with DMC on the block, and Iggy and Reke scoring best in the paint, is one stretch shooter enough to space the floor (even if he is lights out)?
One other possibility is to start PPat, thus giving you stretch shooting at the 1 and 4 position. That certainly helps (and brings back memories of the Bonzi/Artest bump and thump days when the post play was provided by our wings and the floor stretching by our big man), but is not a long term solution (ideally the long term plan is to get a defensive big alongside Cousins).
So the real question - assuming a long term starting lineup of DMC, a defensive 4, Iggy, and Reke - is if you could ever get enough shooting in the lineup, even with a non-ball dominant, lights out shooting 1 on the roster?
