[Game] Preseason Kings @ Clippers, 10/6/21 7:30pm Pacific, 10:30pm Eastern (No Local TV)

Boston had his moments this game. Davis need minutes this year, I really like what he brings the table. Fox looks like he is on another level offensively, Beast. His defense still looks terrible. Mitchell is a game changer for this team, well done Tinker. This team will be fun to watch this year even if they don’t win as much as we want.
 
Boston had his moments this game. Davis need minutes this year, I really like what he brings the table. Fox looks like he is on another level offensively, Beast. His defense still looks terrible. Mitchell is a game changer for this team, well done Tinker. This team will be fun to watch this year even if they don’t win as much as we want.
So like when we first got white chocolate?
 
Yeah, really exciting stuff from the 3-headed monster. Beefy Fox looks damn near unstoppable (3of5 from 3, 6-6 from the FT line), and Hali looks incredibly comfortable running the half-court offense, especially in a few of those great PnR sets with Holmes. The plan is real clear: Fox/Hali/Mitchell 3-man rotation where 2 are on the floor most of the time, Buddy/TD your spacing snipers/scoring punch to put at the 3, Len and TT rotate behind Holmes depending on the match-up and you play the 5th spot on the floor by ear depending on match-ups, whether it be Bagley, Harkless, TD, Buddy.

And it looks like Walton is going to trust Mitchell out the gate to just guard the best perimeter player and maybe even some of the "skinnier" elite wings like PG on the last play of the first quarter (which he bricked off the back-board btw). I noticed he just straight up had him guarding him in a normal defensive set too. It's going to be damn hard to keep him off the floor in crunch time with his man defense comes into even more importance because of how much more ISO heavy that time of the game gets.
 
Barring injury, think Davion is going to be a top 3 rookie this year. He looks like a 5 year, two way vet already. Clips broadcast kept on saying Mitchell just has that IT factor.

Don’t think Giles will be in this league much longer. He needs to bulk up. But his knees can’t take the added weight. Catch 22.

Boston looks good for the Clippers. Jerry West can pick’m.

Bagley and Buddy looked very pedestrian. Buddy did his Buddy things and Bagley was on skates on the defensive perImeter. Don’t see much of a jump in either player’s game. Wouldn’t surprise me if both came off the bench this year.
 
Barring injury, think Davion is going to be a top 3 rookie this year. He looks like a 5 year, two way vet already. Clips broadcast kept on saying Mitchell just has that IT factor.

Don’t think Giles will be in this league much longer. He needs to bulk up. But his knees can’t take the added weight. Catch 22.

Boston looks good for the Clippers. Jerry West can pick’m.

Bagley and Buddy looked very pedestrian. Buddy did his Buddy things and Bagley was on skates on the defensive perImeter. Don’t see much of a jump in either player’s game. Wouldn’t surprise me if both came off the bench this year.
Well he was basically a 5th year senior last year so I hope his game does look more polished.
 
Bagley and Buddy looked very pedestrian. Buddy did his Buddy things and Bagley was on skates on the defensive perImeter. Don’t see much of a jump in either player’s game. Wouldn’t surprise me if both came off the bench this year.
I'm curious how Buddy and Bagley get used this year. At least so far, it seems highly likely at least one of the two will be coming off the bench. I feel like at this point they are over trying to force-feed Marvin to let him grow his game. If he doesn't produce on both ends, I think he gets a lot of 15 to 20 min nights. I agree, so far I'm not seeing much of a jump in his game at all, but time will tell.

Buddy is more curious. I think we all know what we will get out of him. Streaky, elite shooting. Assuming he's getting 25 to 30 min off the bench, but what happens if he plays great, the team is really gelling, and then there is a nice trade on the table. I suspect Monte still moves him regardless, but will be interesting at the trade deadline.
 
There is an old Axiom in Basketball about how to decide who to start. It is from the old coaching days, 1950s.
Start your best defender.
Start your best rebounder.
The First Corallary to the Axiom is don't start your poor defenders.
I think Hield and Bagley should both come off the bench.
 
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There is an old Axiom in Basketball about how to decide who to start. It is from the old coaching days, 1950s.
Start your best defender.
Start your best rebounder.
The First Corallary to the Axiom is don't start your poor defenders.
I think Hield and Bagley should both come off the bench.


“Yeh now well the thing about the old days, they the old days”.

board trivia of the day. Who knows who said it and on what TV show?
 
Well, sheeeeee-it: Off Night DID get him. Tough shot by a very good player in PG. But if Davion can force a 6'8" perennial all-star into shots like *that* with any regularity, it's ON. PG worked awfully hard to spin away from an almost-jumpball and into a fadeaway over the 7-footer playing help defense. We'll take that all game long.

I had no doubt that Davion's quicks, anticipation and "physicality" would transfer to the NBA. Only question was: would the refs let him play that style? Early answer seems to be: YES.

Sweet.
 
Bagley, Harkless & Len are my choices
Len is the only one providing any resistance at the rim and is getting guards open better than any other big out there. Thompson has been solid but his help defense leaves a little to be desired and he's mostly looking for his offense on pick and roll. The frontcourt is kind of the same mess it has been. A lot of bodies that all do different things but in a league where small ball rules and on a team even more guard glutted than before.
 
I'm curious how Buddy and Bagley get used this year. At least so far, it seems highly likely at least one of the two will be coming off the bench. I feel like at this point they are over trying to force-feed Marvin to let him grow his game. If he doesn't produce on both ends, I think he gets a lot of 15 to 20 min nights. I agree, so far I'm not seeing much of a jump in his game at all, but time will tell.

Buddy is more curious. I think we all know what we will get out of him. Streaky, elite shooting. Assuming he's getting 25 to 30 min off the bench, but what happens if he plays great, the team is really gelling, and then there is a nice trade on the table. I suspect Monte still moves him regardless, but will be interesting at the trade deadline.
The only bad thing about Buddy being used like that is his contract starts trending the other way value wise. If this kind of looks sticky early on Monte better be on top of it the way Vlade would have. Once things trend too negative it will be harder to get out. If the Kings are winning like a top 5 team then it could all be moot though.
 
Well, sheeeeee-it: Off Night DID get him. Tough shot by a very good player in PG. But if Davion can force a 6'8" perennial all-star into shots like *that* with any regularity, it's ON. PG worked awfully hard to spin away from an almost-jumpball and into a fadeaway over the 7-footer playing help defense. We'll take that all game long.

I had no doubt that Davion's quicks, anticipation and "physicality" would transfer to the NBA. Only question was: would the refs let him play that style? Early answer seems to be: YES.

Sweet.
Yeah, that's a win for Davion and the Kings defense. Good chance you win the game if you're forcing PG into shots like that. Great player just made a super tough shot.
 
Who y’all think is getting squeezed.

Bagley and TD? Harkless? TT instead of Bagley? Len?
I think Harkless is going to be in the rotation simply by virtue of being a warm body in the small-ball combo F player archetype that he is. Walton has an affinity for guys like that and we have a dearth of those type of forwards.

So if you've got the big minute getters for Fox/Barnes at 35 per, Holmes/Haliburton/Mitchell at around 30 per, and Buddy at around 25-30 per, that leaves about 50 minutes for 5 guys.

I imagine one of Thompson and Len will be squeezed with the other taking full backup C minutes, and my moneys on Len.

So I think Harkless and Thompson are 7th and 8th man, leaving Davis and Bagley as 9th/10th man (even if Bagley may start). But who knows how tight a rotation Walton is going to run. Those two guys may be battling for spot minutes.
 
Len is the only one providing any resistance at the rim and is getting guards open better than any other big out there. Thompson has been solid but his help defense leaves a little to be desired and he's mostly looking for his offense on pick and roll. The frontcourt is kind of the same mess it has been. A lot of bodies that all do different things but in a league where small ball rules and on a team even more guard glutted than before.
I haven't been able to watch either preseason game, but based on what I've seen of both Len and Thompson in recent years, no question in my mind that Len is the choice behind Richaun (the requirements of very particular matchups aside). He brings the toughness and rebounding that TT brings, plus the rim protection he doesn't (AND just maybe a credible 3-ball too).
 
The only bad thing about Buddy being used like that is his contract starts trending the other way value wise. If this kind of looks sticky early on Monte better be on top of it the way Vlade would have. Once things trend too negative it will be harder to get out. If the Kings are winning like a top 5 team then it could all be moot though.
Yeah it's interesting. Buddy/Barnes/Bagley are the three guys left that we don't really know Monte's long-term stance on. Basically all the Vlade left-overs are gone: Mitchell/Hali/Harkless/Len/TT/TD and then Metu/King/Queeta/Ramsey are all his guys he brought in over the past year. Fox got the big extension early. Holmes got the big extension. Walton is presumably safe for one more year, but seems like he's tying himself to Walton as well.

So it's just the other 3 Vlade left-overs that we're a bit in the dark on. Barnes, by virtue of his position and actually being good, is more than likely a long-term piece.
 
The only bad thing about Buddy being used like that is his contract starts trending the other way value wise. If this kind of looks sticky early on Monte better be on top of it the way Vlade would have. Once things trend too negative it will be harder to get out. If the Kings are winning like a top 5 team then it could all be moot though.
The Buddy contract hasn't been good since he signed it. Basically regressed each season since then. And at this point, think he's more valuable in his spacer role on a bloated contract than what you likely get in return for him.