Should Marcus Smart come off the bench next season? (poll)

[Csfan1984]

Id like Smart off the bench if Nesmith is good enough to shoot above 38% 3fg and defend twos. Still I feel it may be too much to ask Nesmith to defend starters year one. So stick with Smart

Also I don't like GW starting at the 4 either. He gives up too much length and doesn't have the disruption of Smart in the lineup.

[pearljammer10]

If we don’t make a move we could go (when healthy):

Walker/Brown/Tatum/Thompson/Theis to start with Smart off the bench.

I’d rather make a move to get a more solid three and have Smart and Theis the first two off the bench.

However we could see:

Walker 30/Teague 18
Brown 18/Smart 30
Tatum 14/Brown 16/Nesmith 18
Thompson 10/Tatum 20/GWill 14
Theis 24/Thompson 20/RW3 4

[RodyTur10]

If we don’t make a move we could go (when healthy):

Walker/Brown/Tatum/Thompson/Theis to start with Smart off the bench.

I’d rather make a move to get a more solid three and have Smart and Theis the first two off the bench.

However we could see:

Walker 30/Teague 18
Brown 18/Smart 30
Tatum 14/Brown 16/Nesmith 18
Thompson 10/Tatum 20/GWill 14
Theis 24/Thompson 20/RW3 4

Theis, Thompson, R.Williams and G.Williams should all be playing around 20+ minutes per game.
Best combinations between them are Thompson/Theis and G-Will/Timelord.
Just start Thompson and Theis, neither would be happy to be put on the bench and it would crush Robert Wiliams available minutes.

[Wretch]

I think a lot depends on JTs ability to run the second unit offense and Kemba's knee. I see a lot of Kemba, Smart lineups to help the defense if JT can keep the offense moving.

I hope not tbh

JT and Brown need to rest more next season. At times I want both to rest together

Team relies too much on these two. Players need to learn to be more independent

I also want to avoid JT getting a big head. Start turning into Harden.  He should not be jacking any more shots than he did last season. And even then I thought it was a few too many

Y'all are talking about different JTs.

sorry I should have said Teague.

[pearljammer10]

If we don’t make a move we could go (when healthy):

Walker/Brown/Tatum/Thompson/Theis to start with Smart off the bench.

I’d rather make a move to get a more solid three and have Smart and Theis the first two off the bench.

However we could see:

Walker 30/Teague 18
Brown 18/Smart 30
Tatum 14/Brown 16/Nesmith 18
Thompson 10/Tatum 20/GWill 14
Theis 24/Thompson 20/RW3 4

Theis, Thompson, R.Williams and G.Williams should all be playing around 20+ minutes per game.
Best combinations between them are Thompson/Theis and G-Will/Timelord.
Just start Thompson and Theis, neither would be happy to be put on the bench and it would crush Robert Wiliams available minutes.

Robert and Grant won't see 20+ minutes a night. Especially with Thompson, Theis, and Tatum all taking minutes at the F/C slots. Theis is an excellent 24 minutes off the bench guy at the PF/C slot.

However, I'd rather have Smart off the bench which is why the rotation I posted would be ideal.

Where do you suggest the extra 22 minutes for the Wills would come from in the lineup above?

[Moranis]

I voted no, but not for the reason given.  He just quite simply makes the most sense in the starting unit because I don't like the other real options like starting Thompson and Theis or starting someone like G. Williams or Langford.  There just aren't any other real good options, so you start Smart.

[PAOBoston]

As it stands, the best lineup the Cs can throw out there involves Smart starting. Maybe Teague isn’t washed up and can run that second unit.

I think it is too much to ask G Williams or Nesmith to step right in as a starter and perform. Langford is out until January at best and lost an entire offseason of development due to injury. I don’t expect much from him for the first half of the season.

[Sketch5]

Unless/until we get an other wing I think it will change depending on who we play. A strong back court you start Smart. A younger team mat be William or Neismith if he's ready. A bigger team like LA Theis and Thompson.

We really could use an other wing to balance things out, but a lot of teams are going to get going slow, so DA may not be in a rush and we could get lucky and jump the pack with our main core being the young guys.

[wiley]

I voted that Smart should start.

Longer term I'd like to see Jaylen start at the 2 and Tatum at SF.  But I don't think we have the right lineup to do that yet.  Just not enough dynamism at PF.

So start Smart at the 2 guard even if Kemba is out...and start TT at center.  I like putting the heavier guy out there with the starters.  Theis is a dream off the bench.


With Kemba:   (bolded are non-starters who play 15 minutes or more)


Kemba, Pritchard, Teauge, Smart, Waters
Smart, Brown, Romeo, Pritchard, Edwards, Green
Brown, Tatum, Nesmith, Smart, Romeo
Tatum, Gwill, Theis
TT, Theis, RWill


Without Kemba:

Pritchard, Smart, Teague, Waters
Smart, Brown, Romeo, Pritchard, Green
Brown, Tatum, Nesmith, Romeo, Smart
Tatum, GWill, Theis
TT, Theis, RWill


In other words, by mid year I'd like to see both Pritchard and Nesmith over 15 minutes...if all goes well Nesmith would be around 18-22 and Pritchard 15-20.  Teague around 10 minutes per game (unless of course Pritchard is not ready for the role).


If there aren't enough minutes for all of the bolded to get at least 15 minutes per game....then adjust the lesser performers or lesser ready down below 15....


When Pritchard is starting in place of Kemba, he can defer to Smart for running the team whenever necessary...they will bascially be interchangeable starting next to each other as far as who initiates the offense...So you could see it as

Smart
Pritchard
Brown
Tatum
TT

as the starters if you think PP is not ready to run the point.....

[RodyTur10]

If we don’t make a move we could go (when healthy):

Walker/Brown/Tatum/Thompson/Theis to start with Smart off the bench.

I’d rather make a move to get a more solid three and have Smart and Theis the first two off the bench.

However we could see:

Walker 30/Teague 18
Brown 18/Smart 30
Tatum 14/Brown 16/Nesmith 18
Thompson 10/Tatum 20/GWill 14
Theis 24/Thompson 20/RW3 4

Theis, Thompson, R.Williams and G.Williams should all be playing around 20+ minutes per game.
Best combinations between them are Thompson/Theis and G-Will/Timelord.
Just start Thompson and Theis, neither would be happy to be put on the bench and it would crush Robert Wiliams available minutes.

Robert and Grant won't see 20+ minutes a night. Especially with Thompson, Theis, and Tatum all taking minutes at the F/C slots. Theis is an excellent 24 minutes off the bench guy at the PF/C slot.

However, I'd rather have Smart off the bench which is why the rotation I posted would be ideal.

Where do you suggest the extra 22 minutes for the Wills would come from in the lineup above?

My MPG distribution:

Kemba Walker (PG) 28
Jeff Teague (PG) 16
Payton Pritchard (PG) 16
Marcus Smart (PG/SG) 32
Jaylen Brown (SG/SF) 32
Romeo Langford (SG/SF) 16
Aaron Nesmith (SF) 16
Jayson Tatum (SF/PF) 32
Grant Williams (PF) 20
Tristan Thompson (PF/C) 28
Daniel Theis (C) 24
Robert Williams (C) 20

It adds up to 280 minutes, which is standard for a 12-man-rotation as with guys missing games increases minutes for others. Especially with Walker we need to be careful with his minutes. Teague/Pritchard and Langford/Nesmith have to fight it out as first PG and first SF of the bench, so until then I have their minutes equal.

We could push Brown and Tatum to 36 minutes (to the top of the league in minutes played), but I'd rather not. It is something I'm afraid of. If we start Smart/Brown/Tatum as SG/SF/PF then our wing depth is really weak. With Langford injured for now and Ojeleye being unreliable (i.m.o) the same may happen as in the playoffs that the minutes of Brown and Tatum will be put to the maximum to guarantee a high standard of play, because Stevens (rightfully so) doesn't trust others. At the same time the minutes for our centers got squeezed.

I want to avoid that. As a closing line-up I'm fine with Tatum as PF or some bench units, but our minutes will be much better divided if we start with two bigs. To play a little bigger can't hurt, since our main rivals often have more size than us. Also Theis can stretch the floor, G.Williams has improved his shot a lot, looks like Thompson is working on it and even R.Williams has some potential as a shooter.

[Darth_Yoda]

No.

Smart needs to start to overcome Kemba's defensive weaknesses.

Also, Smart has earned starting on this team. The lineup will stay the same as what we ran in the playoffs.

Kemba/Smart/Brown/Tatum/Theis. There is no reason to change that up. First person off the bench, IMO, will be thompson and he will come in for Kemba sliding Theis to the PF spot
Smart/Brown/Tatum/Theis/Thompson

Next off the bench will be Teague and Nesmith and GrantW who will come in for 3 of Smart/Brown/Tatum/Theis.