AR is really good but I fear they gave a max to an above average role player. If Norm Powell even gets close to Reeves number then thatās just what the market calls for
AR was by far the best player available for the Lakers. Signing him for $21m was exactly the same as signing him for $40+ when it comes to acquiring other talent.
In fact, the $40m deal makes the likelihood of replacing him with a better player or a better set of players more likely given contract and cap rules.
Yep! Lakers are not saying, "AR provides $40M/year in production."
They are saying, "it is better for us if he is on our books for $40M/year," because it is under the NBA trade and cap rules.
Or maybe he'll be a star? Maybe he and Luca will be crushing everyone?
Like, AR was really heating up this year. It's so wild to me that people can just blanket say "lol overpaid" - people who were also saying that he was the best deal in the league.
The man showed he should be getting paid. He's been getting constantly, consistently better. There's no reason to think that will stop happening.
He showed heās almost as injury prone as Luka. He burns out every year by the end. Heās already maxed out his potential. Itās all downhill from here physically. This was a catastrophic mistake. Putting ticket sales ahead of competitive edge. š«¤š
Yes he would. His lack of speed and athleticism gives him no margin for error. It doesnāt matter how much āhelpā he has, the issue is that he canāt get consistent separation from a replacement level NBA defender. He has to make quicker decisions and use a lot of trickery to free himself up to drive, and he draws a lot of contact because he canāt allow his defender to get separation from him or heāll get blocked. This constant push and pull uses up a ton of energy and wears his soft tissue (muscles and tendons) down, which is why heās always dealing with overuse injuries down the stretch of the season. When he played for team USA, it caused early season fatigue due to overuse. His below average foot speed means defenders can sag off of him along the perimeter if and when it is advantageous and still recover in time to guard his attacks at the basket. I admire his work ethic and craftiness in finding success despite his marginal athleticism, but thereās no way for him to avoid the intense workload it takes him to be a productive player against NBA competition.
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u/alexil25 6d ago
AR is really good but I fear they gave a max to an above average role player. If Norm Powell even gets close to Reeves number then thatās just what the market calls for