Leado01 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 13, 2026 9:32 am
Cody looks like an NBA player. Is he a good enough defender/rebounder/player to warrant taking away time from other guys? Not my call, but he looks the part. (Josh Minot looked the part)
I genuinely don't get all the negativity regarding Shannon on this board....we bitch about guys that can't shoot and Shannon can handle/shoot and distribute. He's not a great team defender but we've seen him be a very good on ball defender last season..he's big, and he's a change of pace off the bench
TJ just hasn't played a lot and like a 1/4 of his NBA minutes have been in the playoffs. The expectations for him are all over the place. His possible role of what he can or can't do has morphed since being drafted. I personally don't think he looks big which is odd but he has a burst that's pretty unique even for a guard and he does have size. Idk if he finally breaks through this year but I'd guess they are gonna give him a shot at regular minutes to find out. I'm cheering for the guy but I think there is reason for some skepticism too. If he can become a legit spark off the bench guy even if it's mostly offensive ability that could be kind of a big deal. They haven't had that from a guard for a while. TJ Bones and Ayo being guys that can come of the bench and be a factor getting some offense would be nice. For a while it was like Naz and maybe a decent player sometimes not even as good as Donte.
Meanwhile Cody Williams has played like 2.5 times more NBA minutes than TJ. They were on a bad tanking team but they are still NBA minutes and he is what like 3 or 4 years younger? it would be nice to end up with a functional player there and would help make up for some other mistakes.
I bring back this thread for a couple of reasons. First, FNGs math is off! The guys listed above are not fighting for the 8th and 9th spots -- 9 spots are already spoken for: starters + Ayo, Joan, Lyles and Bones. They are fighting for the 10th spot in the rotation, and that assumes Finch diverges from his favored 9-man rotation to add one more!
Finch's likely choice will be TJ, and his minutes will likely be more than a 10th man's minutes. But he could be on a shorter leash to start the season. He needs to be more competent than he displayed in the pre-season, as both Jaylen and Cody give Finch reasonable alternatives.
60WinTim wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2026 12:35 pm
I bring back this thread for a couple of reasons. First, FNGs math is off! The guys listed above are not fighting for the 8th and 9th spots -- 9 spots are already spoken for: starters + Ayo, Joan, Lyles and Bones. They are fighting for the 10th spot in the rotation, and that assumes Finch diverges from his favored 9-man rotation to add one more!
Finch's likely choice will be TJ, and his minutes will likely be more than a 10th man's minutes. But he could be on a shorter leash to start the season. He needs to be more competent than he displayed in the pre-season, as both Jaylen and Cody give Finch reasonable alternatives.
Even though Cody is the shiny new toy, the reality is Jaylen outplayed him in the pre-season when you look at all six games. So I think he'd be Finch's pick if he decided to lean into having a more defensive wing in the rotation.
60WinTim wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2026 12:35 pm
I bring back this thread for a couple of reasons. First, FNGs math is off! The guys listed above are not fighting for the 8th and 9th spots -- 9 spots are already spoken for: starters + Ayo, Joan, Lyles and Bones. They are fighting for the 10th spot in the rotation, and that assumes Finch diverges from his favored 9-man rotation to add one more!
Finch's likely choice will be TJ, and his minutes will likely be more than a 10th man's minutes. But he could be on a shorter leash to start the season. He needs to be more competent than he displayed in the pre-season, as both Jaylen and Cody give Finch reasonable alternatives.
Hay, I nevver claimed to be good at math...speling and grammer was always my better subjects!
You are correct about my poor math...Ayo and Joan are givens, and because Finchy seems to believe Lyles needs to be out there during Joan's minutes to compensate for his defensive rebounding challenges, he is likely to get 8th man minutes. But I disagree that Bones has secured a spot as 9th man...I continue to think his minutes will be situational, i.e. when Finchy needs him out there to see if he is hot if we need an offensive boost. That means the three guys in the thread title will likely be battling for the 9th and 10th spots. I think Finchy really wants TJ to earn the 9th spot, because he wants him out there at the top of the key when Ball is out. But I agree with Q that Jaylen has probably performed the best of the three during the preseason. TJ has been given a lot of chances to earn a steady rotation spot during his time here, and while he is exciting when he gets downhill with his left hand, injuries and/or inconsistency has made him largely a disappointment. I also think defenses are going to become more aware of his lack of a right hand, and that will limit him. That's why I think Finchy will eventually tend to go with the better defensive options, and turn to Jaylen and Cody. Cody has the most upside in my opinion, and I actually like his defense more than Clark's. But his lack of a 3-point shot may hold him back...not that either TJ or Jaylen are unlikely ever to be sharpshooters.
Knee jerk reaction from last night...some of my concerns about our bench lessened last night based on how even they played with the Bulls' starters much of the game.
Coolbreeze44 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2026 2:06 pm
Cody is getting good reviews from last nights game. He's going to play.
I tend to agree, Cool. Clark is more disruptive on defense, but Cody is longer and plays a lot smarter on defense. I thought his footwork and defensive decision making were outstanding all night. I'd like to see him emerge as the winner in this 3-man battle.
