I know this could be a few weeks away but I'm already looking forward to how Pop could or should handle minutes, roles etc with these 3. If Simmons continues to impress and Anderson struggles this could really make things interesting.
Lee and Dedmond have both shown excellent play in spurts and don't give me any reason for playing Anderson at the 4 off the bench..
Simmons constantly puts a defense on its heels with his attacking mindset and gets to the line..while Manu is pretty much the PG setting up the PNR. IMO Anderson could be the odd man out when it's all said and done. But it is a good problem to have I guess but it's something to keep an eye on.
Thoughts?
Green is the starter.
Kyle and Simmons minutes are based off who the Spurs play much like last year. Green being out forces Kyle to start and for Simmons to play off the bench no matter what. It forces Pop to have to play Manu more minutes. Green starting, it gives Pop options to tinker with the rotations. Nothing more, nothing less.
Only way Kyle keeps his spot is it we are undefeated when Danny comes back. Imo but he would be on an extremely short leash. And if Simmons continues to play like this you have to give him the nod. The thing is the way pop plays Jon, he'll give him chances. I'm not sure you want to put any extra pressure on Simmons with the way he's been playing... can he handle it? But maybe it will be his become a man moment and he can finally overcome his confidence issues. But yeah Kyle is off man out right now.
Anyone think pop would leave things as is when DG is back if we have a great record?
Green is the starter. Anderson and Simmons play two different roles.
Green is the starter. Kyle is subbing in for him and it's not going to change until Danny gets back. He played 26 minutes here. His value in that lineup is tied to his defense and playing smart, since he's playing with a potential league MVP and 3 other better offensive players. He's just there for the rebounds, the defense, and how smart he is with passes and decisions he makes. If Pop wouldn't like what he was doing he'd be benched earlier and would not have closed the game.
Green starts. Simmons backs him up.
Kyle will be used depending on matchups and what Pop wants to do. Not a set rotation piece. The second unit is playing too well so far to mess with it.
By the way Kyle will still play through the season and be developed. I truly believe Pop when he said he needed to play more and has shown to deserve the minutes to develop. What he's doing there is what Pop wants. It's not about himself. He's playing a role. I have seen him play different in other situations, but it's not his role to be aggressive or force things with that lineup. You don't need or want that with Kawhi and LMA there, then 2 other players whose value is tied to their offense in Pau and Tony.
I know Green is the starter lol
But I don't see how all 3 can have significant roles going forward especially Anderson/Simmons
I suspect Ginobili's role will be declining the better the other two play and they will get opportunities to develop, both of them. Even Ginobili himself said this, but the trolls here with the "Simmons and Anderson are not good enough" schticks discount even what comes out of Ginobili's own mouth. He said both guys had worked really hard and deserve opportunities and that it would only be natural if they started playing much better and his minutes dwindled. Manu is not going to be playing more than 20 minutes, probably under any regular cir stances, unless fouls, or an injury situation, or someone clearly messing up requires it, which is not happening right now and hopefully it doesn't happen bc the team needs their young players to develop. In the past Pop would have put Manu at the end. He trusted Kyle in this case and got heady and solid play out of him. It was the right choice, Kyle got rebounds in the nick of time, boxed guys out, made good decisions on passes (setting up LMA for a post up over Barnes was Kyle recognizing a good shot opportunity and making a good decision).
It's in the team's interest to develop their youth and not rely on Manu that much and Pop will juggle minutes and situations to that end. They committed to Kyle another season, past this one and he will be developed for a role, but right now playing with Kiwi, it's not about him.
Yup, some people think scoring is the be all end all but Kyle has a really nice game. He has intangibles. You can be a playmaker and it not be on offense. He'll get a steal or a block, a big rebound. For the reason some of us liked Garino, (solid play, no mistakes, solid D) Kylie really is an accelerated version.
this may be the route Pop goes imo. Though Anderson still has time to change that.. He rebounded well last night, it's just offensively without being the primary ball handler , it's tough to find somewhere for him to be successful. If he isn't going to be as effective offensively, he needs to be great defensively, and he's OK on that end, but he still makes some questionable decisions at times
Last night they ran a play for Anderson to get an open 3, and he pump faked to get a closer shot. Pop kinda put his hands on his head like he was a bit frustrated with the outcome. I feel like it's beating a dead horse, but he has to take that shot. I get he has other strengths, but we know Pop likes guys who catch/shoot and make quick decisions
Id like to see Pop make an adjustment with the starting lineup with Green out if they keep getting outplayed. The bench has bailed out the poor play of the starting unit both games already.
The current starting lineup is having a very hard time scoring because of how Anderson and Parker ruin spacing. Its very telling and frustrating to watch. I especially cant stand when Anderson cuts slowly to the basket when Kawhi or LA is on the block. All Anderson is doing is bringing his man into the congested space. Id understand it here and there, when he catches his defender sleeping, but everytime?
Id start Simmons instead of Anderson and split the back up SF minutes between Anderson & Bertans until Bertans inevitably takes his minutes because his skill set is more valuable to the team than Andersons C- skillset with the ball.
He says that because unlike Parker, Manu's an excellent teammate who will always who have your back.
More worried about Bertans rotting on the vine. As others have said Green is the starter (and should be).
Exactly, this is not the fangirl talking. In that lineup you need the blue collar things and heady play. We were chatting about how adding an offensive player like Durant to a lineup that already has great offense in the GSW didn't help them be better necessarily, specially when the guy you took out did a lot of blue collar things and didn't need the ball or took possessions from anyone. Kyle taking shots in that group is unnecessary, unless he's wide open and is passed to for a good shot.
That lineup is all about Kawhi with LMA, their PnR and 2 man game. Then you have two other players in there who need the ball and shots to feel "important" as Manu says, and whose value is tied to the offensive production.
Kyle doesn't need shots to help them. He only needs to take a wide open 3 if he has it, that is it. I think the defense and everything else was emphasized to him and he's truly doing what Pop wants in there. Ppl should just appreciate that he can help the team without needing shots or the ball. He can do other things offensively, and we saw them in some games last season, but they are not called for, nor needed in that lineup.
When Danny gets back, he will stretch the floor better, but Danny's value to that lineup is also the floor stretching and the same blue collar things, not needing the ball or shots to help them. That is basically what Kyle is providing. They could set him up for some open 3s if they want to establish him as a shooter. I think in the 2nd Q they tried to do that, and the play was sniffed out and he was closed out in his shot, making him take a one dribble pull up, but as they get more chemistry and such I think he will end up with some open shots. Some times Kawhi drove into traffic when Kyle was open for a corner 3 and he could have passed too, but Kawhi was drawing fouls, and was ultra aggressive, etc. Again, we saw the guys execute what Pop wanted. If he wasn't doing what Pop wanted, he would not be playing. That is why I said, that lineup is entirely about Kawhi's development as a PnR ballhandler and dominant player. Kyle is just playing a small supporting role.
I also wouldnt mind if Parker just retired or got a season ending injury. Is that mean?
Start Patty, and have Forbes/ Lapro compete for the minutes next to Manu.
Terrible dude lol... TP is a notorious slow starter, it takes him some time to get it going. Let's give him some time too to get his legs under him..
And idk, Patty just seems better suited to come off the bench. TP if nothing else knows how to slow the game down (when needed) and is a better ball handler. Patty is like a secret weapon off the bench
Patty needs to start.
Slow down the game. Better ball handler. So basically nothing.
This. I'm not sure why some fans can't wrap their tiny brains around how it works on this team. Pop starts the third string guy when a starter is out so the second team isn't disrupted. That means Simmons has a spot in the rotation, and since he's playing well in it, Pop won't touch it. Kyle can play four positions in a pinch, can defend and rebound, and he can impact the game without scoring. His minutes will likely be dictated by situations and matchups when Danny comes back. Until then he's probably going to start.
Pop came into the season saying the KA was going to have an increased role with the team, possibly playing him at 3 positions. I don't think his mindset has changed based on two regular season games.
That's often been true, but it hasn't in the case of Anderson. He started in place of Kawhi, TD and possibly even LMA last season. All that was while he remained the second-string SF. Right now the bench is so fluid that Pop's probably not going to worry about who has a fixed role or not.
I'm not sure Kyle is in the starting lineup because he's 3rd string. Good topic debate about. I'd say normally yes, but in this cir stance I think it's different. I think it's a combination of things like, fit and experience. Imo Kyle is the safer bet. He's less turnover prone and is much more versatile on offense and defense. From what I seen this far, is that they have a defined role for a Simmons and they are not straying from it. Kyle on the other hand is like a Swiss army knife.
Anyways, but now Simmons has a grip on his spot with how well the bench is play and it's very opportunistic of him.
A productive player can also have intangibles and be blue collar and do the little things and all that crap.
Its alarming how reluctant Anderson is to shoot the ball, the team just can't afford to take zeros at one position.
Yeah, is the only knock I have on him and the difference between 4-5 points to 10-11. The faster release we seen in the summer hasn't been present. Hope he hasn't regressed.
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