Who cares about contending this year? Seriously? I'm PRETTY sure this thread is about how many points Ant is going to score this year.
Cronin likes maxing out the payroll. Brings Jody more profit in end of season TV revenue sharing program. If Jrue gets traded, it's important for the Vulcan cash overlords to keep Ant & Grant and bring in more salary. Trading Simons to get some picks and reduce payroll is unnecessary in a post Holiday trade. Simons contract is very reasonable, not a cap killer. Of course, there's always a chance the phone rings with a package for Anfernee that Cronin can't refuse.
To be fair, Ant was averaging about 6apg when Dame was out. It all comes down to style of play, if we played in a Spurs-esque brand of basketball, Ant will get that many just within the flow of the offense. Many of Ant’s assists may be coming off a Scoot or DA hockey assist. I agree on him getting to the line. The progression in FTA is slow than we would like, but Ant has taken the ball to the basket more than I’ve ever seen before. I was watching his last season’s highlights last night, his finishes are seriously impressive and against very notable defenders. Scoring comes so easy to him, way easier than CJ ever made it look. Yeah, less-er 3 point variance would be great. Jacking up a 3 after holding the ball for 6+ seconds is ridiculous. But Ant is so good at actually making those that using him differently will drastically improve his percentages. For instance, with Dame gone, I imagine Ant will get a lot of 3’s coming off a screen with DA. Playing with DA and Scoot might also give him more catch and shoot opportunities.
Soon, there will be guards that are making more than Ant who clearly aren’t as good. Suggs is someone I love as a prospect. One great season might get him to command a max rookie extension, but imo he is no where the player Ant is at this point. Quickley, for some reason I’ve read online, wants somewhere from $20-30m, and I have no idea on Earth why he thought he was good enough to command that. He’s already outperforming a bunch of guys who have gotten paid recently. RJ, Herro, Poole, all on bloated contracts. Ant’s deal is also going to prove to be more valuable than Lavine’s as well imo.
I think Ant puts up 26pts, 6 asts, 3 rebs on ~60% TS. He's gonna be one of the best offensive guards in the conference and worthy of all star consideration. I did a deeper dive a few years ago, but his biggest limitation on offense has been his inability to get to the line. If he improves that even slightly (from 2.9 FTA to 4.9 FTA, so effectively one more shooting foul drawn per game), with the volume of threes he shoots, he's gonna be a very close facsimile to Dame on that end. But our record is gonna suck and his defense is gonna be awful, so he won't get the nod in a loaded WC.
Would the Nets give up the 3 unprotected Suns 1sts for him at that point? If the Blazers are in the mix for the 7-8 seed or sitting in that position a couple weeks before ASB, he will get votes right?
Yeah the only real reason to move Ant is if Shae and Scoot prove to be the better backcourt without him. Otherwise, I see little need to do so. Let’s just see how this all works out, but I’m optimistic about our future.
The only possible person who can stand in the way of Shae......is Shae. He will get plenty of minutes at the 2/3
