Right? Imagine if they had used actual pictures of these guys!
(I’ll see myself out)
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Max contracts result in the top end guys getting underpaid (Morant) and the middle class guys getting overpaid (Poole). It’s the #1 reason why the NBA is so Star dependent
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You think Morant and Zion care. They can’t wait for their next new contract which will only be mo money.
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You don’t think they’d take a 60 million dollar contract right now?
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Absolutely which would be their next contract.
I think most of us who saw the videos of a gentle and soft-spoken Poole playing with kittens when he was still 18, or in one of Japan’s pet salons recently–with his wonderful outfits or quirky style–or heard Anderson Verajao testify that he was a “character kid” recently–probably have a different take on the young man than those who invented him–based on a few of his dad’s complaints that he wasn’t seeing the ball enough–as some kind of smart-a**ed kid, befitting stereotypes that–honestly–thoughtful people don’t really want to toss around idly. (Having been the dad in that scenario, I can say that it’s possible that both he and the coach had legitimate positions.)
Or those of us who watched the videos of him killing it at six a.m. in the gym during the summer before he came to A2. Extremely dedicated, above even the crazy dedication it takes anyone at that level.
I would challenge the people invested in those takes to point to the evidence. I think it may just be a lot of other message boarders murmuring similar stuff. For a time, IIRC, it rose to a pretty crazy level, so even some people of more moderate disposition may have assumed there must be something to the rumors.
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Thought I’d do a quick recap of where our guys are, and what the upcoming season appears to hold…
(Editor’s note: Trey Burke, Nik Stauskas, Ignas Brazdeikis - none of whom are on an NBA roster, are for now off of this recap. Zavier Simpson has an NBA contract, but currently no roster spot, he remains off as well)
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Isaiah Livers likely had his theoretical starting slot for the Pistons taken away with the late-offseason trade for Bojan Bogdanovic. That said, Livers is likely the guy on the roster mostly likely to play the wing slot Bey doesn’t who looks to be on the roster by season’s end (call me nuts, but I’d be surprised if Bojan is on the roster come season’s end). In the meantime, if he can remain healthy (he’s a scratch for the opener), he’ll get regular playing time unless he shows he doesn’t warrant it. League folks seem sold on his jumper, it’s his defense, especially in a switching scheme, he’ll need to establish.
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Franz Wagner is now likely the top NBA Wolverine, after a very promising rookie year and then something of a breakout at the European Championships. His role will likely be unchanged, as a strong defender and possession finisher. Franz has regularly flashed play-making chops, but with Banchero and a nominal point guard likely on the floor, the ceiling on that part of his game is likely “secondary”. His chemistry with Banchero will be key going forward - he’s likely not an on-ball player, so while he showed he probably deserves more usage, getting him that is going to be the test.
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Everyone knows and has discussed Jordan Poole enough. I’ll just note that this year, he’s probably the desginated heat off the bench, a high scoring 6thman, which, given the nature of the award, probably makes him the leader in the clubhouse as the sixth man of the year.
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Moritz Wagner re-established most of his offensive value with a quiet bounce-back season last year, but it’s increasingly unclear where his minutes are going to come from. He’s generally been at a 70/30 split between the 5 and 4 respectively over his career, and last year was no exception. He’s probably behind Carter and Bamba at the 5, and Banchero/Chuma Okeke at the 4. Obviously injuries happen (speaking of which, Jonathan Isaac is on this roster, despite being injured long enough that he hasn’t played a game since the bubble), but my assumption is that he starts the year outside of the rotation.
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The early news is that Caris Levert will start the season as the Cavs’ starting 3…I’m interested to see how that will work (I’ve long thought his best role is as the top reserve guard), but they’re giving it a shot, especially now that Donovan Mitchell is probably going to be the second unit engine. What this means is that he’s in a war with Isaac Okoro (his polar opposite) for that spot, and who gets time will be the one who delivers what the team feels they’re lacking, in terms of offense or defense. What that means, though, is that Levert is going to need to up his offensive efficiency from where its been (52% true shooting on his career) - because there isn’t much purpose in playing the floor-spacer/scorer who doesn’t do those things that well.
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Tim Hardaway Jr. looks to have a bounceback season after something of a star-crossed year last year that saw him start slowly, then miss the lion’s share of the season to injury. Tim is going to start, with Dinwiddie coming off the bench, but Spencer figures to likely get more minutes over the course of the season. The Mavericks want to play large parts of the game 5-out, with either Maxi Kleber or Christian Wood manning the 5 (Javale McGee starts, and he’s nobody’s idea of a 5-out center, but more than half the game will probably come with that look). To work into a closing lineup, he’ll need to show his combination of shooting/scoring and defense outdoes that of Dorian Finney-Smith (doubtful, DFS’s on/offs are extremely compelling for years now) or Reggie Bullock (possible!).
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Duncan Robinson?
Duncan, Houstan, Diabate, anyone else?
Ahhhh he didn’t show up on Michigan in basketball reference for some reason, always forget about him.
Here’s your Moussa/Houstan: Not projected in the rotation, lots of G League.
Will get Duncan later, he’s interesting!
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OK
Duncan Robinson will almost certainly not finish the year with the heat - Max Strus supplanted him, and even if Robinson bounces back to the shoot numbers he flashed in the past, Strus delivers maybe 80% of the shooting with two to three times the defense, and some ability to score beyond catch and shoot shots. However - Robinson, as we all know, is carrying a pretty big pricetag, and not one the Heat can afford on a player that won’t help them deep in the playoffs - which is their aspiration. What this means is that they’re going to play him - and play him a decent amount - and hope his shooting more like the two years prior than it was last year.
It’s also instructive to note why, precisely, he’s fallen out of Miami’s plans, and it’s not the answer generally given. The narrative is that his shooting fell off - and in aggregate that’s true. But from January 1st on, he shot 40% from the beyond the arc. He fell out of their plans, simply, because he can’t play high level playoff defense, and when a superior defender is shooting 40% from 3 as well…well that’s an easy call. In other words - he didn’t play himself out of a role in any meaningful way, Strus played his way into one.
As far as where he can land, that’s anyone’s guess. Probably not a team that is aspiring to the conference finals, but in the realm of reality, that’s probably like 6 teams. There are a slew of teams (Bulls! Please!) that would still want his services.
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Thanks for this…fantastic update. DJ Wilson also recently got cut…FYI. Curious to see where his career goes next.
I thought Stauskas might snag an end of bench spot since he did get a little run last year. But those spots are hard to come by. Same for Chaundee Brown…any news there?
How have Diabate and Houstan looked preseason…either closer to a role than the GL?
The other name I sometimes look for in box scores is Isaiah Todd…very curious where his career goes.
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1st quarter run for Houstan tonight.
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First player off the bench!
Lol ok! Everything I read was skeptical!
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Well you have your Houstan update. He was feast or famine, 3 horrible shooting games, 2 lights out.
Moussa got good reviews, but that team is so deep, it’s hard to see him playing.
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box score looks bad for Houstan as does the eye test. That said its only 1 game and the Magic obviously like what they have since he played so much
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Genuinely speechless at 22 mins for Houstan. Last year I adopted the Magic as my second team, so I’m cool with it I guess??? 
But that box score is woooof
That was as not a good surrounding cast for Houstan with them basically having 0 guards