This team is absolutely loaded and just to start with a few of our young core 4 of the future along with Jrue. We have Ingram at just 22 years old playing like an MVP nightly and the numbers he has could easily be thrown into that race. Ingram has not just been great but incredible and the scary thing is he is only going to get better! There isn’t a skill this kid doesn’t have. Lonzo has really started to find his groove and looks to be getting more and more comfortable offensively. People need to remember he is just 22 years old and had more pressure then arguably any player in NBA history outside of LeBron James to start his career. He just rebuilt his shot about 6 months ago and so far it looks like his future shooting the ball is what everyone thought Ball would do entering the draft. His skill set fits exactly what we need at the PG position when you add in who we have around him. Hayes is starting to come into his own as well. He simply needed time while his head was spinning at first starting NBA games. His core strength and weight looks to have improved along with less pressure being there allowing him to just play with Favors return. What a good mentor for Hayes to have as well and it might not get much better than having him around. Oh yea and JAX is just 19 freaking years old!! Jrue is the perfect vet and all around combo guard to have in the locker room for these young guys. I don’t care what anyone says when he has a bad night or blah blah because when Zion comes back he will be even better suited to do what he does best. Fans were all in his MVP bandwagon and now completely turned on him lol but Griff isn’t stupid. Then there is Zion! Enough said just ZION!!
I can’t wait to see Lonzo and Jrue continue to work and grow with each other in the back court. They compliment each other so well giving us a ton of versatility with arguably the best defensive backcourt duo in the NBA. Jrue having to be the #1 option is not his game but when you make Jrue the 3a/3b option you have a championship team and soon we can do that. Not only is he best with another ball handler to help out but he now has not just 1 but 3 others in the starting lineup with him! Next to the guard duo you have arguably the best young forward duo in NBA history! Ingram and Zion who can create not only the best young forward duo the NBA has ever seen but rival the likes of George/Leonard along with Lebron/AD from the get go. These 2 as our 1a/1b with both having that Alpha dog in them and are all about team is as good as it gets!
I’m an E’Twuan Moore fan and love that he is Zions mentor but eventually his minutes are going to be NAWs and others. I think lots of contending teams can use Moore’s services and even we still can but since he will be gone after the season I see him being moved for assets and having more of those minutes go to guys like NAW/Hart/Frank. Would love to see a lineup that has Lonzo/Jrue/Ingram/Zion starting with NAW/JJ/Hart off the bench along with some obvious staggering of players together. I think for now starting Favors is best and letting Hayes come in with no pressure. I love how Gentry has been using Favors/Hayes.
This team can be so good once Zion comes back and our guys get some time to play and learn each other. I really believe if Zion comes back soon this team will make the playoffs. Gentry has this team looking completely different and like the team we all expected to see. To think how many games we lost by literally 1 play needing to go our way at the beginning of the season is just crazy and would easily have us in the playoffs right now. Gentry deserves a lot of credit keeping this team together and believing. It’s pretty obvious injuries and guys not having enough time playing with each other played a big part in our losses early on in the season. Let’s go Pels!!
Starters - ZO/JRUE/BI/ZION/JAX
Bench - NAW/JJ/HART/NICO/FAVORS
Subs - FRANK/MOORE/KENNY/CHEATHAM/OKAFOR
This group of guys minus a couple here and there along with draft picks is one hell of a team! The only players who will be getting old and in need of a replacement is Jrue and Favors which is about 4-5 years away and we have those replacements. That starting lineup is going to be our group for atleast the next 3 years imo while NAW fights for some 6th man of the year awards and eventually being Jrues replacement. JJ is someone we try to keep until he retires as a 3pt sniper even while his minutes drop. Hart is one of those bench players you keep around who can start and guard multiple positions on any night. Not a championship team who doesn’t have a player like him and we got ours! I keep Favors around as long as he can contribute to help mentor Hayes and give our bench a legit big. IMO we need to concentrate our draft picks on versatile forwards and centers. Unless we can grab LaMelo but outside of him I don’t see PG/SG/SF needing a starter or backup.. We could definitely use a backup to Zion and someone behind Hayes when Favors is gone.
ZO/BI/ZION/JAX is going to go down as one of the best core 4s of all time!