NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 11: Talen Horton-Tucker #0 of the Utah Jazz handles the ball against the New York Knicks during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden on February 11, 2023 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Evan Yu/Getty Images)
Bleacher Report’s ‘wild lineup’ isn’t “wild” so much as it’s bad
The Utah Jazz can get wild with their lineups, but maybe don’t use this one.
The Utah Jazz are a team with a lot of uniqueness. When your starting small forward is 7’0 tall, you can do a lot of wild stuff with your rotations. While the Jazz’s rotations aren’t finalized yet, as we don’t know who’s coming off the bench as the sixth man, or who’s going to start at point guard (or shooting guard), what we do know is that there exists some interesting matchup ideas.
Bleacher Report agrees and suggests a wild lineup that would see Markkanen playing shooting guard, John Collins at small forward, Kelly Olynyk at power forward, and Walker Kessler at center. That’s all well and good, but the issue with this suggestion comes with Talen Horton-Tucker.
Admittedly, the article suggests that Horton-Tucker is only here due to his wing span, and while that makes sense, it’s a weak reason to include him. Especially when you have someone like Luka Samanic on the team.
Samanic is not some one-note big-man like guys from the 1990s. He’s someone who has good handling for a man his size, and shockingly good court vision. When you give him 25-30 minutes per game, Samanic, while working in the post more nights than not, will average anywhere from 2.5 to 4 assists per game.
If you put him at the point guard spot with this lineup, you’re going to not only keep the height advantage but you’re going to get the Jazz their best shot at winning, with this lineup. Now, this is a bad lineup. Olynyk is likely on his way out, and Markkanen has solid handles for a power forward, but not so for a shooting guard.
And while Samanic would be the best fit at point guard for this lineup, he’s still a better post player than a wing. Though, he could probably add a lot of value to the lineup if they ran more offense through him.
