I like Rollie's posts in general, not the world's most articulate writer but it is clear is pays close attention to the game and has a lot of knowledge. I admit that I did wince when I read the "white guy with no street" narrative.
But regarding Hayward, I did not get to see all that many Utah games so I have to reserve judgement. I was surprised to see that per 82games,he played about equal time at the 2 and the 3 with slightly better +/- at the 2. (He played a lot of minutes with Ingles or Joe Johnson at the 3 as listed by 82games). I think that flexibility will be good. That way Brown can play primarily at the 2 and Tatum can play primarily at the 3 with Hayward being a white, tennis playing, no street, 2/3 combo.
Someone will have to sit at crunch time (unless we go small which I don't like) but I think we can work that out or play match-ups. I actually think either Tatum or Hayward off the bench would be good too, depending one how they would deal with not being a starter.
I like Rollie's posts in general, not the world's most articulate writer but it is clear is pays close attention to the game and has a lot of knowledge. I admit that I did wince when I read the "white guy with no street" narrative.
But regarding Hayward, I did not get to see all that many Utah games so I have to reserve judgement. I was surprised to see that per 82games,he played about equal time at the 2 and the 3 with slightly better +/- at the 2. (He played a lot of minutes with Ingles or Joe Johnson at the 3 as listed by 82games). I think that flexibility will be good. That way Brown can play primarily at the 2 and Tatum can play primarily at the 3 with Hayward being a white, tennis playing, no street, 2/3 combo.
Someone will have to sit at crunch time (unless we go small which I don't like) but I think we can work that out or play match-ups. I actually think either Tatum or Hayward off the bench would be good too, depending one how they would deal with not being a starter.
I think we are going to see Kyrie, Jaylen, Hayward, Tatum, and Horford close games (last 2-4 mins) next season. The group should be truly special when it comes to late game execution. Brad will still find the right opportunity to mix in some size throughout the earlier stages of the 4th.
I'm also not overly concerned about a lack of size with the closing lineup. Brad will utilize our length and athleticism on the defensive end. Rebounding could be a minor problem but most of our past issues were a result of poor initial defense on the perimeter.
As for the rest of the league, Houston is the only true contender who keeps their Center in at the end of game. Ryan Anderson doesn't see many crunch time minutes for them at the 4. It's usually Ariza and PJ Tucker at the 3 and 4 spots. Tatum and Hayward will handle that matchup. Both the Cavs and Warriors play small too.
Your concerns over size definitely warrant concern if a team like Philly, Nola, or Minnesota were to break through to the elite tier. However, I think the advantages of the smaller group greatly outweigh the risk against 90% of the league.