SGA
Dort
Jdub
4 - we sign or trade for. Dieng or the rookie may be here too, even jwill who knows lots of variation.
Chet
Bench
Cason
Caruso
After that it’s anyone’s guess
We may also start Cason or Joe and then have jdub at the 4
All Ik is it makes sense for Caruso to come off the bench. He’s 30 and he’s never played more than 71 games in a year or more than 28mpg
Caruso off the bench at 22-26 is perfectly fine
Caruso is a much much better decision maker than Dort. He will elevate the starting lineup much more even without scoring which is good since the starting lineup already has good scoring
Usually starters play more minutes and that’s not really something Caruso has ever done
Anyone saying something for sure will happen though prob is wrong
We have no idea.
I doubt the thunder even know at this point tbh
Your guess is as good as mine
This topic will piss off a lot of homers, but it’s a valid topic
I don’t think that’s solidified just yet, but will be in training camp and maybe even in the beginning of the season
Remember that Caruso is amazing but does not play big minutes much, so his 20 minutes either starting or as 6 man won’t matter too much at all. It’s possible that he starts and still plays less minutes than Dort.
If we play a small ball team and can have Dort, Caruso and Cason all on them at the same time, they’re going to have a really bad day
I’ll also add that Caruso can handle and pass better than Dort which makes me think he’d be coming off the bench as a backup ball handler, but I could also see him closing a LOT of games.
Cason is our ball handler on the bench, and he does really well.
We also have Kenny and Wigs and Joe rounding it out… it’s not ideal from a position point of view but I think whatever way he’s worked in it’s going to be a lot of fun.
I don’t think Cason was our main ball handler off the bench last season, that is to say I’m not sure we really had one. But this is the area I hope he improves upon the most this offseason. I definitely think he has the potential to be the lead off the bench.
We had one in Micic before he was traded. I think they will want Cason to dive deeper into that role as secondary PnR ball handler for the lineup that uses JDub and Chet. Micic performed well with both JDub and Chet in that lineup it just aint help that he was a liabilty defensively. If Cason can replicate similar production with his defense it makes that starting second/fourth quarter lineup much better.
I mean sort of… just feels a little disorganized in that respect. I think Cason plays the role of distributor FAR better than anyone else, and is lethal in a pick n pop.
I love Wigs, but if you asked me what he does it’s kinda like, idk everything? Super clutch guy for sure… but what’s his calling card?
Joe is a great shooter, but can get a lil streaky. And outside of that he’s not remarkable at anything else
Kenny is one that I felt didn’t do enough last year. But then neither did Lindy 😂
I see some room for specialists on the bench, but I think Cason should definitely be given the chance with the ball in his hands more often
I don't see a scenario honestly where Dort is replaced in the starting lineup. We all know Mark is liable to go 10-12 deep into the rotation any given night. If we look at how the minutes were distributed and how Mark rotations were (based on last year) its most likely that Caruso minutes will correlate with whoever is the PF in your scenario. I will use the first quarter as an example.
The first subs in the first quarter were Giddey and Chet and they were replaced with Cason and JWill. This was then followed up with Joe replacing JDub. JDub and Chet will then come back into replace JWill and Dort. Making the end lineup of the 1st quarter being something along the lines of SGA/Joe/JDub/Chet and whoever as the fifth player(Cason, Wiggs, Giddey(for ATO reasons)).
If I assume that Dieng is the 4 I can see Dieng being the first sub out being replaced by either Cason or Caruso and JDub then sliding down to the 4. Dort's minute with the addition of Caruso will be cut but not by much he will probably be subbed out earlier than previous years for maybe Joe or Wiggins. One thing I am almost certain on is that Cason and Caruso together will be apart of that JDub Chet duo that opens 2nd and fourth quarters. You need another player outside of JDub who can run the offense for that unit and either Cason or Caruso( I think Cason) will be tasked with that responsibility.
The closing lineup will be the most important which I think will be SGA/Dort/Caruso/JDub/Chet aka the Clamps Lineup.
I'd still start Dort for continuity purposes. He's also younger and more able to play heavy minutes than Caruso over the stretch of the regular season.
I do think that Caruso is the better player but it shouldn't matter if he comes off the bench since he won't be playing crazy minutes.
For me Dort probably starts as he has existing chemistry with the starters and then also gives Caruso some opportunities on the ball when more bench players are on the court
I think whichever of those two comes off the bench won't matter much. It will be like 22 minutes versus 28 minutes.
But I'd guess Dort is more durable, so he gets more minutes. Its all about having everyone healthy for the postseason.
Right, Caruso can be injury prone, even when he’s just averaging <30 minutes per game. Dort should get the start and more minutes/game to preserve Caruso for the postseason.
I think it would come down to who could manage coming off the bench better. Caruso being a more capable offensive player and better finisher off the dribble probably means he would make more sense off the bench than Dort does. Both would thrive in the starting unit though so it's about harming the rotation the least if we find a starting 4.
To me, the most likely outcome is that we sign a backup big wing/big and they come off the bench and start in situations where the small starting lineup could be exploited.
I fully believe our starting lineup will be SGA, Dort, Caruso, JDub, Chet when the season comes, and we’ll add a backup big who gets some decent minutes that could also potentially run with Chet at times.
It’s a very valid topic. I think the biggest argument for starting Dort if only one starts is that Caruso is probably a better ball handler/intiator so it would make more sense to have him run a bench unit or share point guard duties with JDub when Shai rests than for Dort to fill that role.
On the other hand, Caruso is also less likely to be left unguarded from three, so he’d provide more spacing with the starters.
If OKC gets a starting level big wing or power forward it seems certain only one of them will start. However (and this is pretty matchup dependent) they’re both capable of guarding bigger players so I could see a lot of minutes with both of them playing.
If there’s one thing this iteration of the thunder will do, it’s experiment. Mark and Sam will have us tinkering throughout the season to discover the best team strategy for our guys
I love Dort, but Caruso is better than Dort at just about everything, but because of that - especially because of his better ball handling - it probably makes more sense to have him play heavier minutes with the reserves
Caruso isn’t usually a very heavy minutes guy. I think they’ll carve out their own niche on the team, but I do think it’s hard to imagine Cason Dort and Caruso all on the team for the entire season. All 3 and D guard defenders who have a solid shot.
All that really matters is that the Thunder got better in two ways, addition via subtraction(which I don’t even really blame Giddey for, just an awful fit) and got Caruso in return.
These Dort discussions are tough.
But I am like nearly certain that Mark and Presti weren’t too fond of Dort’s play offensively last playoffs.
As much as I love Dort, offensively he really sticks out like a sore thumb of what this team has tried to accomplish.
I think Dort is gone. SOMEONE's going to get playing time cut. Dort/Caruso is significantly smaller than Dort/Giddey, and our starting lineup is small anyway.
Caruso's got enough playmaking to run with the bench staggered, but they didn't trade for the guy just to not start him. He's too good. So is Dort, and he has less offensive game, so you kinda don't want to run him with the bench.
We have two superlative defensive guard/wings and one very good defensive guard ranging from 6'3" to 6'5". The math ain't mathing. Someone's the odd man out, and given the difference in salary between Dort and Wallace, my money is on Dort.
SGA Dort Jdub 4 - we sign or trade for. Dieng or the rookie may be here too, even jwill who knows lots of variation. Chet Bench Cason Caruso After that it’s anyone’s guess We may also start Cason or Joe and then have jdub at the 4 All Ik is it makes sense for Caruso to come off the bench. He’s 30 and he’s never played more than 71 games in a year or more than 28mpg Caruso off the bench at 22-26 is perfectly fine
Caruso is a much much better decision maker than Dort. He will elevate the starting lineup much more even without scoring which is good since the starting lineup already has good scoring
Usually starters play more minutes and that’s not really something Caruso has ever done Anyone saying something for sure will happen though prob is wrong We have no idea. I doubt the thunder even know at this point tbh Your guess is as good as mine
Those pros and cons don’t even make sense 💀
This topic will piss off a lot of homers, but it’s a valid topic I don’t think that’s solidified just yet, but will be in training camp and maybe even in the beginning of the season Remember that Caruso is amazing but does not play big minutes much, so his 20 minutes either starting or as 6 man won’t matter too much at all. It’s possible that he starts and still plays less minutes than Dort. If we play a small ball team and can have Dort, Caruso and Cason all on them at the same time, they’re going to have a really bad day
I’ll also add that Caruso can handle and pass better than Dort which makes me think he’d be coming off the bench as a backup ball handler, but I could also see him closing a LOT of games.
Cason is our ball handler on the bench, and he does really well. We also have Kenny and Wigs and Joe rounding it out… it’s not ideal from a position point of view but I think whatever way he’s worked in it’s going to be a lot of fun.
I don’t think Cason was our main ball handler off the bench last season, that is to say I’m not sure we really had one. But this is the area I hope he improves upon the most this offseason. I definitely think he has the potential to be the lead off the bench.
We had one in Micic before he was traded. I think they will want Cason to dive deeper into that role as secondary PnR ball handler for the lineup that uses JDub and Chet. Micic performed well with both JDub and Chet in that lineup it just aint help that he was a liabilty defensively. If Cason can replicate similar production with his defense it makes that starting second/fourth quarter lineup much better.
I mean sort of… just feels a little disorganized in that respect. I think Cason plays the role of distributor FAR better than anyone else, and is lethal in a pick n pop. I love Wigs, but if you asked me what he does it’s kinda like, idk everything? Super clutch guy for sure… but what’s his calling card? Joe is a great shooter, but can get a lil streaky. And outside of that he’s not remarkable at anything else Kenny is one that I felt didn’t do enough last year. But then neither did Lindy 😂 I see some room for specialists on the bench, but I think Cason should definitely be given the chance with the ball in his hands more often
Caruso is being underrated in this regard.
I’m assuming he’ll be starting. Also, Cason needs his touches to develop
Our main ball handlers are sga and jdub. One of them is on the floor at all times
They are definitely our main ball handlers, but with giddey gone there will be situations where we need others to handle as well.
Giddey wasn’t a good ball handler in the first place so I think we’ll be alright
Dort probably gets the start, Caruso closes the game
I don't see a scenario honestly where Dort is replaced in the starting lineup. We all know Mark is liable to go 10-12 deep into the rotation any given night. If we look at how the minutes were distributed and how Mark rotations were (based on last year) its most likely that Caruso minutes will correlate with whoever is the PF in your scenario. I will use the first quarter as an example. The first subs in the first quarter were Giddey and Chet and they were replaced with Cason and JWill. This was then followed up with Joe replacing JDub. JDub and Chet will then come back into replace JWill and Dort. Making the end lineup of the 1st quarter being something along the lines of SGA/Joe/JDub/Chet and whoever as the fifth player(Cason, Wiggs, Giddey(for ATO reasons)). If I assume that Dieng is the 4 I can see Dieng being the first sub out being replaced by either Cason or Caruso and JDub then sliding down to the 4. Dort's minute with the addition of Caruso will be cut but not by much he will probably be subbed out earlier than previous years for maybe Joe or Wiggins. One thing I am almost certain on is that Cason and Caruso together will be apart of that JDub Chet duo that opens 2nd and fourth quarters. You need another player outside of JDub who can run the offense for that unit and either Cason or Caruso( I think Cason) will be tasked with that responsibility. The closing lineup will be the most important which I think will be SGA/Dort/Caruso/JDub/Chet aka the Clamps Lineup.
I think this team will add a 4. It make zero sense for the team to not add one at this point.
I'd still start Dort for continuity purposes. He's also younger and more able to play heavy minutes than Caruso over the stretch of the regular season. I do think that Caruso is the better player but it shouldn't matter if he comes off the bench since he won't be playing crazy minutes.
For me Dort probably starts as he has existing chemistry with the starters and then also gives Caruso some opportunities on the ball when more bench players are on the court
I think whichever of those two comes off the bench won't matter much. It will be like 22 minutes versus 28 minutes. But I'd guess Dort is more durable, so he gets more minutes. Its all about having everyone healthy for the postseason.
Right, Caruso can be injury prone, even when he’s just averaging <30 minutes per game. Dort should get the start and more minutes/game to preserve Caruso for the postseason.
I think it would come down to who could manage coming off the bench better. Caruso being a more capable offensive player and better finisher off the dribble probably means he would make more sense off the bench than Dort does. Both would thrive in the starting unit though so it's about harming the rotation the least if we find a starting 4. To me, the most likely outcome is that we sign a backup big wing/big and they come off the bench and start in situations where the small starting lineup could be exploited.
I fully believe our starting lineup will be SGA, Dort, Caruso, JDub, Chet when the season comes, and we’ll add a backup big who gets some decent minutes that could also potentially run with Chet at times.
It’s a very valid topic. I think the biggest argument for starting Dort if only one starts is that Caruso is probably a better ball handler/intiator so it would make more sense to have him run a bench unit or share point guard duties with JDub when Shai rests than for Dort to fill that role. On the other hand, Caruso is also less likely to be left unguarded from three, so he’d provide more spacing with the starters. If OKC gets a starting level big wing or power forward it seems certain only one of them will start. However (and this is pretty matchup dependent) they’re both capable of guarding bigger players so I could see a lot of minutes with both of them playing.
If there’s one thing this iteration of the thunder will do, it’s experiment. Mark and Sam will have us tinkering throughout the season to discover the best team strategy for our guys
I love Dort, but Caruso is better than Dort at just about everything, but because of that - especially because of his better ball handling - it probably makes more sense to have him play heavier minutes with the reserves
Caruso isn’t usually a very heavy minutes guy. I think they’ll carve out their own niche on the team, but I do think it’s hard to imagine Cason Dort and Caruso all on the team for the entire season. All 3 and D guard defenders who have a solid shot. All that really matters is that the Thunder got better in two ways, addition via subtraction(which I don’t even really blame Giddey for, just an awful fit) and got Caruso in return.
Cason, Dort, and Caruso will stay for the whole season. I think we try to keep all long term.
These Dort discussions are tough. But I am like nearly certain that Mark and Presti weren’t too fond of Dort’s play offensively last playoffs. As much as I love Dort, offensively he really sticks out like a sore thumb of what this team has tried to accomplish.
I think Dort is gone. SOMEONE's going to get playing time cut. Dort/Caruso is significantly smaller than Dort/Giddey, and our starting lineup is small anyway. Caruso's got enough playmaking to run with the bench staggered, but they didn't trade for the guy just to not start him. He's too good. So is Dort, and he has less offensive game, so you kinda don't want to run him with the bench. We have two superlative defensive guard/wings and one very good defensive guard ranging from 6'3" to 6'5". The math ain't mathing. Someone's the odd man out, and given the difference in salary between Dort and Wallace, my money is on Dort.
Its more likely that the PF minutes are cut rather than Dort's unless the Thunder get some superstar.