I don't know how well all those guys mesh together, but it's pretty obvious the blueprint they're going for, and that length is a lot more appealing to me than 6'3"-6'5" small forwards, which is what Portland seems to be stuck on.
Here’s the problem…. I don’t see an alpha dog on that team. I don’t see a superstar. All the length in the world is fine, but you need a guy who is THE guy. That’s what we were missing on that 99-00 blazers team. You put Dame on that team and we win one or two rings.
Overall I would agree that Siakam and FVV are secondary stars. Trades aside the Raps are banking on Barnes, who talks incessantly about wanting to be the best player on Earth.
Yes. He has the tools to be a physically dominant triple-threat point-foward like Antetokounmpo and Siakam. Similarly he needs to improve his jump shot just enough so that teams can't sag-off him. Years two and three he'll be hovering around 20ppg; the end of his rookie contract above 20ppg and his second contract All-Star years. One can hope!
Honest question: While KD is undoubtedly talented, is he a true Alpha? OKC seemed to be more Westbrook’s team. Warriors were Curry’s team. The Nets were just a mess and I saw no evidence of KD taking a lead. Alpha or just a really good beta?
The only person who thought OKC was Westbrook's team was Westbrook. That was really the whole problem.
Curry might have still been the face of the team, but he took a back seat to Durant as the primary offensive weapon. That's a big part of Curry's greatness, being able to play either role equally well. Green might be the more important question mark, as he's the one directing the offense more often than not.
Length is nice. Are these guys good at hitting threes? I'm not familiar enough with their games to know. But I suspect none are as good as Dame or Ant. The modern game is about long wings and three point shooting. You can't look at one in a vacuum.
It can be fine if he is just a 20ppg guy. But he needs to embrace the big moments. Similar to a Mr big shot coach some team has...
If the Raps get him and manage to keep FVV or Siakam he can basically do his own thing in the same way quiet Kawhi did; go out and be the best player on the court while the long term veterans on the team act as the heart and soul. Presumably this would be the same scenario in Phoenix with Paul or in Miami with Butler. The only team that needs him to be driving is the Nets!