SHOOTING GUARD
Gerald Henderson, Nik Stauskas, Hollis Thompson, Brandon Paul, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
Next to the record, the team’s greatest disappointment last season was the shooting guard role. Manned by Nik Stauskas, Hollis Thompson, and Isaiah Canaan, the position routinely turned into a clinic of what not to do on defense. Now don’t believe that Brown wants his shooting guard to challenge each shot at the perimeter.
He doesn’t.
What we expects is for his wings to annoy the opponent, but shut them down when they make a move towards the basket. If you want to fault Jahlil Okafor’s defense from last season, you will want to start here.
The fix begins with free agent Gerald Henderson. I love this signing. Henderson brings passion back to his hometown at a critical moment in the team’s development. Rather than fearing the fans, he will tap into the emotions in the stands and channel them into his teammates on the court.
Another player I love is Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. He is the highest rated two-way player at wing in this draft, and his summer league work showed that potential. He practically shut down the Los Angeles Lakers‘ Brandon Ingram in their matchup.
Rounding out the position are Hollis Thompson, Nik Stauskas, and Brandon Paul. While a tie-breaker would likely end up with Thompson remaining, the spot is wide open at the moment. Stauskas gets another chance to deliver this pre-season on his potential, while Brandon Paul may slip in after a solid summer league performance.