Why Not JMac?

[WildWolf2813]

it's why they should have addressed PG one way or another through the draft last season.

[FNG]

Good discussion here with lots of fair points on both sides. Kind of refreshing to have a civil discussion about our point guards without anybody getting butthurt, huh?

Lip's point about JMac's shooting history is a good one and actually understated. He shot over 40% on threes each of his final three seasons at USC. He has been terrible beyond the arc this year though, but history tells me this season is an aberration. It could be his shoulder though too.

And Q's concern about JMacs size is also fair. He is slight, and there is a chance he can be bullied on D. But it seems to me Finchie has to go with the lesser of two evils, and I would argue Russell's inability to defend the perimeter is a more compelling deficiency than JMacs frame.

[Q-is-here]

it's why they should have addressed PG one way or another through the draft last season.

I think they were optimistic that Wendell Moore, Jr. could potentially be groomed into a PG or at least a secondary play maker. But yeah, he's not exactly a pure PG and the early returns from Summer League and Pre-Season were not good.

[Q-is-here]

Good discussion here with lots of fair points on both sides. Kind of refreshing to have a civil discussion about our point guards without anybody getting butthurt, huh?

Lip's point about JMac's shooting history is a good one and actually understated. He shot over 40% on threes each of his final three seasons at USC. He has been terrible beyond the arc this year though, but history tells me this season is an aberration. It could be his shoulder though too.

And Q's concern about JMacs size is also fair. He is slight, and there is a chance he can be bullied on D. But it seems to me Finchie has to go with the lesser of two evils, and I would argue Russell's inability to defend the perimeter is a more compelling deficiency than JMacs frame.

I mean, at the end of the day, we gotta win games. How we may match up in some hypothetical deep playoff run doesn't matter if we don't take care of business during the regular season. I was just pointing out the longer-term flaws with JMac. I just think we need to give it more time before any big shakeup and I suspect the front office feels the same.

[Coolbreeze44]

it's why they should have addressed PG one way or another through the draft last season.

This. It was a major mistake to not do something with PG last offseason. I could hardly believe they ignored the big elephant in the room. I don't know what they do now. But I have suggested Jmac as a bridge to something more permanent.

[Sundog]

I guess it's no surprise that folks who don't like Dlo's game are ready to move on to JMac... we've beaten this horse to death, in my view. But a bottom line is that if Dlo were benched in favor of JMac now, his trade value would completely tank. I think the only option is to keep playing Dlo and hope he turns things around. If he doesn't, his trade value will already be nil, and the Wolves can move on. The only question is how long do the Wolves give him to get himself right?

[Lipoli390]

J-Mac's career per 36 numbers:
Pts - 10.5
Reb - 3.8
Assts - 7.4
TOs - 1.7
Stls - 2.1
Career TS% - 53.6%
Career 3PT % - 34%

- He is Tyus Jones 2.0. Tyus has figured out a way to become more of a scoring threat since going to Memphis, but both these guys are ultimately game managers that protect the ball and prioritize getting others involved.

- When you have high usage scores like KAT, Ant, and Nowell on the roster as well as one of the most efficient rim rollers in history (Gobert), it makes sense to have a PG that prioritizes ball distribution.

- It's just to such an extreme though and his size will come into play in the playoffs (assuming we get there!), where he will be targeted.

- VanVleet and Curry are poor comparisons for different reasons. VanVleet is as strong as an ox. He's similar to Kyle Lowry in that he can use his strong frame to body up guys and make things difficult, even if he can't get up high to contest shots.

- And Curry is not that small. He's 6'3" with shoes and has added quite a bit of strength over the years.

- JMac is both a little short and a little slight. Not a good combination. The hustle and steals are nice, but come playoff time they are going to try to put him on an island.

- All of that being said, we HAVE to make the playoffs. If ultimately he's the guy that helps us win more regular season games, then so be it. But it's still too early to contemplate a change!

Curry's listed at 6'2, 185. JMac is listed at 5'11, 185. Three inch height difference and same weight. So I think it's a pretty good comparison. Of course, Curry is one of the best players to every suit up and he's a sure-fire 1st-ballot hall-of-fame selection. JMac just needs to be a solid starting PG who can manage the game and make his teammates better. He's shown he can do that.

[Lipoli390]

it's why they should have addressed PG one way or another through the draft last season.

This. It was a major mistake to not do something with PG last offseason. I could hardly believe they ignored the big elephant in the room. I don't know what they do now. But I have suggested Jmac as a bridge to something more permanent.

I agree. While I think JMac can be more than a bridge as our starting PG, I would want the organization to look for something better and I believe they should have addressed it during the offseason.

[Lipoli390]

I guess it's no surprise that folks who don't like Dlo's game are ready to move on to JMac... we've beaten this horse to death, in my view. But a bottom line is that if Dlo were benched in favor of JMac now, his trade value would completely tank. I think the only option is to keep playing Dlo and hope he turns things around. If he doesn't, his trade value will already be nil, and the Wolves can move on. The only question is how long do the Wolves give him to get himself right?

I agree the Wolves would further diminish DLO's trade value if they replaced him now in the starting lineup. I think DLO will get hot at some point and string together some good games. That's what he does, but we all know those streaks are typically followed by terrible streaks like we're seeing from him now and saw from him in the playoffs last season.

The problem with continuing to play DLO is that we're worse off than we'd be with JMac unless and until DLO gets on a shooting streak. There's a risk of digging a hole that's too deep to climb out of. Right now, I think it makes sense to continue starting DLO at PG and hope he gets on one of his hot streaks sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, I'd keep an eye out for a contending team that's struggling and in need of a PG because of injury. That would be the time to do a DLO deal. But we can't know when or even if that time will come. Charlotte and Chicago are a couple teams that come to mind. Charlotte is waiting for their Ball to return while Chicago remains in limbo over Lonzo Ball's knees. Or maybe the Wolves should just bite the bullet and swap DLO for Simmons. I can't stomach trading for Kyrie.

[WildWolf2813]

I guess it's no surprise that folks who don't like Dlo's game are ready to move on to JMac... we've beaten this horse to death, in my view. But a bottom line is that if Dlo were benched in favor of JMac now, his trade value would completely tank. I think the only option is to keep playing Dlo and hope he turns things around. If he doesn't, his trade value will already be nil, and the Wolves can move on. The only question is how long do the Wolves give him to get himself right?

His value isn't gonna change no matter what. I think NBA teams are convinced of who D'Lo is, what he can offer, what he should be earning and what role he should have and it's drastically different than what this team has in mind for him.

If he stinks, they can't necessarily let him walk because the Wolves need that salary slot. If he's good, you're wary of overpaying. If you trade him, it's to get a worse deal and it might not even be at PG.


Forget the draft, since that's not an option unless we do indeed land the next Fred Van Vleet as a UDFA.

Free agency for 2023 at PG is slim pickings.