Minnesota Sports Forum

Ball: B+
Ayo: B+
Jaden: B+
Kuminga: B-
Rudy: B+
Tsj: A-
Beringer: B
Bones: A
Clark: A
Lyles: A-

Trade Ant, don't need him!

kekgeek wrote: ↑Fri Oct 30, 2026 9:25 pm Ball: B+
Ayo: B+
Jaden: B+
Kuminga: B-
Rudy: B+
Tsj: A-
Beringer: B
Bones: A
Clark: A
Lyles: A-

Heh, tough one to differentiate given that everyone was a positive in the plus-minus column, but going back to your "relative to expectations" standard for each player, I might make a couple of tweaks.

- Kuminga probably deserves no more than a C. Had almost no impact on the game and ultimately Finch just sat him for the most pivotal parts of the 2nd half. He didn't do anything to truly hurt the team either, which is why he's not a D or F.

- Rudy is damn near an A-, no? Those 4 assists sort of pop out at me.

- I'd upgrade Jaden to an A-. I know he wasn't great on Garland, but that's more on Finch for having him chase around a player practically half his size. He provided really efficient offense which is what we need more than anything given Ant's absence.

- I'd give Clark an A+ in that he starred in his role almost perfectly and had a massive impact on the game.

I’d downgrade Kuminga to a C+ and upgrade Trey Lyles to an A+.

Bones is not a good defender but I LOVE his effort on that end of the court. Such a great guy to have coming off the bench with his energy and scoring ability. When he’s shooting is hot, he’s a force.

I’d also raise Ayo’s grade to an A. 15 highly efficient points - 54.5% FG and 75% 3-point. He was our 2nd leading rebounder with 7 boards. He really took charge in the middle of the 4th quarter after the Clippers pulled to within 10.

Serious question is Lyles better than Naz.

Naz at his best was an elite scorer. But it feels like Lyles brings a lot of what Naz can do but just at a lower usage level but has eliminated a ton of Naz down side.

kekgeek wrote: ↑Fri Oct 30, 2026 11:24 pm Serious question is Lyles better than Naz.

Naz at his best was an elite scorer. But it feels like Lyles brings a lot of what Naz can do but just at a lower usage level but has eliminated a ton of Naz down side.

Poor man's Big Fundamental

Coolbreeze44 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 30, 2026 11:52 pm

kekgeek wrote: ↑Fri Oct 30, 2026 11:24 pm Serious question is Lyles better than Naz.

Naz at his best was an elite scorer. But it feels like Lyles brings a lot of what Naz can do but just at a lower usage level but has eliminated a ton of Naz down side.

Poor man's Big Fundamental

Lyles= Naz + Kyle Anderson - Naz's defense - Anderson's lack of outside shooting. Lyles is the perfect fit for aFinch offense.

kekgeek wrote: ↑Fri Oct 30, 2026 11:24 pm Serious question is Lyles better than Naz.

Naz at his best was an elite scorer. But it feels like Lyles brings a lot of what Naz can do but just at a lower usage level but has eliminated a ton of Naz down side.

Lyles has such a different purpose, which you somewhat allude to in comparing the two. Naz was a protagonist on offense - someone we counted on to score and get 3s up in volume. Lyles is meant to be a bit more of a steadying force out there. Finch would call him a connector, similar to SloMo.

I will say the roster fits together a lot better now and Lyles is certainly a part of that. We have a real Center backing up Rudy. Shannon and Bones have filled the void left by Naz off the bench with their scoring. Lyles provides a steadying presence in what is otherwise a fairly volatile group of bench players.