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Don't want Gay to start. That's even more true now that Manu retired. I love White having a wide-open PnR unit too, but giving him Gay to take some of the pressure off him feels better.
Starting Line-up:
Dejounte
DeRozan
Gay
LaMarcus
Gasol
Bench:
White/ Forbes
Mills/ Lonnie
Bellineli/ Cunningham
Bertans/ Metu
Poetl
The bench is catered for Derrick White. Bunch of shooters, gives him space to create. He is going to be the surprise of the year. Honestly, I feel Gay should come off the bench instead of Bellineli. That way Derrick can thrive with a slashing wingman he can pass to.
Don't want Gay to start. That's even more true now that Manu retired. I love White having a wide-open PnR unit too, but giving him Gay to take some of the pressure off him feels better.
Also balances the defense of the second unit too. Gay is a solid defender.
the starting unit has no efficient 3pt shooters man
White isn't just going to jump over Forbes in the rotation unless he is spectacular in the pre season.
If that's the initial starting line-up, it won't last long.
Watch for Murray and DeRozan's improvement in that area.
I agree, I fully expect Derrick White to surprise people. I truly believe he should start at the 2 and let DeRozan play Small Forward.
If Derrick starts, his skillset won't be utilized. He's best with the ball in his hands and making things happen... Like Manu.
derrick white needs a haircut...dude's hairline is atrocious
White starting at SG makes a lot of sense. He can shoot, he can penetrate, he moves the ball, and he's a quality defender. Spurs eon't have to sacrifice any size on the court.
BUT the bench then becomes a big problem without Manu. Nobody can run an offense or make plays with the ball, no creativity, nothing.
Mills is trash, he can't make plays, he is no threat to finish, he needs to be set up, his pick and roll handling is remedial at best.
Marco has always been vastly overrated as a playmaker and ball handler, he can't do it well.
Forbes has no chance.
Walker isn't ready but even if he was he won't get a chance.
Gay is an iso player and finisher.
Even moving Pau to the bench while helping isn't enough.
Either there's going to be some heavy staggering to make sure either White or Murray or DeRozan is on the court at all times or ...
What probably happens instead is that Mills starts with Murray and is typically awful while Marco and Forbes play big minutes off the bench. White will busy getting over himself with DNP-CDs.
I honestly think Pop will try some different lineups towards the beginning of the season and see what sticks.
Opening night I would guess it'll look something like
Murray
Mills
DeRozan
Aldridge
Gasol
That lineup would have the most continuity on a team with a lot of new players (except you're adding DDR) so it somewhat makes sense early on.
People don't give enough credit to Derrick's playmaking. I watched all of summer league. He is a wizard with the ball.
Yet Pop and most ST posters want to stick him at SG and use Dijon at PG - even though Dijon hasn't got White's handles, court vision or passing ability.
Assuming Patty starts at the 2 then I think White's the backup PG and will assume Ginobili's role and might be part of the reason why Ginobili feels ok about retiring this offseason.
I remember when forby was the natural born shooter.
Solid contribution. GTFOH.
Only thing of him that might erupt is his acne.
White is going to surprise a lot of people this year. No one outside the Spurs organization knows this guy exist
I think I remember Gasol hitting a couple treys back in 1964.
I'm all aboard the Derrick train as far as his skills; playmaking and shooting.
But the fact is that if he's going to play real minutes it can only happen next to Murray.
If Murray plays 32 mpg, that only leaves 16 minutes of back up point. For White to get real minutes, he needs to play at least some with Murray.
And if he starts at two that's a good thing, because he's a better defender by far than Marco or Mills or Forbes.
White is such a complete player that he can play and contribute in any role, but he has to play to contribute.
depending on how walker's pre-season and camp go, he may be the one to benefit the most from manu's retirement.
If Lonnie shows out in training camp, Lonnie would fit better w/ the starters.
On offense LMA, DeRozan, & Murray would be taking up most of the play making w the ball. LW would fit better off the ball, spotting up/attacking closeouts/crashing glass. His responsibilities wld be simplified.
On defense, LW is a better fit with the starters next to DeRozan -- since hes longer and has a higher ceiling as a perimeter wing defender than anyone on the roster.
Derrick White would be perfect in the Manu role off the bench getting 25-30 mpg -- since hes at his best with the ball in his hands in PnRs. Something the bench will desperately need with Patty getting minutes at PG. And it optimizes Derricks touches.
With Manu gone, I still think the following breakdowns make the most sense:
Murray / Derozan / Bertans / Aldridge / Poetl
Plenty of scoring with DDR and LMA. Murray will do his thing. Bertans is obviously the weak link here, particularly on defense...but he will have Aldridge and Poetl to help cover for him, and he wouldn't be as undersized as Beli would be at the 3. Davis also provides shooting that is sorely needed with this unit. Poetl can focus on doing the dirty work in the post and score off cuts and putbacks.
Mills / White / Beli / Gay / Gasol
White can run the offense, which allows Mills to play off-ball where he is better suited. Beli can spread the floor and also help with playmaking. Gay will have the freedom to go iso and do his thing without getting in Aldridge/Derozan's way. Pau is too slow to handle most starting units, but he could still be effective against most benches.
I really want to see that lineup. I just don't think Bertans has the speed and discipline on D to play the 3, especially as a starter.
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