A.I wrote:
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Really, we're getting to the point where there is an obvious path to try (after giving a fully healthy bench a few games to fail as constructed just to be sure). Set up your rotation starting with the bench units - Serge and Siakam at the big spots to end the 1st and 3rd and open the 2nd and 4th. Then depending on who starts, you tweak the rotations for the rest of those quarters accordingly.
For example, if JV starts (in my opinion beside OG), then you just run that starting lineup for the first 8 minutes of the 1st and 3rd, and swap in the bench with 4 minutes left, with ~2 minutes of KL-KL overlap across frontcourts. Then you do the inverse in the 2nd, where you bring back at least one of KL-KL with about 8 minutes left, leave Serge and Siakam in for ~4 minutes, then close with the starting group.
Whereas if Serge starts, you run that starting group for only the first 5 minutes of the 1st/3rd, swap in JV-OG at that point to run with KL-KL, and then bring Serge-Siakam back in with the bench once KL-KL are fully off the court (about the 10 minute mark, based on rotations thus far). Serge-Siakam start the 2nd/4th, and sub out about 4 minutes in once one of KL-KL are back on the court. JV-OG run for about 5 minutes, then you close with Serge-Siakam for the final 3 minutes of the Q.
That second set has about 28 minutes for the starting frontcourt and 20 for the bench frontcourt (closer to 24 and 24 in the case where JV starts since the minutes have skewed that way thus far), to align with the current minutes breakdown while reallocating those minutes where players will be most useful.
I'm reminded of a growing trend in hockey analysis where it is recognized that teammate impact on a player's performance is far greater than opponent impact on a player's performance, and I think the same logic should apply here. Offensive and defensive fit within a lineup matters on both ends on every play. Defensive matchups will only sporadically matter, and only matter enough to change things significantly in the most extreme mismatches. We should sort out our best units and rotation, allowing for the most extreme matchup options (who starts at C, in our case) to be accommodated, and let the chips fall where they may for a while. Then use that experience trying that to evaluate if more extreme matchup flexibility is even needed.
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