Originally Posted by
Pelicanidae
This is true if you're playing traditional drop and hedge/recover stuff, but it can be more flexible IF the big you have can switch and do so well, and you have good help and tag set-ups, which we would have with Herb. We managed a top 10 defense three years straight with Jonas Valanciunas as our starting centre. There are a lot of things that Willie and his crew are not good at, but those guys can construct a defense that works, regardless.
In any case, I don't suggest starting any rookies. In my dream scenario which ends up with Duren and Sarr, Duren would be starting. He'd be going into his third NBA season, aged only 20, having averaged 11.6 RPG last season and at least 17 rebounds per 100 in each of his first two years. Led the league in Defensive Rebounding %age this season. He's not a great defender, largely because Detroit contains nothing on the perimeter (at least, not whenever Thompson is off the floor) but as with Valanciunas, I do trust Willie and his coaching staff to scheme around a slightly sub-par defensive centre, and Duren is still young enough that defensive development is very possible. Especially when you consider that he was very good defensively in college.
Sarr would be coming off the bench in this scenario, and while I fully expect him to have some rookie teething problems, I think his finishing, offensive rebounding, and perimeter defense will translate immediately, so we'd be getting different looks. That might satisfy Green's desire to see switchy 'small-ball' without having to rely on actually being small, and would help make Nance redundant. Which is good because Nance needs to go.
I think you're able to get away with slightly less defensive communication from your big when Herb Jones exists.