Pritchard Extended

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

It was right above

So looking at this not-very-closely and agreeing that it's not my money so what does it matter . . . .

The repeater tax looks to be an additional dollar for every dollar of salary in each bucket. The Cs are going to be way over the repeater line in 2027-28. Just by way of example, his salary on an 8% increasing extension will be $8.3M. If the Cs had done the opposite: 8% decreasing extension, his salary in 2027-28 would be $6.7M, so structuring the salary as decreasing would increase the current year's salary tax but save approximately $1.6M of repeater tax in 2027-28. Which is not a lot compared to what BOS is going to pay but it's probably akin to Mike Gorman's old salary.

But as I said upthread, this is likely an intellectual exercise that only amuses me so don't want to belabor the point.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

I will stick to the hoops side of this deal. This kid needs to play. He plays his ass off and can falt out win a game with his shooting. If he can just hold his own on D. I love how sound his game is. He makes great decision when he drives, and has developed an in between game. Porzingis and Holiday will do much more with his soft penetration passes than Smart and Rob. The Cletics have also amassed a group of athletic defenders Brissett, Stevens, Walsh, (I expect one will pan out) that are good cheap change of pace guys from the undersized shooter.

I will make a bold prediction that is PP survives to the the playoffs there will be a "Pritchard Game" where he goes off and wins it for the Cs.

Also a sneakily great rebounder. He’s got the sense of where the ball is coming off the rim and seems like he is constantly pulling down offensive boards out of nowhere over bigger guys simply with good awareness and timing. Easy player to root for and there’s really no reason he shouldn’t get a ton of minutes this year and even into the playoffs.

Miami has made its way to the finals with some really putrid defenders in their rotation. We can certainly survive some PP minutes.

 

[Koufax]

Rebounding-wise, he's a tiny, earthbound Dennis Rodman. He's got the same anticipation regarding where the ball is going.

 

[reggiecleveland]

In the NBA most rebounds around the rim are not contested (which is why triple doubles in today's nba impress me not at all) but the long rebounds that even bounce sometimes are the difference makers.

 

[AlNipper49]

The 2nd payment for the engagement ring was due.

Happy for PP

She’s definitely one person blessed enough to stop traffic when she walks by. In terms of winning in all aspects of life he’s up there with Paul Skenes for winning 2023.

 

[bankshot1]

In the NBA most rebounds around the rim are not contested (which is why triple doubles in today's nba impress me not at all) but the long rebounds that even bounce sometimes are the difference makers.

Yup. Its a observation/point I've made more than once. The 3 point shot has basically emptied the paint of rebounders, so contested boardsand swinging elbows is largely coincidental/accidental.
Rebounding today and in the 60s-80s is apples and Spaldings.

PP does have a nose for the ball though

 

[TripleOT]

It looks like PP has regained his confidence. It is preseason, but he is letting it fly when open, at 42% from three after three games on high volume. He is also in attack mode all the time, which is important considering his physical limitations. PP made some paint finishes that he rarely displayed in the past. He obviously won’t be as much of a focus when the Jays are playing heavy minutes, but can still keep the same attack mentality even with lower usage. He looks to be more stout when switched against bigs defensively, which is what he needs to be if he’s going to be the second unit PG. With the length and defensive chops in this rotation, PP is the obvious target of offenses.

Mazzulla wants to push the ball and attack all the time. With the weapons on this team, that’s the way to go. It should be a lot easier for the Jays to score this season.

 

[ElsyDuffy]

For me, he is a goat.

 

[kazuneko]

So, last night might have been PP’s worst game as a Celtic. Truly abominable performance against one of the league’s worst teams.
Overall, he had zero points in 25 minutes with 4 turnovers but it was his 9+ minutes in the 4th quarter - against the bottom of the Wizards bench- when he was truly putrid. For the quarter, he was -12 on 0/5 shooting with zero points/assists and 3 turnovers. He looked like the worst player on the court, and it was a court full of fringe NBA players. Not sure when we should be worried, but if one game was going to make you worry this would be the type of performance you’d be looking for..

 

[bosockboy]

PP and Hauser have 3 months to prove they are capable of hitting 3’s consistently or they’ll be upgraded.

 

[Over Guapo Grande]

Even with that 'putrid' quarter, he ended up with 7 rebounds and 6 assists for the game.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

So, last night might have been PP’s worst game as a Celtic. Truly abominable performance against one of the league’s worst teams.
Overall, he had zero points in 25 minutes with 4 turnovers but it was his 9+ minutes in the 4th quarter - against the bottom of the Wizards bench- when he was truly putrid. For the quarter, he was -12 on 0/5 shooting with zero points/assists and 3 turnovers. He looked like the worst player on the court, and it was a court full of fringe NBA players. Not sure when we should be worried, but if one game was going to make you worry this would be the type of performance you’d be looking for..

It was one game, and more specifically one quarter, playing with a massive lead with and against deep bench players.

In the first three quarters, Pritchard missed his three shots (all threes), but he had 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and a steal in ~16 minutes (+10). Not by any means terrible, though you would like him to hit a three on occasion.

He had a rough 4th, in garbage time, but everyone on the floor with him did as well. I'm not sure why we should ignore his entire career (including the first 3 quarters of last night's game) and judge him on a bad garbage time quarter.

 

[InstaFace]

yeah he looks a lot different when he's playing with 3-4 starters who can cover for him a bit on D and draw attention to open up his shot. He has value on the floor, particularly his hands, he's a decent passer and initiator. Asking him to be the #1 offensive weapon on the floor (or #2 behind Hauser) isn't going to go nearly as well, even against not-great defending.

I think "worst game as a Celtic" needs to be in-context. Like, in the 2022 NBA Finals Game 5, he went 0-for-3 from the field (all from 3) with a turnover and 1 rebound in 5 minutes. The next game (Game 6, the clincher) he was out there for 8 minutes and took a -20 in a game we lost by 13. Last season ECF Game 1 vs Miami he was out there for 12 minutes, went 0 for 2 (both 3s) with 1 assist. In our loss at Milwaukee last February, he was a team-low -17 in 14 minutes (in a game we lost by 6) while shooting 1-for-4 from deep, with 2 fouls and a steal, and to my recollection getting flayed alive on D by the Bucks' size. Last night he was a -2 in 25 minutes with a -3.1 BkRef game score (which is rough, but not cover-your-eyes awful, and wasn't close to a career low).

Whatever the opposite of Winston Wolf's dictum is, let's go with that. Maybe "let's not start punching ourselves in the dick just yet".

 

[bellowthecat]

PP and Hauser are not an ideal combination. Both have pretty good gravity on the perimeter, but neither is a threat to score inside against anything but the most scrambled defense. When they're out there together defenses lock in on them above the arc, selling out for turnovers. It's not such a big deal when they're playing with 3 starters, but when they're playing with other bench guys (even Al since his game has become all catch and shoot 3s) their limitations are much more obvious.

Thought PP looked his best when ths came in during the first quarter while Hauser remained on the bench. I think both of these guys are good enough to have certain roles here, but they do not complement each other well on the floor.

 

[chilidawg]

Thought PP looked his best when ths came in during the first quarter while Hauser remained on the bench. I think both of these guys are good enough to have certain roles here, but they do not complement each other well on the floor.

But if they are the 7/8 guys they're going to have to play together at least some of the time. I've got some faith that Hauser will come around but I just don't see it with PP.

 

[InstaFace]

Per 36 minutes, career-to-date, Pritchard shoots 8.0 3PA (making 40%), 4.8 2PA (making 48%) and 1.0 FTA (making 90%). He's certainly primarily out there to shoot 3s, but his agility and hands lets him be first to a lot of loose balls or run around guys and get layups every so often. 4.7 rebounds per 36 (4.0 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.7 turnovers) also are decent contributions out there. So, "is not a threat from the interior" is true when compared to his teammates, but not on an absolute basis - if you give him an opportunity he will drive inside, especially in transition.

By comparison, for his career, the similarly diminutive Isaiah Thomas shot 6.7 3PA per 36 minutes (making 36%), 10.2 2PA (48%), and 6.2 FTA (87%). We all know he had many more moves underneath and more deceptive quickness than Pritchard. But it's not like his height makes him unable to score at the rim. Pritchard's shot distance distribution says the same thing to me, though I'm not a pro at reading those.

If we're going to complain about Pritchard, let's use sample sizes and complain that his 3P% went from 41% in each of his first 2 years to 36% last year (in 60% of the minutes, and fewer per-game). That should be a number, to my understanding, that goes up with NBA experience or stabilizes, not goes down from "great" to "mediocre". He went 56-for-154 last year, so that's 7 3-pointers fewer than you'd expect him to hit - perhaps still within the realm of ordinary variance. But it bears watching. Dude definitely needs some mean reversion.

 

[Devizier]

I thought @TripleOT nailed it when he mentioned that teams are staying home when Pritchard drives. He doesnt move defenses around at all.

 

[reggiecleveland]

I thought @TripleOT nailed it when he mentioned that teams are staying home when Pritchard drives. He doesnt move defenses around at all.

Hey I said that too . It is a product of his size. You do not have to help. PP makes it worse by taking an extra dribble or two which gets him into worse spots for a small guy.

 

[Imbricus]

Pritchard has had a pretty rough start. I think he has suffered as the loose defenses of the preseason tightened up around the basket; he can get inside, but only under optimal conditions, because of his size/athleticism limitations. His intensity level seems to have dropped a notch from the preseason as well. He may be in a bit of a funk.

But I think he's a guy who can pop out of it with a good shooting game. He's getting some rebounds, some assists. He's not going to shoot 10% from three all season. I think he's got to play aggressive all the time though, with a chip on his shoulder, if he wants a regular role (even as a backup) on a pretty stacked team.

 

[lovegtm]

Pritchard has had a pretty rough start. I think he has suffered as the loose defenses of the preseason tightened up around the basket; he can get inside, but only under optimal conditions, because of his size/athleticism limitations. His intensity level seems to have dropped a notch from the preseason as well. He may be in a bit of a funk.

But I think he's a guy who can pop out of it with a good shooting game. He's getting some rebounds, some assists. He's not going to shoot 10% from three all season. I think he's got to play aggressive all the time though, with a chip on his shoulder, if he wants a regular role (even as a backup) on a pretty stacked team.

He's playing more often with 3 starters now, and they've done a poor job looking for him, Tatum especially.

The starters have also just been creating good offense themselves, because PP/Hauser have done a good job of keeping the floor spaced.

My sort of hot take is that he's done an ok job as part of the team concept, and there haven't been any non-garbagetime lineups where the offense has really bogged down.

If starters do miss significant time, I do think Svi would have a chance to jump PP and Hauser in the rotation, since he's the only bench guy who can really create.

 

[Imbricus]

He's playing more often with 3 starters now, and they've done a poor job looking for him, Tatum especially.

The starters have also just been creating good offense themselves, because PP/Hauser have done a good job of keeping the floor spaced.

My sort of hot take is that he's done an ok job as part of the team concept, and there haven't been any non-garbagetime lineups where the offense has really bogged down.

If starters do miss significant time, I do think Svi would have a chance to jump PP and Hauser in the rotation, since he's the only bench guy who can really create.

Some good points here, especially on Svi and the lack of shot creators on the second unit. This is actually one reason I like Queta over Kornet -- not that Queta is a shot creator exactly, but he does have a lot of size, a few post moves, and can be the lob threat near the basket that a small guard like Pritchard could use as an outlet on a drive inside.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

It's amazing how quickly people forget that Pritchard, when he's has opportunities, has been a reasonably effective role player. He was the 8th man off the bench, playing 309 playoff minutes, on a team that came two wins away from a championship - and he was up and down and exposed at times but was overall reasonably effective in the role.

He's had a rough shooting start but has otherwise been OK except in garbage time where he really did suck.

On this team, he''ll be fine, and as long as White and Holiday are healthy Mazzulla can keep him out of the worst matchups.

 

[lovegtm]

It's amazing how quickly people forget that Pritchard, when he's has opportunities, has been a reasonably effective role player. He was the 8th man off the bench, playing 309 playoff minutes, on a team that came two wins away from a championship - and he was up and down and exposed at times but was overall reasonably effective in the role.

He's had a rough shooting start but has otherwise been OK except in garbage time where he really did suck.

On this team, he''ll be fine, and as long as White and Holiday are healthy Mazzulla can keep him out of the worst matchups.

Yup. I think he has something to prove in the playoffs, but he did play real minutes to get them to the Finals in 2022.

Honestly, would it be better if he were a Jordan Clarkson type? I don't think so. This team is just so loaded with creators that PP makes sense.

And, once again, the eye test of his minutes is good. The floor is staying very spaced, points are getting scored, and the D is holding up.

 

[Devizier]

Hey I said that too . It is a product of his size. You do not have to help. PP makes it worse by taking an extra dribble or two which gets him into worse spots for a small guy.

Sorry, it was you! Attribution error on my part.

Without being able to use dribble penetration as a weapon, Pritchard is pretty limited as the initiator. He needs to be able to generate uncontested shots somehow.

 

[reggiecleveland]

Sorry, it was you! Attribution error on my part.

Without being able to use dribble penetration as a weapon, Pritchard is pretty limited as the initiator. He needs to be able to generate uncontested shots somehow.

Maybe. Or maybe he just have to get the ball up the court, run a set and hit wide open shots. I expect Joe will figure out which of the starters can carry the load, draw double teams while PP is in there. The chess match is that he plays when the other team has a weaker offensive guard in the game, so maybe Jaylen can play with PP, forcing the other team to play a defender to cover him that PP can guard. I love Tatum in the low block. He is almost Shaq unstoppable out there, so a guy who drills 3s, even if that's all he can do is valuable. Also he can just start making better decisions. Currently (three games, I know) he has tried to do too much. This happens even to stars. Pritchard it very good at the single most important skill so there should be a way to make it work on O. I mean we are two months away from the annual "Lebron whines about not having enough shooters on his team" which is up there with YED among my favorite holidays.

 

[lovegtm]

Maybe. Or maybe he just have to get the ball up the court, run a set and hit wide open shots. I expect Joe will figure out which of the starters can carry the load, draw double teams while PP is in there. The chess match is that he plays when the other team has a weaker offensive guard in the game, so maybe Jaylen can play with PP, forcing the other team to play a defender to cover him that PP can guard. I love Tatum in the low block. He is almost Shaq unstoppable out there, so a guy who drills 3s, even if that's all he can do is valuable. Also he can just start making better decisions. Currently (three games, I know) he has tried to do too much. This happens even to stars. Pritchard it very good at the single most important skill so there should be a way to make it work on O. I mean we are two months away from the annual "Lebron whines about not having enough shooters on his team" which is up there with YED among my favorite holidays.

Great post. If you go to the link below and click the top result for "Fadeaway Jump Shot", you'll see Tatum get the ball on the block, with PP and Hauser on the 3-point line. If Tatum just takes a hard dribble to the middle, and PP slides closer to the corner, it's a wide-open 3. Instead, Tatum takes an awful fadeaway with a hand in his face.

As well as Tatum has played, there's a lot of stuff like this in his film the past couple games. It's partly his decision-making, but it's also some chemistry missing, where PP and Hauser need to proactively relocate as the plays develop. I'm relatively optimistic that they can work this out as the season goes on.

https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CF=ACTION_TYPE*E*fade&CFID=&CFPARAMS=&ContextMeasure=FGA&EndPeriod=0&EndRange=28800&GameID=0022300103&PlayerID=1628369&RangeType=0&Season=2023-24&SeasonType=Regular Season&StartPeriod=0&StartRange=0&TeamID=1610612738&flag=3&sct=plot&section=game

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

-

Great post. If you go to the link below and click the top result for "Fadeaway Jump Shot", you'll see Tatum get the ball on the block, with PP and Hauser on the 3-point line. If Tatum just takes a hard dribble to the middle, and PP slides closer to the corner, it's a wide-open 3. Instead, Tatum takes an awful fadeaway with a hand in his face.

As well as Tatum has played, there's a lot of stuff like this in his film the past couple games. It's partly his decision-making, but it's also some chemistry missing, where PP and Hauser need to proactively relocate as the plays develop. I'm relatively optimistic that they can work this out as the season goes on.

https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CF=ACTION_TYPE*E*fade&CFID=&CFPARAMS=&ContextMeasure=FGA&EndPeriod=0&EndRange=28800&GameID=0022300103&PlayerID=1628369&RangeType=0&Season=2023-24&SeasonType=Regular Season&StartPeriod=0&StartRange=0&TeamID=1610612738&flag=3&sct=plot&section=game

Hauser just did exactly that a buried thebtheee on the assist from Tatum. It was beautiful.

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

-

Great post. If you go to the link below and click the top result for "Fadeaway Jump Shot", you'll see Tatum get the ball on the block, with PP and Hauser on the 3-point line. If Tatum just takes a hard dribble to the middle, and PP slides closer to the corner, it's a wide-open 3. Instead, Tatum takes an awful fadeaway with a hand in his face.

As well as Tatum has played, there's a lot of stuff like this in his film the past couple games. It's partly his decision-making, but it's also some chemistry missing, where PP and Hauser need to proactively relocate as the plays develop. I'm relatively optimistic that they can work this out as the season goes on.

https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CF=ACTION_TYPE*E*fade&CFID=&CFPARAMS=&ContextMeasure=FGA&EndPeriod=0&EndRange=28800&GameID=0022300103&PlayerID=1628369&RangeType=0&Season=2023-24&SeasonType=Regular Season&StartPeriod=0&StartRange=0&TeamID=1610612738&flag=3&sct=plot&section=game

Hauser just did exactly that and buried the three on the assist from Tatum. It was beautiful.

 

[Imbricus]

Pritchard looking for redemption last night (against Indiana): +32, 9 assists, 0 turnovers, 6 for 10 (2 for 3 from three). Hauser also had a nice game (5 of 6 from long range), so reports of the bench's demise may be exaggerated.

With Pritchard, one thing I noticed: he was definitely more aggressive, pushing the ball underneath, instead of just weakly probing the defense on the perimeter, then backing off. I wonder if one of the coaches may have spoken to him?

 

[lovegtm]

Pritchard looking for redemption last night (against Indiana): +32, 9 assists, 0 turnovers, 6 for 10 (2 for 3 from three). Hauser also had a nice game (5 of 6 from long range), so reports of the bench's demise may be exaggerated.

With Pritchard, one thing I noticed: he was definitely more aggressive, pushing the ball underneath, instead of just weakly probing the defense on the perimeter, then backing off. I wonder if one of the coaches may have spoken to him?

The whole "bench problems" narrative was ridiculous to start with, imo. Hauser and Pritchard missed a few extra 3s in the early games, but the offense and defense stayed humming when they were on the floor, which is all you want from your 7-8th men.

PP has a lot of room to improve, and it did look like he and the coaches are working on probing more aggressively.

He'll have a lot of minutes to work on that stuff, at this rate.

 

[lars10]

The whole "bench problems" narrative was ridiculous to start with, imo. Hauser and Pritchard missed a few extra 3s in the early games, but the offense and defense stayed humming when they were on the floor, which is all you want from your 7-8th men.

PP has a lot of room to improve, and it did look like he and the coaches are working on probing more aggressively.

He'll have a lot of minutes to work on that stuff, at this rate.

I mean.. I agree with your overall point but the game before last the bench couldn’t score at all against the wizards.. they missed a ton of shots. They also had a 30+ lead .. but the offense wasn’t humming.

 

[Koufax]

With Pritchard, one thing I noticed: he was definitely more aggressive, pushing the ball underneath, instead of just weakly probing the defense on the perimeter, then backing off. I wonder if one of the coaches may have spoken to him?

Pritchard has always probed in that way, but with poor results. Last year, he was often close to the basket, swarmed over by bigger guys and unable to find anyone to pass to. He just was not a good playmaker. Maybe this year will be different. I hope so.

 

[benhogan]

I mean.. I agree with your overall point but the game before last the bench couldn’t score at all against the wizards.. they missed a ton of shots. They also had a 30+ lead .. but the offense wasn’t humming.

As long as the offense stays "humming" when PP/Hauser play with Tatum/White/Horford is all that's important.
Payton and Sam help spread the floor for White/Tatum to attack opposing team bench players. Four games in but that group has been effective.

The Celtic's offense/defense is pretty irrelevant when PP/Hauser/Banton/Luke/Brissett play together since that means it's "garbage time". Nobody likes what happened to the deep bench in Washington, especially them. They refocused and took it out on the Pacers.

How your #7-10 FIT with the Celtics TOP6 is the best way to measure their effectiveness

Luke is the biggest bench problem. CJM barely played him last night since he was trying Brissett/Stevens out at the 5

 

[Devizier]

Nobody likes what happened to the deep bench in Washington, especially them. They refocused and took it out on the Pacers.

One thing I liked about last nights game is that the bench came out pushing the ball in transition. That’s where a lot of Pritchard’s opportunities came and is a big reason why they could get open looks and extend the lead. It’s good to have available even in a playoff context because it allows the Celtics to do to other teams what the Warriors did to them in the finals two years ago.

 

[lars10]

As long as the offense stays "humming" when PP/Hauser play with Tatum/White/Horford is all that's important.
Payton and Sam help spread the floor for White/Tatum to attack opposing team bench players. Four games in but that group has been effective.

The Celtic's offense/defense is pretty irrelevant when PP/Hauser/Banton/Luke/Brissett play together since that means it's "garbage time". Nobody likes what happened to the deep bench in Washington, especially them. They refocused and took it out on the Pacers.

How your #7-10 FIT with the Celtics TOP6 is the best way to measure their effectiveness

Luke is the biggest bench problem. CJM barely played him last night since he was trying Brissett/Stevens out at the 5

To be clear.. I don't think the bench is going to be a problem and I agree with the points you're making.

 

[tbrown_01923]

Pritchard has always probed in that way, but with poor results. Last year, he was often close to the basket, swarmed over by bigger guys and unable to find anyone to pass to. He just was not a good playmaker. Maybe this year will be different. I hope so.

Last year he would pick the ball up in the paint, which lead to a lot of the difficult positions (and bad outcomes). If he could probe agressively and keep the ball alive, I think he can be more successful. But I keep coming back to him needing to be SOME scoring threat as he probes, either with a floater or a quick pullup catching the defense by surpirse.

 

[lars10]

One thing I liked about last nights game is that the bench came out pushing the ball in transition. That’s where a lot of Pritchard’s opportunities came and is a big reason why they could get open looks and extend the lead. It’s good to have available even in a playoff context because it allows the Celtics to do to other teams what the Warriors did to them in the finals two years ago.

I wonder how much it will happen though.. Joe's rotations in the playoffs have been pretty heavy on playing the starters pretty heavy minutes.. deviating from his regular season rotations by a lot.. at least that's how it seemed to me... I know the bench gets shorter in the playoffs, but I felt like one of Joe's blindspots was how much he relied on the top six, not using the bench hardly at all.

 

[lovegtm]

I wonder how much it will happen though.. Joe's rotations in the playoffs have been pretty heavy on playing the starters pretty heavy minutes.. deviating from his regular season rotations by a lot.. at least that's how it seemed to me... I know the bench gets shorter in the playoffs, but I felt like one of Joe's blindspots was how much he relied on the top six, not using the bench hardly at all.

If you're healthy, and you have a good top 6, basically every coach would go to "top 6 + spot minutes for 7-8" in the playoffs.

38-40 minutes for your stars, 33-37 for the other guys, and there just aren't many minutes left after that.

Denver did exactly this in crusing to a title.

 

[lars10]

If you're healthy, and you have a good top 6, basically every coach would go to "top 6 + spot minutes for 7-8" in the playoffs.

38-40 minutes for your stars, 33-37 for the other guys, and there just aren't many minutes left after that.

Denver did exactly this in crusing to a title.

Yeah.. I was trying to respond/think about the idea in the post I quoted of using Pritchard to push the pace like Golden State did.. My recollection is that Joe last year didn't really use Hauser or Pritchard hardly at all in the playoffs..except for bringing in Pritchard in some weird spots... I haven't looked at the actual minutes though.

 

[chilidawg]

Yeah.. I was trying to respond/think about the idea in the post I quoted of using Pritchard to push the pace like Golden State did.. My recollection is that Joe last year didn't really use Hauser or Pritchard hardly at all in the playoffs..except for bringing in Pritchard in some weird spots... I haven't looked at the actual minutes though.

Last year there were 3 guys ahead of PP, this year just 2. That'll make a big difference.

 

[lars10]

Last year there were 3 guys ahead of PP, this year just 2. That'll make a big difference.

True

 

[benhogan]

To be clear.. I don't think the bench is going to be a problem and I agree with the points you're making.

Cool. The Tatum/White + bench mob units have been my favorite to watch for a while. +/- darlings.

If we get Brown/Jrue/KP + Al/Hauser extending leads at the end of Q1/Q3 we'll see more blowouts.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

The whole "bench problems" narrative was ridiculous to start with, imo. Hauser and Pritchard missed a few extra 3s in the early games, but the offense and defense stayed humming when they were on the floor, which is all you want from your 7-8th men.

PP has a lot of room to improve, and it did look like he and the coaches are working on probing more aggressively.

He'll have a lot of minutes to work on that stuff, at this rate.

An example that i mentioned in Silver Dollar about numbers lying. 4Q offense in a 50-pt has little value in and of itself. There is a small chance that the confidence gained could assist to some degree however the same skill level and limitations that existed yesterday remain today. As I've repeated numerous times it isn't the regular season I'm concerned about as both players should be able to perform reasonably well in that role maybe slightly below league avg....but it is for the playoffs where they should and likely will be upgraded.

 

[lovegtm]

An example that i mentioned in Silver Dollar about numbers lying. 4Q offense in a 50-pt has little value in and of itself. There is a small chance that the confidence gained could assist to some degree however the same skill level and limitations that existed yesterday remain today.

The team looks completely fine whenever Hauser and PP are out there with starters. I'm not really basing this on numbers or the meaningless 4Q garbagetime performance.

If people want to talk about that, it looks better, but all that matters really is fit with the top guys.

 

[Ed Hillel]

The team looks completely fine whenever Hauser and PP are out there with starters. I'm not really basing this on numbers or the meaningless 4Q garbagetime performance.

If people want to talk about that, it looks better, but all that matters really is fit with the top guys.

I guess the question is: When the playoffs roll around, are you comfortable with Pritchard and Hauser coming off your bench to get an important 15-20 minutes per game? I'm not at the point where I'm excited about that, though honestly Hauser's D has been good enough to the point where I might be getting there with him.

I still think you give up assets to shore up the bench with another player or two. This team right here is the sell out team. This is it. Especially with the Spurs on the path to ascension in the next 3-4 years to a potential superteam.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

An example that i mentioned in Silver Dollar about numbers lying. 4Q offense in a 50-pt has little value in and of itself. There is a small chance that the confidence gained could assist to some degree however the same skill level and limitations that existed yesterday remain today. As I've repeated numerous times it isn't the regular season I'm concerned about as both players should be able to perform reasonably well in that role maybe slightly below league avg....but it is for the playoffs where they should and likely will be upgraded.

It has value in the sense that, 2 days earlier, the same bench guys played another 4th quarter and were terrible.

But, 4th quarter aside, the bench was good in this one. In the first half, the non-Horford bench played 27 minutes and scored 9 points (3-6 from the field, 1-2 from 3), 3 rebounds, 2 steals, no turnovers. All were plus. It's not Malcolm Brogdon but they did not disrupt the starters.

 

[lovegtm]

I guess the question is: When the playoffs roll around, are you comfortable with Pritchard and Hauser coming off your bench to get an important 15-20 minutes per game? I'm not at the point where I'm excited about that, though honestly Hauser's D has been good enough to the point where I might be getting there with him.

I still think you give up assets to shore up the bench with another player or two. This team right here is the sell out team. This is it. Especially with the Spurs on the path to ascension in the next 3-4 years to a potential superteam.

I have no problem with Hauser getting 15-20 minutes in the playoffs, and it would be very, very hard to upgrade him if you look at the salary slots available. PP I'm less sure on, but probably fine for 5-10 mins, which would be enough.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

It has value in the sense that, 2 days earlier, the same bench guys played another 4th quarter and were terrible.

But, 4th quarter aside, the bench was good in this one. In the first half, the non-Horford bench played 27 minutes and scored 9 points (3-6 from the field, 1-2 from 3), 3 rebounds, 2 steals, no turnovers. All were plus. It's not Malcolm Brogdon but they did not disrupt the starters.

I should be clear and say that it has little predictive value....especially on our playoff expectations of them.

 

[chilidawg]

Of no predictive value, but pretty fun:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgR1zND000c

 

[Saints Rest]

An example that i mentioned in Silver Dollar about numbers lying. 4Q offense in a 50-pt has little value in and of itself. There is a small chance that the confidence gained could assist to some degree however the same skill level and limitations that existed yesterday remain today. As I've repeated numerous times it isn't the regular season I'm concerned about as both players should be able to perform reasonably well in that role maybe slightly below league avg....but it is for the playoffs where they should and likely will be upgraded.

I don't think PP and Hauser need to be uprraded necessarily. I think what they need is a wing who puts more emphasis on the D side of 3&D, as well as a big who can bang. The 7-10 spots in the playoffs will be really 1-2 players who need to be matchup dependent. Some days they will need a guy who can rain 3s (Hauser or PP); sometimes a guy who can help shut down a wing scorer; sometimes a big who can bang Embiid or Giannis. Grant Williams could often fill a couple of these roles; the bench guys now really are one -trick ponies.