Start: EC, RJ, Cade, JWit, JWash!
All D: Seth, RJ, Drake, JWit, JWash
Small: EC, RJ, Cap, Drake/Cade, Lubin/JWit
Jumbo: Seth, Drake, Cade, Lubin, JWash
All shooters: RJ, Cap, Drake, Cade, JWash
I have never really been comfortable with that label "starter", for me the more important thing is who gets the minutes more than who begins the game. Every game takes on it's own unique identity, even true for the second time you play the very same team. I want my 5 most effective players on the floor at crunch time for that particular game may or may not be the guys that started the game.
Most teams bring in guys off the bench hoping there is not a huge drop off until they can get their starters back in, we to have been in that situation many seasons. But what TP has shared is to me a vital point, a new way forward, a break of the old mold. I like, rather than sub a guy in and hope for no drop off, I like bring in a group that changes your dynamic (does not need to be a 5 man sub). This can radically change how the other team attacks, teams hate that.
Teams want to game plan for you to attack your primary looks, you go from the "starter" group (using TPs labels) to a flat out net scorching shooting team or a lock down defensive team, or a great running team, a jumbo look, a small ball look. That is akin to Dean's old multiple defenses that kept opposing teams consistently off balance, just as they adapt to one style Dean thru another one at them. You want the other team to have to first figure out what you are doing, keep them having to think and by the time they figure out what you were doing to change into a totally different look. If they are having to first think they are not able to play comfortably and free.
What Dean did that was genius is that he went multiple on the defensive end, on the offensive end he demanded the pace be white hot so that we could get our breaks rolling but if the break was called off we went directly into our motion offense, everyone moving and screening. Keep in mind, most of Dean's career was without the 3pt line and even when it did come Dean considered the 3pt shot to be a bad shot, he wanted high % shots and the trey was not a high % shot in the early days of it, even when it was closer than it is now. But today the 3pt shot is being hit at near 40% by solid but maybe not great shooters, so going to multiple looks for the offensive end is now possible.
The other real key is amping up the pace, amping it up on BOTH ends! I like what players have been saying in the media day interviews, 3 seconds to cross half court or you lose possession of the ball, even off made baskets! But now I did hear similar last season and it really didn't happen, Cadeau pushed it but if he wasn't in we were going to be in a lot of half court, disappointed me to see that. We go a solid 9 deep right now and maybe 10 if I include Claude. White hot pace on BOTH ends REQUIRES you to constantly bring in fresh legs, very few teams can do that and not see a huge drop off, by using the type of rotation approach that TP has tried to outline forces the other team to match us and kill their legs. And I have not even mentioned the benefit it gives you by keeping your bench more involved in the game, knowing they are about to hear their number called and how that plays in to developing those guys coming off the bench for larger roles that season or future seasons, it is the kind of system recruits love to play in.
