Game Day: Suns (16-53) @ Rockets (42-26), Fri 3/15/19

[Split T]

I understand the reasons. Minds are made up about Josh Jackson and any mistake he makes is seen and commented on because that’s all that’s being looked for. I’m not even necessarily saying that’s wrong, he hasn’t been very good, but I haven’t completely given up on him, so I’ll keep throwing out reasons to defend him.

His 3 point shot is looking better
He plays as hard as anyone on the team
I think his shot selection has improved

I feel like his biggest struggles are finishing. He tries too often for the big dunk, his floater is ugly and only sometimes effective. He’s not strong enough and doesn’t get many calls at the rim. He also complains too much about his lack of calls.

He’s also the most capable ball handler and passer of our wings...although Bridges has been showing some improving passing skills lately.

Jackson is 4th out of 4 for me right now amongst the wings, but I also am not sure there is much to gain by trading him. Warren could bring back some value. With Oubre and Bridges being the wings I want to keep, it makes more sense to trade warren. Still, I won’t be upset if we trade Jackson.

If we do keep him, I’ll still hold onto a little optimism and hope that shot improves again, he gets stronger, and he can be a reliable piece of the 2nd unit next season.

[Mori Chu]

I just saw a tweet from the Seven Seconds or Less podcast comparing Oubre to Raja Bell. That's kind of an interesting comparison. Obviously he's more athletic and not quite as good a 3-point shooter. But the hustle and defense and overall effect on the team are similar.

[ShelC]

Jackson is 4th out of 4 for me right now amongst the wings, but I also am not sure there is much to gain by trading him. Warren could bring back some value. With Oubre and Bridges being the wings I want to keep, it makes more sense to trade warren. Still, I won’t be upset if we trade Jackson.

That's where I'm at. It kinda feels like the team has moved past Warren too maybe? Would we be playing better and winning these kinds of games with him at PF? Would rather keep this core together and add to it.

I definitely get why fans don't like Jackson but I'm still hoping he sticks around and develops for us. As much heat as he's getting for the blown dunk and missed FTs, Oubre did the same thing trying to do a reverse jam. You can cut Oubre some slack because of the great game he had, but the point is that they're all young and still learning. I'm genuinely excited about all of our young swings and the defense they've been playing at times. We have young, long, athletic guys who can switch and swarm and deflect and get out on the break. Bridges is just fantastic. The boxscore last night doesn't do him justice. Bender was solid too and has shown at least an inkling of improvement.

I thought Ayton looked good in the 1st half and really had some nice moves in the post. It's still surprising to me how easy he can make it look near the basket, even with a guy like Capela there. Ayton is just a big dude and he's already going thru and over just about every big. I can't wait to see him with some grown man strength in 3-4 years.

Booker was definitely tired at the end of the game and I think Ayton loses his focus and aggression when fatigue hits. He's started off some of the past few games really well only to fade later in the 2nd half.

[Split T]

Oubre in March:

20/6/2/2/1 and shooting .49/.35/.73

[Superbone]

I think Oubre and Bridges defended Harden about as good as anybody in the league can. Bridges stole the ball from him and Oubre blocked his shot among many other defensive gems.

[INFORMER]

Let's forget that we wasted additional cap space on him, but has anyone else been pretty satisfied with Tyler Johnson's play at PG for us?

I am probably the biggest critic of the deal, but yes, he has helped. My expectation was for him to bring zero value, so am I satisfied with what he has been able to add? Sure. But do I feel good about him being our starting point guard? No. For every good game, he is good for a 1-7, 4-13 stinker. And too much of his "point guard" ability is dribbling up the court and then handing it off to Booker or Jackson.

[INFORMER]

They lost this game because of Josh jackson taking over the fourth quarter. In a bad way. Booker disappeared and stopped going to Ayton all together as usual.

Dude! You’ve got crazy tunnel vision when it comes to JJ. He wasn’t that bad and he didn’t cost us the game. That’s a pretty ridiculous take.

Yeah, I just finished the game, and honestly he wasn't that bad.

[INFORMER]

Imagine if josh had been the one who missed that breakaway dunk that Oubre missed. He would have been eviscerated on here...not a peep on Oubre.

The missed dunk was bad. Oubre did so much good in the game that I forgive him for the missed dunk. But, yeah, that dunk was bad.

Agreed. Vintage Washington-Wizards-Oubre.

[INFORMER]

I understand the reasons. Minds are made up about Josh Jackson and any mistake he makes is seen and commented on because that’s all that’s being looked for. I’m not even necessarily saying that’s wrong, he hasn’t been very good, but I haven’t completely given up on him, so I’ll keep throwing out reasons to defend him.

His 3 point shot is looking better
He plays as hard as anyone on the team
I think his shot selection has improved

I feel like his biggest struggles are finishing. He tries too often for the big dunk, his floater is ugly and only sometimes effective. He’s not strong enough and doesn’t get many calls at the rim. He also complains too much about his lack of calls.

He’s also the most capable ball handler and passer of our wings...although Bridges has been showing some improving passing skills lately.

Jackson is 4th out of 4 for me right now amongst the wings, but I also am not sure there is much to gain by trading him. Warren could bring back some value. With Oubre and Bridges being the wings I want to keep, it makes more sense to trade warren. Still, I won’t be upset if we trade Jackson.

If we do keep him, I’ll still hold onto a little optimism and hope that shot improves again, he gets stronger, and he can be a reliable piece of the 2nd unit next season.

I just need him to not until the season is in the toilet before he starts looking like an NBA player. Second year in a row this has happened, and honestly, he still hasn't been that good over the second half of the season.

[INFORMER]

Oubre in March:

20/6/2/2/1 and shooting .49/.35/.73

That 3-point shot really has to get more consistent.

[INFORMER]

I'm genuinely excited about all of our young swings and the defense they've been playing at times. We have young, long, athletic guys who can switch and swarm and deflect and get out on the break.

I think you're taking the Ryan approach here. In isolation, there is something to like about each of the 4 small forwards. But in combination with one another, it just doesn't yield a winning lineup. They don't mesh, with each other nor with a roster.

[Split T]

I understand the reasons. Minds are made up about Josh Jackson and any mistake he makes is seen and commented on because that’s all that’s being looked for. I’m not even necessarily saying that’s wrong, he hasn’t been very good, but I haven’t completely given up on him, so I’ll keep throwing out reasons to defend him.

His 3 point shot is looking better
He plays as hard as anyone on the team
I think his shot selection has improved

I feel like his biggest struggles are finishing. He tries too often for the big dunk, his floater is ugly and only sometimes effective. He’s not strong enough and doesn’t get many calls at the rim. He also complains too much about his lack of calls.

He’s also the most capable ball handler and passer of our wings...although Bridges has been showing some improving passing skills lately.

Jackson is 4th out of 4 for me right now amongst the wings, but I also am not sure there is much to gain by trading him. Warren could bring back some value. With Oubre and Bridges being the wings I want to keep, it makes more sense to trade warren. Still, I won’t be upset if we trade Jackson.

If we do keep him, I’ll still hold onto a little optimism and hope that shot improves again, he gets stronger, and he can be a reliable piece of the 2nd unit next season.

I just need him to not until the season is in the toilet before he starts looking like an NBA player. Second year in a row this has happened, and honestly, he still hasn't been that good over the second half of the season.

Agreed, he’s gone, atrocious-subpar-atrocious-subpar. Would be nice to see him go subpar-average next season.

[Split T]

Oubre in March:

20/6/2/2/1 and shooting .49/.35/.73

That 3-point shot really has to get more consistent.

Would be fantastic if he could get it to the 36/37 range consistently

[AmareIsGod]

I'm genuinely excited about all of our young swings and the defense they've been playing at times. We have young, long, athletic guys who can switch and swarm and deflect and get out on the break.

I think you're taking the Ryan approach here. In isolation, there is something to like about each of the 4 small forwards. But in combination with one another, it just doesn't yield a winning lineup. They don't mesh, with each other nor with a roster.

Who would you keep and who would you move?

[INFORMER]

Ultimately, I say keep 2, move 2. Bridges should be one of the keepers, even though he has a pretty low ceiling. I would probably move Jackson and Warren. depending on Oubre's salary demands.

[Indy]

I'm genuinely excited about all of our young swings and the defense they've been playing at times. We have young, long, athletic guys who can switch and swarm and deflect and get out on the break.

I think you're taking the Ryan approach here. In isolation, there is something to like about each of the 4 small forwards. But in combination with one another, it just doesn't yield a winning lineup. They don't mesh, with each other nor with a roster.

Who would you keep and who would you move?

I know you didn't ask me, but I would move any of them for the right deal. But just based on value/contract/what are we getting from them today, I would say you keep Mikal and Oubre if you can get him on a TJ Warren type deal. You try and use the other two (in combo with anyone else) to get an upgrade at PG or PF. I would not trade our pick (but would be fine moving down in the draft if we fall out of top 4).

As for JJ: Just pick one thing and be good at it. Not great, just good. Something that helps the team. You have that with all of the other SFs on the team. You can't be an effective wing on a winning team if you are shooting 40/30/66 and aren't special in your playmaking, rebouding, or defense.

[Indy]

Ultimately, I say keep 2, move 2. Bridges should be one of the keepers, even though he has a pretty low ceiling. I would probably move Jackson and Warren. depending on Oubre's salary demands.

Do you see Bridges as a starting 3, or bench? As for pretty low ceiling, do you ever see him as a legit top 10 defensive 3 in the league with a 3P shot above 40%?

[ShelC]

I'm genuinely excited about all of our young swings and the defense they've been playing at times. We have young, long, athletic guys who can switch and swarm and deflect and get out on the break.

I think you're taking the Ryan approach here. In isolation, there is something to like about each of the 4 small forwards. But in combination with one another, it just doesn't yield a winning lineup. They don't mesh, with each other nor with a roster.

All three of those guys seem to love playing together and playing for each other. They play off each other extremely well and have great chemistry.
How exactly don't they mesh? I see Bridges as the best shooter, Jackson as the ball ball handler and Oubre as the best defender (Bridges is close). The things they have in common - energy, defense, athleticism, length - are all things you want on the perimeter. This isn't trying to play 3 or 4 starting PGs together or two bigs who can't shoot outside 6 feet. You need depth at SG/SF and can never be too fast or athletic there. The roster itself needs rebalancing and maybe carrying those 3 plus Booker might cause a minutes crunch. But I'm not about the come to the conclusion that they don't "yield a winning lineup" when I've watched them collectively win us games over this last stretch.

[In2ition]

If Jackson doesn't have any value around the league, you keep him. I know his cap hit is 7 mil, but I think he has a pathway to becoming a really good player. His ball handling is good enough that he can get the shot he wants, it's just that his decision making at this time makes the any shot not a great one. This can improve. He's also struggling at the rim, and I think he can get a lot better there if he improves his strength.

[INFORMER]

I'm genuinely excited about all of our young swings and the defense they've been playing at times. We have young, long, athletic guys who can switch and swarm and deflect and get out on the break.

I think you're taking the Ryan approach here. In isolation, there is something to like about each of the 4 small forwards. But in combination with one another, it just doesn't yield a winning lineup. They don't mesh, with each other nor with a roster.

All three of those guys seem to love playing together and playing for each other. They play off each other extremely well and have great chemistry.
How exactly don't they mesh?

I didn't mean that you were ignoring chemistry; I was referring to the basketball fit.

The group's utility is limited because our best player is a 2. If you try to put 3 of them on the floor at once, it pushes Booker to the 1, and none of the other wings are good enough ballhandlers/passers to take pressure off of Booker.

Bridges, Jackson, and Oubre are both string-beans, so playing either of them at the 4 usually leads to a disadvantage. Warren can't defend or rebound, so playing him at the 4 doesn't really work either. The four small forwards in general are not good passers, except for the potential Jackson has showed, but his bball IQ and shooting are too unreliable for us to tangibly leverage his handles/passing to a beneficial degree. None of the four rebound consistently, so we're not talking Shawn Marion or PJ Tucker, which again, limits their utility.