What is Deni's best position?

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Natebishop3

Natebishop3

Don't tread on me!
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Is he actually a point guard?

I'm wondering what's the best players to put around Deni. I think Shae is fine, and Tou is great, but is Simons actually the best guard to put with Deni? Or Can Scoot fill the role of off ball shooter?

Is Deni actually a poor man's Luka?
 
I think he's a wing and a great secondary playmaker who can be your primary playmaker in a pinch. He's not a guard but he's quick and fast for his size. He's a really versatile basketball player because you could put him at the 3 with a true PF type and he'd have the foot speed to handle that on defense but you could put him as the only forward next to a C and three guards and he'd be great at that to. A lot of ways to use him and that's a great thing to have.
 
Natebishop3 said:
Is he actually a point guard?

I'm wondering what's the best players to put around Deni. I think Shae is fine, and Tou is great, but is Simons actually the best guard to put with Deni? Or Can Scoot fill the role of off ball shooter?

Is Deni actually a poor man's Luka?
Click to expand...


I like him at PF, honestly feel like we have our starting lineup next year. Scoot, Sharpe, Tou, Deni, Clingan. From there you can try and upgrade one of those players but they give you everything you need from starting lineup minus maybe great 3 point shooting but I think they have all shown they have ability to hit the 3 and should continue to improve.

defensively Sharpe is probably your weakest defender of that group but also has the highest upside offensively and easily could be a good defender.

you have to hope one of these players can become a superstar and I believe at least one will. If not we have a slough of draft picks and swaps that should have value including the bucks picks/swaps (I think they blow up monster no later than next year) future looks bright
 
Forward/Wing

Not a PG. His assist/turnover ratio is 1.43. That's not anywhere close to a PG standard. When Mason Plumlee was a Blazer, his assist/turnover ratio was 1.98. He wasn't a PG either
 
PF and able to capably switch on D, so he (like Toumani) won’t be the target for switches.
Donovan, Deni, Toumani (DDT) look pretty good for the future. As 1 Eye Jack said, try to upgrade one of the 5 … trade, draft, or (less likely) free agency.

Since Toumani is more switchable 1-4, getting shooters who capably D up is key. No undersized guards, please.

2004. Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton, Chauncy Billups AND a pretty strong bench.
No superstar BUT multi-stars who fit. Nobody in the NBA has that depth of serious talent. How many of Portland’s ‘young 5’ would fit on that team’s playoff rotation — maybe in a couple years?
 
Natebishop3 said:
Is he actually a point guard?

I'm wondering what's the best players to put around Deni. I think Shae is fine, and Tou is great, but is Simons actually the best guard to put with Deni? Or Can Scoot fill the role of off ball shooter?

Is Deni actually a poor man's Luka?
Click to expand...

Deni is perfect for the modern NBA in that he doesn't need a position. He can play wherever you need and do at worst a serviceable job. I think trying to say "he's this" does him and yourself a disservice. He's just a basketball player, who is best playing anywhere from 2-4 but can be a secondary initiator and a small-ball 5. He's not Luka because he doesn't create as well on the perimeter and isn't the passer, but he's much better as a rebounder and attacking the hoop. Turns it over a little too much to be your primary ballhandler, IMO, but he's great to have to give Scoot or Ant a trip or two to catch their breath. Also creates huge matchup problems.

Lastly, I think the way he plays also limits how much you use him and how you might use him against certain opponents, so I don't think you build around him so much as you build your team and he's just so adaptable that he'll find the best way to incorporate himself. He's NBA Darwin ... he evolves to fill the niche the environment provides for him. Such a luxury for a team to have.
 
Deni to me is a natural 3 with Toumani as a natural Power Forward..gives you that Chief and Mo Harkless defensive tag team but adds offense as well. With Deni and Tou and Matisse and Murray coming off the bench we never lose defensive pressure on the best players in the league. It's a great game plan.
 
UncleCliffy'sDaddy said:
Who cares about his position? Dude just needs to be on the floor.
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Because position dictates who else you play on the floor.

Who is our best off ball guard right now? Probably Simons? Deni drives a ton and you want guys around him who can shoot. Unfortunately Shaedon has been awful from three this year. Scoot has gotten a lot better. But Simons is still probably our best spot up three point shooting guard. So having him on the floor with Deni to space and knock down shots is really important.
 
If we were to commit to Deni as our PG with Simons as a small 2 alongside a big 1, does that clear the way to try to offer Scoot and/or Sharpe as part of a package for Zion?
 
I think my favorite play of the season was when he blocked a shot, gained possession of the ball and pushed the ball up the floor finishing with a dunk. Don’t remember our opponent.
 
PtldPlatypus said:
If we were to commit to Deni as our PG with Simons as a small 2 alongside a big 1, does that clear the way to try to offer Scoot and/or Sharpe as part of a package for Zion?
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That's kind of what I'm wondering.

Maybe not for Zion, but if Deni is really our best player, I would be trying to put players around him who can shoot. Right now that's not Sharpe. We're also going to be in a position where we have to make a decision about Sharpe very soon.

But I guess another question is - will Simons even WANT to re-sign here?
 
ESPN has him listed in stats as a SF & Tou as a PF.
He's Doncic lite with the way he push's the ball and uses his body to get of a shot. He has fire in his belly too!
 
Natebishop3 said:
That's kind of what I'm wondering.

Maybe not for Zion, but if Deni is really our best player, I would be trying to put players around him who can shoot. Right now that's not Sharpe. We're also going to be in a position where we have to make a decision about Sharpe very soon.

But I guess another question is - will Simons even WANT to re-sign here?
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Sharpe will be a very good three point shooter. Give him the summer to work on his shot. These things can take time.
 
blazerkor said:
I think he's a wing and a great secondary playmaker who can be your primary playmaker in a pinch. He's not a guard but he's quick and fast for his size. He's a really versatile basketball player because you could put him at the 3 with a true PF type and he'd have the foot speed to handle that on defense but you could put him as the only forward next to a C and three guards and he'd be great at that to. A lot of ways to use him and that's a great thing to have.
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Exactly what I was going to say.
 
Starting. And if you demand more, starting PF.
 
julius said:
Starting. And if you demand more, starting PF.
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Yeah the only way I think Deni comes off the bench the rest of his career is if his game declines due to injury or if you have an amazing starting lineup and he gets starter minutes off the bench so you can get him recognized with a sixth man of the year award. Deni is badass. If Shaedon and Scoot make jumps like he has this season, next season or the season after we should be a real problem for other teams. That's assuming Tou stays where he's at... if he has another level then we could be amazing.
 
blazerkor said:
Yeah the only way I think Deni comes off the bench the rest of his career is if his game declines due to injury or if you have an amazing starting lineup and he gets starter minutes off the bench so you can get him recognized with a sixth man of the year award. Deni is badass. If Shaedon and Scoot make jumps like he has this season, next season or the season after we should be a real problem for other teams. That's assuming Tou stays where he's at... if he has another level then we could be amazing.
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All of this.
 
It amazes me big nba fans still get so rigidly hung up on positional labels as if they still mean anything. Deni is Portland’s best player and he’s the primary guy to blame for the failing 25 tank. He’s a 6’8ish 230ish lb plus defender who can effectively switch onto most players on D. On offense he’s also very versatile capable of both running the point or playing off the ball being a secondary playmaker. He gets to the line at an elite level.

Scoot is the other above average playmaker on the roster. While they play well together, with this 2025 squad the staff tries to keep one of its two best offense initiators on the court at all times to keep things flowing. Both are good 3 point shooters and versatile defenders capable of blending with most anyone with talent. That said, Portland could really use a knock down shooter especially from the frontcourt to compliment their ability to break down a D. Ideally that add would be at least as big as Deni improving their small ball look.

STOMP
 
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