Man, some of you guys have lost your mind. Hayward is a better player than either brown or Tatum. If we’re basing it on that, then he’s [dang] sure starting. And if that means that one of brown and Tatum don’t start, so be it.
There’s no rule that says you start your best five players. San Antonio won multiple titles with their second best player coming off the bench, for instance.
Conversely, just because some other team chose to not start their best five players doesn't mean that every team has to follow that same path, or that it's even the right path in the first place.
Not every situation is the same.
Nobody said it was? But, the arguments in this thread largely boil down to “guys like Hayward don’t come off the bench” or “Hayward is better than Player X, so he needs to start”. Pop, Red, Kerr, etc. would all say that’s nonsense.
And, I’d like to hear the argument that it wasn’t the right path in San Antonio or Golden State.
As for here, playing small for 82 games seems risky. It hurts the defense, while having diminishing returns on offense. I suspect that due to egos and perceived status we’ll start both Tatum and Hayward, but that doesn’t mean it’s the optimal lineup.
First of all, I would dispense with Golden State as part of this discussion. Iguodala is their fifth best player, I don't think it's at all controversial to have your fifth best player come off the bench. As far as the Spurs go, clearly the results show it worked for them. But it is also true that it is the exception rather than the rule to bring one of your best players off the bench. Even the Havlicek situation isn't really on point, that was a dynasty with a proven championship roster, hardly the case now.
I agree that they will likely start Tatum and Hayward, but I don't think it's largely about ego. I think it's best for the team that Hayward start. It's important to note that he's arguably the best player on the team. Kyrie is better on offense, but Hayward is so superior to Kyrie on defense that one could argue that overall he's better.
But even if you don't accept that, I don't think it's wise to have the second best player on the team come off the bench. Concerns about guys wearing down and defensive matchups can all be addressed with prudent rotations. Given this team's offensive struggles, it is clearly best to put Hayward out there at the start. Since he's also a good defender, it is not at all a given that it hurts defense.
Topic: Hayward starting from the bench (Read 8509 times)