Watch the NBA | Bench center not good? Then roll a little more

Quiet and easy to ink

2024-06-23 21:06Posted in Beijing Basketball Commentator, Tencent NBA Writer

The time was a little awkward, and there were more pigeons, and I found that before the free market opened, the preview series of various positions could not be written. However, in the spirit of being able to write a few and count a few, try to arrange as many positions as possible. Today I will first write about the center forward that everyone may be more concerned about.

The position of center forward is roughly like this:

If your need for this position is only "usable", then whether it is a free market or a trade market, there are still a lot of players available;

If you're looking to get a center worthy of a divisional finals level, it's not easy because a good player at this level won't be easy to enter the market, regardless of the position.

Of course, neither of the above two situations can explain why there have always been some strong teams in recent years to strengthen the substitute center forward is very abstract, nor can it explain why some teams that claim to compete for the championship do not take the center reinforcement seriously. This may be because the center of the puzzle is dominated by single-function players, who basically have no offensive value, no ability to independently support the defensive system, and even play time is relatively random, which makes the game contribution of such players fluctuate greatly, and the team is not easy to evaluate their specific value. And when you can't get a high-end center, this position becomes a state that is okay to make up for it, but it is not satisfactory.

Saric's season with the Warriors can be seen as an interesting example of the situation of the center of the puzzle. Saric is not a pure No. 5, and spends half of his time at the Warriors' No. 4/5 position, and has its own advantages and disadvantages in both positions. As the No. 5 position, it is naturally easier to play the value of space, and as a cover person, it is also pleasing to have the ability to deal with multiple faces. Being a number 4 means that there is also a center forward on the field, and the team's overall defense will be better. Theoretically, Cole can switch Saric according to the opponent's situation.

But the reality is that Saric doesn't have a particularly good position for the Warriors, and he doesn't have enough strategic value in either position. He's not really a constraining goalscorer, handling the ball and punishing mismatches with a lot of mistakes, and when he encounters slightly higher opponents, he can't make up for the defense. As the No. 4 position, his projection ability is not enough, and his defensive rotation ability cannot keep up with the Warriors' small-ball defense system, making the defensive effect of having an extra center not obvious. Later in the season, his three-point handy pullback basically fell out of the rotation. This is a less unexpected result.

What are the basic requirements for puzzles?

Insert into a picture, and it must be consistent with the overall painting style. The problem with late-end rotations like Saric who lack specialization is that they can be embedded in a variety of art styles, but they are not in harmony with each of them. If you're not demanding, you're fooling it out, and if you're a team that wants to play in the playoffs, you'll have to optimize these points sooner or later. This year's Mavericks should be a good example of the importance of the backup center, especially when you consider that the starting center is one of the most foul-risking characters on the court, and the potential 15-20 minutes per game for the bench No. 5 is extremely critical.

The position of substitute center forward has his uniqueness. Of the 5 positions on the field, the No. 1 and No. 5 positions have the lowest swing. There is a certain degree of mutual substitution between the 2~4 positions, and for the starters, this substitution may not work, but the requirements for the connection section are low, and it is not unbearable to play the three guards or small forwards to stand in the 4 position. When cutting the rotation, ensure that there are 4 people in the 2~4 position, and the time can be filled. That's why it's often cost-effective to invest in the striker, as the flexibility of multiple positions always makes him useful.

Substitute center is not good, and only one position can be played to limit time, which leads many teams to not pay attention to this role, because the resources invested in a player who is expected to play ten minutes a game are certainly not as good as those who have the opportunity to play close to 30 minutes of swing puzzle. But unless your starting No. 4 has the ability to swing to the No. 5 position, like the Nuggets, the playoffs simply ditch the No. 5 as a substitute and let Gordon go up. Otherwise, once the commonly used substitute center can't adapt to the high-end game, this position will become a black hole.

So, the lack of quality as a backup center looks like a systemic problem, and the characteristics of this position make him the most likely to be overlooked. For teams that want a comprehensive backup center with all-round ability, it is better to endure the extra cost and go directly to the starting or near-starting level 4/5 swing man, so as not to overflow resources due to lack of playing time. The biggest risk of using the base salary bracket to get a versatile substitute center is that you may not be able to count on everything, after all, if the total ability value is not enough, it will be assigned to multiple directions, and each direction will not be deep. If you only have a base salary to take a substitute center, it is recommended to prepare 2 relatively specialized players to avoid having no room for adjustment after 1 thunderstorm.

Here are the potential substitute-level centers in the trade market and free agency:

Finality. Bitadze, Nick Richards, Nance Jr., Paul Reed, Eubanks, Looney, Ryan, Plumlee, Thaddeus Young, Dwight Powell, Holmes;

Spatial. Jalen Smith, Grant Williams, Lyles, Kleber, Jaylin Williams, Markieff Morris, Muscala;

Comprehensive. Olynyk, Zach Collins, Stewart, Achiuwa, Wood, Jeff Green, Boucher, Bagley, Wiseman, Sarridge, Tillman, Love, Landale.

Of the three types, several of each are more recommended.

Finality

Bitadze should be the finishing backup center who should be the most watched on the free market. He delivered a very bright basket protection performance in the first half of the 23-24 season, and was once one of the most concerned single-season explosive small characters in the ball critics. His rebounds and setbacks all have a little bit, all of which are at a level that can't be blown out alone, but there are occasional flashes. Since the Magic didn't give him a chance to raise his value in the second half of the game, Bitazze's situation in the free agency market is a bit murky. It seems that a lot of teams are paying attention to him, but it's generally a team that doesn't have much space. If it is a low-price competition, the team that can get it will not lose anything.

Nick Richards should be the bench-level finishing center to be taken seriously in the trade market. Of course, if you want to use Richards as a starter, there is nothing wrong with it, and here the bench level means that the upper limit of the stable time is in the early 20s, and the high-end game can be removed at any time. Richards has size, basket protection, and finishing, and is a relatively pure finisher under the basket, with requirements for the ability to feed the blocker. His contract is not big (5 million next season, 5 million in the 24-25 season is not guaranteed), and there is no burden to start, but it also means that the Hornets do not have too good reasons to sell casually, and it is a situation where the price is right, and it is not suitable to keep it as a substitute and not lose money.

Nance Jr. and Paul Reed both look like the team has no substitute for backup centers for the time being, and under normal circumstances, the Pelicans and 76ers have no reason to go out. But their respective contracts look like they have the potential to be traded, for example, if the Pelicans buy a higher-level center, it is not ruled out that Nance Jr. will be put into a trim kit as an expiring contract, and if the 76ers want to completely clear the space for two high-end players, Reed is the last person to send away.

The rest of the finishing centers don't have any particular value, but if the timing is right, you need someone to take time off the bench as a No. 5, and you can check it all (free agents are given a base salary, and those with a contract are cut to a base salary).

Spatial

Jalen Smith is perhaps the best bench-level interior player on the market. Although his playoff performance was very abstract, Jalen the Great had a good regular season, shooting 5 three-pointers every 36 minutes, shooting 42.4% from three-point range and 68.9% from two-point range. In the case of being fed, Jay the Great's scoring efficiency and dessert zone radius are very ideal. His problem is that the level and size of the confrontation are always not the true No. 5 level, and there is no strategic advantage in the No. 4 position. The ball quotient has been in a state of growth, and the playoffs are acrobatic on both ends of the floor. However, the youth and the value of the regular season alone should give him a suitor in the market, and he has some opportunities to jump out of the $5.4 million contract.

Grant Williams was put in my category as a spatial center. Gwee's height and ability to protect the basket are certainly not at the center level, and he is often considered a No. 4. However, Gervais's mobility is not at the level of a regular forward, which makes him the most suitable position to defend against heavy interior players, including center and heavy No. 4. Therefore, the standard positioning of GOWell should be a 3D center without a basket guard, if you are a fan of defending the 4/5 position, GOWilway + a mobile basket protector should be a bit interesting. In terms of tradability, Gwee may be in a similar situation to Richards, with the right chips to play and keep them if they don't.

Lyles and Jaylin Williams, both of whom are spatial-type puzzle pieces that will play a role in the home team. Both of them are swinging at the No. 4/5 position, and they don't have the defensive strength to play the permanent No. 5 position, the former is occasionally pushed to the No. 5 position of the small lineup in the connecting section, which is a small change of the king, and the latter is still the best candidate for the No. 5 position of the Thunder substitute, after all, the other players in the No. 5 position of the Thunder bench are simply not inside. Normally, they don't enter the market. But Lyles is in a similar situation to the Nance mentioned above, where a modest expiring contract may be put into a package with other deals. Jaylin's salary is too low, and there is no need to go out when the Thunder get a center reinforcement. However, it is not excluded that when doing transactions, interested in home will be asked to put in the package.

Kleber is one of three mid-level contracts with the Mavericks. When encountering a team like the Clippers with extremely poor bench wing space, Kleber's three-point ability + basket protection value at the No. 4 position cannot be ignored. However, the ceiling of the five-out lineup with Kleber as the center is indeed limited, and the scarcity of his positioning determines that the trade order must be after Hardaway, but it is difficult to say who is in front of Josh Green. Given the scarcity of spacious centre-forwards, teams with idle contracts may consider asking for a lower stack.

A common trait of bench space centers is that they don't look like centers on the defensive end, which means that none of them are starters. Neither of them has the strength to punish mismatch for size, which in turn determines that they need to appear as the worst three-pointers on the court to maximize their impact at the No. 5 position. If the team has a low-play non-space point, their strategic value will be greatly reduced.

Comprehensive

There is nothing to say about Olynyk's ability, the ability to shoot, respond to the ball, and even the ball-handling skills are on the line, and the stable contribution on the offensive end is determined, even if he suffers defensively, as a substitute center will be useful in most scenarios. The doubt is just that since the Raptors have renewed his contract, and the Raptors always don't want to lie down, it seems reasonable to have a local player who is online for combat power. Perhaps pursuing him will come at a price. If Bruce Brown's contract is executed, these two should be the right No. 5/6 and No. 7 players for the playoff team, and a large premium contract could be considered to match the draft pick.

Zach Collins was put in the general type by me, and although his technical details and characteristics were different from Sarrich's, they both gave me a similar feeling - they knew a little bit about everything, but it was hard to say which one was particularly good. Collins' contract is going to be executed, 16.7 million + 18.1 million as a substitute center is not cheap, unless there is a non-center premium contract of this amount that intends to be swapped and scratched each other, it is not recommended to pursue.

Stewart and Achiuwa, both of whom are technically power forwards, but Stewart has a track record of playing center, and Achiuwa now plays center often as well. Both of them have the faces of all-powerful defensive giants, and they are not really prominent in the 4/5 position. Positioning on the offensive end is even more difficult. Stewart has renewed his contract, and the average salary of 15 million does not seem expensive, but in fact, if you don't know how to put him, it doesn't make much sense, if there is an idle contract close to the price, you can ask at a low price. Achiuwa is a restricted free agent, so be cautious if you don't have space to spare.

Of the other players in this category, the most valuable one to chase is Lefou. But unless Love jumps out of his contract, there seems to be no reason for the Heat to send away a good-for-all player who isn't too expensive. Tillman is likely to re-sign his contract with the Greens. The Rockets may execute Jeff Green's contract, and if he doesn't, he'll be better off than Wood, both of whom are going the same route, with Jeff doing more duty. Saric can still start with a base salary, but he shouldn't be your only backup centre-forward. Bagley, Landale and Boucher are only worthwhile if they are laid off (or not executed) after being traded as a balm contract.

As for the crown prince, according to the past experience of super high-ranking rookies without worrying about a second contract, he still has someone to sign.

I'm curious what kind of contract it will be.

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