Roster Construction around Tatum and Brown

[Surferdad]

What I am gonna say is hard, but I believe Gordon Hayward and Al Horford were the kind of wing and center kind of players that matchs pretty well with the Js. A team like we almost had could really switch it all on defense and would always have a mismatch to exploit on offense.

A center that could, at the time he was here, pass, score and open-up the floor when needed and cause some impact on defense.

A wing that could be the playmaker, calm the game down and defend many positions. Hayward was probably a way better scorer than the Js would need.

As of the guard, I would say with a Hayward kind of player, the Js wouldn't need a 1st tier guard. Somebody that could impact the defensive side and score the ball from the 3pt line would be enough.

Have to wonder if the Cs where not able to pull off the Kemba/Rozier trade and instead resigned Rozier would Hayward have been happy/thrived absorbing some of Kemba's play making responsibilities? .....

Not sure, but I definitely agree with Celtics BR.  A starting lineup of Smart, Brown, Hayward, Tatum, Horford with 6th man Rozier had most everything you need and very few true weaknesses.  Oh well...

[LilRip]

Tricky question because the Jays are so versatile. I’d try to feature them heavily as finishers but they need outs aka shooters on the floor with them too.

PG: floor general who controls the pace of the game without having to shoot in volume. He needs to be able to be a threat out there and it’d be a plus if he was a tough defender. CP3 is a great example but I’m sure there are others.
C: defensive anchor who fights hard for boards. I’d rather have a vertical threat than a shooter, to be honest. Timelord (once he develops more IQ) would fill this role great.

Jayson and Jaylen would obviously be two of the 2-4 but as for the last spot, I think we need to be versatile. Maybe one would always start but it’d be matchup-based to see who finishes down the stretch. I’d look for:

1) a big who’s a reliable outside threat, a tough screen setter and is a strong rebounder kind of like Kevin Love
2) an elite shooter who doesn’t need the ball to be a threat and is a tough perimeter defender kind of like our old pal James Posey or Iguodala

As for the bench, other than one of the players mentioned above, I’d look for:
1 change of pace player (like IT4? Lol)
1 high energy big (like TT)
2 other reliable shooters (can Semi get it together? Can Nesmith?)

[tenn_smoothie]

NBA level Head Coach who demands accountability
Playmaker deluxe PG
Defensive/Rebounding borderline all-star level Center who can score 10 ppg
Catch & Shoot killers who play within the team offense and are solid defenders
Banner #18

[NKY fan]

What I am gonna say is hard, but I believe Gordon Hayward and Al Horford were the kind of wing and center kind of players that matchs pretty well with the Js. A team like we almost had could really switch it all on defense and would always have a mismatch to exploit on offense.

A center that could, at the time he was here, pass, score and open-up the floor when needed and cause some impact on defense.

A wing that could be the playmaker, calm the game down and defend many positions. Hayward was probably a way better scorer than the Js would need.

As of the guard, I would say with a Hayward kind of player, the Js wouldn't need a 1st tier guard. Somebody that could impact the defensive side and score the ball from the 3pt line would be enough.

Have to wonder if the Cs where not able to pull off the Kemba/Rozier trade and instead resigned Rozier would Hayward have been happy/thrived absorbing some of Kemba's play making responsibilities? .....

Not sure, but I definitely agree with Celtics BR.  A starting lineup of Smart, Brown, Hayward, Tatum, Horford with 6th man Rozier had most everything you need and very few true weaknesses.  Oh well...

But why overpay Horford, Hayward and Rozier? It’s not right thing to do. Celtics should always do what’s right thing to do lol

[MaxAMillion]

Roster construction starts with what to do with Kemba now that he is no longer a star player. You are stuck with an undersized guard who is a defensive liability and not a greater shooter. He is also highest paid on the team. You go nowhere if you can’t figure out what to do with a fading overpaid player who hamstrings your roster.

[Vermont Green]

I think Utah is a good case study in Roster Construction.  It starts with a top end wing or guard scorer (Mitchell).  We are good in that regard with Tatum and Brown.  Their next key player is a big who can score and defend.  That is the piece we don't have.  Their 3rd key piece is Conley who is a decent but not star PG who can pass and score at a reasonable level.  I think Kemba can be that.

So to me it comes back to having a better big in the mix than we have now.  Quite simple actually.  Doesn't have to be exactly like Gobert but just a better big than we have now.

[cltc5]

It would be nice just to watch the Celtics build a team with what they have instead of grooming every player for the next vet that comes along that has two years left on their contract.  Rob Williams and smart are good pieces yet everyone wants to trade them for who, some 30 year old.  If we take the time to get these guys experience like semi and nesmith and Pritchard, we’d have a nice young bench.  Do people think these other team got players fresh outta the draft ready to play?  This is the only team constantly trying to move assets to get more assets. 

[LilRip]

It would be nice just to watch the Celtics build a team with what they have instead of grooming every player for the next vet that comes along that has two years left on their contract.  Rob Williams and smart are good pieces yet everyone wants to trade them for who, some 30 year old.  If we take the time to get these guys experience like semi and nesmith and Pritchard, we’d have a nice young bench.  Do people think these other team got players fresh outta the draft ready to play?  This is the only team constantly trying to move assets to get more assets.

Are people trying to package away TL and Smart? I see a lot of trade Kemba and trade Brown sentiments flying around. After that, maybe trade TT. Not so much TL and MS

[Somebody]

I think Utah is a good case study in Roster Construction.  It starts with a top end wing or guard scorer (Mitchell).  We are good in that regard with Tatum and Brown.  Their next key player is a big who can score and defend.  That is the piece we don't have.  Their 3rd key piece is Conley who is a decent but not star PG who can pass and score at a reasonable level.  I think Kemba can be that.

So to me it comes back to having a better big in the mix than we have now.  Quite simple actually.  Doesn't have to be exactly like Gobert but just a better big than we have now.

Utah is built around Gobert - not around Mitchell. We can't replicate what they have done unless we have a defensive giant who allows us to play weaker defenders to pump our offence up without tanking our defence.

[Moranis]

I think Utah is a good case study in Roster Construction.  It starts with a top end wing or guard scorer (Mitchell).  We are good in that regard with Tatum and Brown.  Their next key player is a big who can score and defend.  That is the piece we don't have.  Their 3rd key piece is Conley who is a decent but not star PG who can pass and score at a reasonable level.  I think Kemba can be that.

So to me it comes back to having a better big in the mix than we have now.  Quite simple actually.  Doesn't have to be exactly like Gobert but just a better big than we have now.

The thing is, Utah is having a great season, but there is almost no one that actually thinks they have a real shot at winning the title.  I have yet to see a single expert project them as even coming out of the west and most have them behind both LA teams and a bunch put Denver ahead of them as well.  And I'm pretty confident that is because Mitchell and Gobert are very good players, but they aren't elite top tier players, and that matters.

[PhoSita]

Right now I'd settle for having more than 5-6 guys that I feel the team can rely on with any regularity.

[Vermont Green]

I think Utah is a good case study in Roster Construction.  It starts with a top end wing or guard scorer (Mitchell).  We are good in that regard with Tatum and Brown.  Their next key player is a big who can score and defend.  That is the piece we don't have.  Their 3rd key piece is Conley who is a decent but not star PG who can pass and score at a reasonable level.  I think Kemba can be that.

So to me it comes back to having a better big in the mix than we have now.  Quite simple actually.  Doesn't have to be exactly like Gobert but just a better big than we have now.

The thing is, Utah is having a great season, but there is almost no one that actually thinks they have a real shot at winning the title.  I have yet to see a single expert project them as even coming out of the west and most have them behind both LA teams and a bunch put Denver ahead of them as well.  And I'm pretty confident that is because Mitchell and Gobert are very good players, but they aren't elite top tier players, and that matters.

I agree, Utah is probably not as good as they seem right now but the construction of their team around their key players is allowing them to overachieve.  That is exactly the point.  But don't get too hung up on Utah, I just picked them as one example.

Of the top ten teams in the league, 7 have a big as a key player that is much better than any of our bigs (UTA, PHI, PHO, LAL, MIL, DEN, MIA).  Three of the top 10 do not (BKN, LAC, POR).

We probably have more talent in our top 3 players (Tatum, Brown, Walker) than many of these top 10 team but we are underachieving.  Of the 3 top 10 teams that don't have a key big, they have even better non big key players that make a big difference in overcoming the lack of a key big.

BKN of course is obvious in their non-big talent and it could even be argued that Durant at 7'-0" is more of a big than a wing.  The clipps have great overall talent but are underachieving.  POR actually has a pretty good big in Nurkic but he has been mostly injured this year and not contributing much.  They are where they are at due to two really good guards in McCollum and Lillard but still stuck in the lower end of the top 10 like LAC

[furball]

All this team needs is a sixth man.  Someone off the bench that does more than just stand at the three point line waiting for a pass.
 They need someone who can create their own shot.  Go to the hoop.  Someone who can score 12 to 15 a night and go off every now and then. 

[Timdawgg]

I actually think it is pretty simple. We just need better players for the 7-9th best player options. 3 serviceable bench players that can be counted on. That would make all the difference in the world on this team.

[td450]

I think Utah is a good case study in Roster Construction.  It starts with a top end wing or guard scorer (Mitchell).  We are good in that regard with Tatum and Brown.  Their next key player is a big who can score and defend.  That is the piece we don't have.  Their 3rd key piece is Conley who is a decent but not star PG who can pass and score at a reasonable level.  I think Kemba can be that.

So to me it comes back to having a better big in the mix than we have now.  Quite simple actually.  Doesn't have to be exactly like Gobert but just a better big than we have now.

The thing is, Utah is having a great season, but there is almost no one that actually thinks they have a real shot at winning the title.  I have yet to see a single expert project them as even coming out of the west and most have them behind both LA teams and a bunch put Denver ahead of them as well.  And I'm pretty confident that is because Mitchell and Gobert are very good players, but they aren't elite top tier players, and that matters.

They may melt under pressure, but I think they could win the whole thing, especially if the Lakers can't get AD at full strength.

I don't see their roster the way Vermont Green does.

To me the key is 7 legit 3 point shooters in rotation around Gobert, and they have committed to move the ball. They also have players that can produce under pressure like Mitchell and Conley, but mostly, its that they can consistently win the 3 point battle.

The big problem with a 3 point league is that its unreliable in a tight playoff game. But seven shooters (5 of whom can score in volume) smooths that out. A few guys can have a bad night and they can still outshoot you.