Rotation predictions

[DaPelFromHell]

The starting front court is set in stone with Steven Adams at the 5, Zion at the 4, with BI at the 3. Now the backcourt is tricky as who will start. I think Eric Bledsoe should start at the 1 since Lonzo?s half court point play leaves a lot to be desired. So who will start at the 2 between Lonzo and JJ? Do we want the play making, speed, defense, rebounding, and height of Lonzo Ball or do we want the elite 3 point shooting of JJ Redick to space the floor for Zion & BI? I hope we see a platoon based on the matchups. Plus it would be nice to have their trade value at the highest come the trade deadline if we want to move either of them if we are not looking at a potential playoff spot.

C: Adams, Hayes, Hernangomez, Zion
PF: Zion, Melli, BI
SF: BI, Hart, Lonzo
SG: JJ, Lonzo, NAW, Hart
PG: Bledsoe, Lonzo, Kira

I think Lonzo being the 6th man most nights might be ideal since he can play the 1, 2, or 3. I?m sure we will see a small ball lineup of Zion, BI, Lonzo, JJ, & Bledsoe at times since they will likely be our 5 best players on the roster. I?m hoping NAW is ready to be in the main rotation as he has shown to have some serious talent. I would also like to see Kira and his speed get minutes as well. He looks like Ja Morant minus the dunks. I doubt he will be in the regular rotation early on, but maybe towards the end of the season he will get more minutes. It will likely come down to the play of NAW and Kira as to who will be in the regular rotation down the stretch.

[6warddude]

C: Adams, hernangomez
PF: zion, melli
SF: ingram, hart
SG: lonzo, JJ, NAW
PG: bledsoe, lonzo

if we go into the season healthy...

[As I See It]

C: Adams (28); Hernangomez; Hayes; Zion
PF: Zion (30); Melli; Hayes
SF: BI (34); Hart; Zion; JJ
SG: Lonzo (22); JJ; NAW; Hart
PG: EB (28); Kira; NAW; Lonzo

Numbers represent anticipated minutes played by starters at that position.
It's could be Hayes then Hernmangomez by midyear.
Personally, I would love to see BI get minutes at SG but team composition makes this unlikely
NAW is the wildcard.

[pelafanatic]

PG: Bledsoe -- 30 mpg
SG: Lonzo -- 28 mpg
SF: Ingram -- 34 mpg
PF: Zion -- 31 mpg
C: Adams -- 27 mpg
6th: Hart -- 24 mpg
7th: JJ -- 23 mpg
8th: NAW -- 18 mpg
9th: Hayes -- 15 mpg
10th: Melli -- 10 mpg

1) Expect to see more of Hart than JJ because of lack of SF depth, IMO, but this will obviously be linear based on opponents.
2) Plenty of NAW, hopefully with the likes of either Bledsoe, Zo, or BI as well as a lob catcher in Zion or Hayes. He will not be the only ball handler on the floor this year during his minutes, thank god!!!
3) Hayes starts the season at 16. Could rise to 22 or drop to 5 depending on the progress he makes defensively. Pels are desperate for Hayes to become an asset, so I think he plays a lot more than people expect
4) I actually expect an 11-12 man rotation to start the year as guys get back into basketball shape, specifically after SVG's comments
5) They spoke about Zion at the 3, but I don't see it yet with this particular group. There's not really much of a way to get Zion minutes at the 3 without burying Hart for a guy like Wenyen Gabriel or extended Melli run

Closing lineups will usually be the same as the starting lineup, but I see definite scenarios in which they finish with Zion at the 5 and either Hart or JJ (or even NAW) in a 3 guard lineup in games where they need offense.

[SoCal4Pels]

This is about how I see minutes distributed early on, though I am hoping Hayes, Kira, Marshall, and NAW show some good development and get bumped up in these rotations:

5: Adams, Hernangomez, Hayes, Zion
4: Zion, Melli, Hart, Marshall
3: Ingram, Hart, Marshall, Melli
2: Lonzo, Redick, Hart, NAW, Bledsoe
1: Bledsoe, Lonzo, Kira, NAW


Really looking forward to seeing some "Speed Kills" lineups:

5. Zion/Hayes
4. BI/Zion
3. NAW
2. Lonzo
1. Kira

[Silver Nail]

Griff told us that Zion would probably get time as a 3. Don't see him at the 5 hardly ever.

5. SA30, JAX18, WIL, WEN
4. ZW25, NM23, WEN
3. BI35, ZW13, HART, LB, NAW, SIN
2. LB25, JJ23, HART, NAW
1. EB25, KL13,NAW10, LB

[pelafanatic]

Griff told us that Zion would probably get time as a 3. Don't see him at the 5 hardly ever.

5. SA30, JAX18, WIL, WEN
4. ZW25, NM23, WEN
3. BI35, ZW13, HART, LB, NAW, SIN
2. LB25, JJ23, HART, NAW
1. EB25, KL13,NAW10, LB

I don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but Zion will not average 38 MPG

[MichaelMcNamara]

I don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but Zion will not average 38 MPG

I also dont think Hayes is getting 18 (if team is healthy) or Kira is getting 13 (again, if team is healthy)

I would say a fully healthy team, the minutes are something like:

Ingram - 34
Zion - 34
Lonzo - 32
Bledsoe - 30
Hart - 26
Adams - 26
JJ - 24
Melli - 18
NAW - 10
Hayes or Hernangomez - 10

Injuries will happen, covid will happen, and rotation might change if trades happens or Pels are clearly out of playoff race (unlikely, since playoff race goes to 10 this year)

But from the jump, I dont see Kira getting any minutes and Hayes is gonna be in for a real fight with Hernangomez, who I think is the superior player right now.

[pelafanatic]

I also dont think Hayes is getting 18 (if team is healthy) or Kira is getting 13 (again, if team is healthy)

I would say a fully healthy team, the minutes are something like:

Ingram - 34
Zion - 34
Lonzo - 32
Bledsoe - 30
Hart - 26
Adams - 26
JJ - 24
Melli - 18
NAW - 10
Hayes or Hernangomez - 10

Injuries will happen, covid will happen, and rotation might change if trades happens or Pels are clearly out of playoff race (unlikely, since playoff race goes to 10 this year)

But from the jump, I dont see Kira getting any minutes and Hayes is gonna be in for a real fight with Hernangomez, who I think is the superior player right now.

Pretty in agreement here, other than Jax.

I think we see NAW somewhere closer to 16-18, with a few less minutes for Lonzo and Melli. I think we see a good bit of BI at the 4 when Adams is at the 5 (similar to Gallo and Adams last season), so that will cut into Melli's minutes.

[MichaelMcNamara]

Coaches always wanna play young guys more in the preseason. Then reality hits and they lose a few games here and there because of one or two possessions. All of a sudden, young guys minutes go down and older guys get more.

I think that happens again in late Jan, Feb, etc

[pelafanatic]

Unless NAW really tanks, I can promise that won’t happen. May happen with Jax

[As I See It]

Coaches always wanna play young guys more in the preseason. Then reality hits and they lose a few games here and there because of one or two possessions. All of a sudden, young guys minutes go down and older guys get more.

I think that happens again in late Jan, Feb, etc

I agree for the most part, but this year is an unusual one (new coaching staff, condensed preseason, COVID). I think starters will play a lot in preseason, but I do think we'll see a lot of Will/JAX battle and heavy dose of NAW. I do think NAW will breakout which will open things up at the trade deadline (JJ, Lonzo, Hart). If Will can slide down and play some 4, you may even see Melli on the block.

[luckyman]

Hayes will get as many minutes as a backup center should. If anything the "3rd" center will continue to be Melli.

This Hernangomez feller is this year's Jah. He's insurance for injury or otherwise won't see much playing time.

[stevemadden504]

I was looking forward to seeing more Hayes but now idk if he'll touch the floor

[As I See It]

Hayes will get as many minutes as a backup center should. If anything the "3rd" center will continue to be Melli.

This Hernangomez feller is this year's Jah. He's insurance for injury or otherwise won't see much playing time.

Will is the only 5 that can potentially spread the floor (unless you consider Melli). I would be surprised if JAX is the primary backup when play starts up. Pleasantly surprised, but, nonetheless, surprised. He simply has far too much to learn to be effective now.

[Pelicanidae]

Hayes will get as many minutes as a backup center should. If anything the "3rd" center will continue to be Melli.

This Hernangomez feller is this year's Jah. He's insurance for injury or otherwise won't see much playing time.

Yeah, I agree with this. No reason that he should get inherent priority over Hayes imo. He's played about 12 minutes a game for the last three years, is already 25, and offers little in terms of a completely different look on the floor (he's not a shooter, not a crazy passer, for example, in a way that would make him a clear pick over Jax). He's the Okafor. That's fine, there's nothing wrong with that.

[smcgull]

I hope all of the younger players surprise everyone. Help them make the playoffs as an exciting, and surprising great defensive team.

[AusPel]

I was looking forward to seeing more Hayes but now idk if he'll touch the floor

What am I missing?

Why did we draft a super raw centre AT EIGHT if everyone else is going to get minutes ahead of him?

Was Silver given the wrong name at draft night?

Was he planned to be trade bait right from the beginning?

I'm really confused

[As I See It]

What am I missing?

Why did we draft a super raw centre AT EIGHT if everyone else is going to get minutes ahead of him?

Was Silver given the wrong name at draft night?

Was he planned to be trade bait right from the beginning?

I'm really confused

At eight, they probably thought his ceiling was higher than the rest (I agree). The problem is that his floor could be below sea level. I'll take the 'half-full 'approach until proven otherwise. Some players are black...some players are white....but our Jaxson is as GREEN as the 18th fairway at Augusta; he desperately needs to learn the game!!!

I dare say that no lottery pick has ever been made with less practical playing experience than JAX in NBA History.

[MichaelMcNamara]

What am I missing?

Why did we draft a super raw centre AT EIGHT if everyone else is going to get minutes ahead of him?

Was Silver given the wrong name at draft night?

Was he planned to be trade bait right from the beginning?

I'm really confused

DeAndre Jordan (who I think Hayes is as raw as coming out and Hayes is a year younger when he came out) got 14 mins his rookie year, then 16 his 2nd year) Finally became a starter and got 25mpg by age 22

Bigs take a while to understand the game. And Hayes also has to put on bulk, so he is both raw and has an under developed body

I think he COULD get 15-18 mins this year, especially when injuries occur, but he wont just get those minutes because he was the 8th overall pick. He will have to beat out Hernangomez, and that is not a given. Hernangomez has an NBA body and a better overall offensive skill set as of right now. Also, he isnt great defensively, but I have not seen many guys look more lost than Hayes did last year and if he looks that lost this year, he will get quick hooks from SVG

[new city champ]

Why are you so convinced Kira won’t get any minutes this year? Herro was an one-and-done SEC guard taken at 13 last year and played substantial minutes for a title contender. Booker and Mitchell were also young guards taken at 13 and saw substantial rookie playing time. Not saying Lewis will be as good as those guys, but not sure why you think he’s a G-Leaguer...

[MichaelMcNamara]

Why are you so convinced Kira won’t get any minutes this year? Herro was an one-and-done SEC guard taken at 13 last year and played substantial minutes for a title contender. Booker and Mitchell were also young guards taken at 13 and saw substantial rookie playing time. Not saying Lewis will be as good as those guys, but not sure why you think he’s a G-Leaguer...

"not get any minutes" wouldnt be 100% accurate. He will get minutes once injuries and covid occur.

And yes, you can list guards taken in his range that got heavy minutes, but they would be the outliers, not the norm. They also were on teams without the guard depth this team has. They also had a summer league and a training camp.

Kira wont have played in 9 months, had no Summer League, and will have the shortest training camp of all time. The Pels will have like 6 days of camp before preseason begins. It has nothing to do with Lewis -- I like him a lot long term. But I dont think any rookie would have made the Pels rotation to start this year. Nothing against Lewis at all

[pelafanatic]

What am I missing?

Why did we draft a super raw centre AT EIGHT if everyone else is going to get minutes ahead of him?

Was Silver given the wrong name at draft night?

Was he planned to be trade bait right from the beginning?

I'm really confused

I was listening to I think Vecenie talk about Wiseman in a draft review the other day. He was saying its not often that they see a 7 footer move and jump with coordination like Wiseman does. Then he just kind of tossed in that Jaxson Hayes was the biggest freak they've ever seen in this regard last year. That's why you pick him 8th.

He's raw as hell because he started playing so late; but the pieces are there for him to be insanely good offensively (I think passing ability and jumper as well). Just need to put those pieces together, and that takes time.

[PELICANSFAN]

I was listening to I think Vecenie talk about Wiseman in a draft review the other day. He was saying its not often that they see a 7 footer move and jump with coordination like Wiseman does. Then he just kind of tossed in that Jaxson Hayes was the biggest freak they've ever seen in this regard last year. That's why you pick him 8th.

He's raw as hell because he started playing so late; but the pieces are there for him to be insanely good offensively (I think passing ability and jumper as well). Just need to put those pieces together, and that takes time.

I think the main part of his development needs to be the mental part. He seemed confused often last year. Once the game slows down for him, he will be much better. He can continue to work on his body as well.

[pelafanatic]

I think the main part of his development needs to be the mental part. He seemed confused often last year. Once the game slows down for him, he will be much better. He can continue to work on his body as well.

Absolutely. No argument here