TLDR: Wrote a program that parses the website popcornmachine.net for games, aggregates +/- and minutes for specific lineups.
Observations:
HAM FINALLY PLAYED RUI WITH BRON AND AD. I am so happy right now you could not understand. Up to this point, Rui-Bron-AD played a total of 5:26. Tonight, they played 9:16 and were a +8. I’m liking Reddish alongisde the three of them more and more, his energy and defensive playmaking is just such a complement to this group. They were also successful with either Dlo or Austin.
Rui was quiet on the offensive end for the majority of this game, smartly making the extra pass but it often just not culminating in everything. I think LeBron recognized that down the stretch and made two straight passes to Rui in the corner for five points.
Ham decided to give Hayes minutes in the second half to Christian Wood, which worked a lot better than I expected. I’ve long been advocating for Ham to deploy Wood as a wing player rather than at center, but he played pretty well in this role.
Dlo and Austin shared no minutes tonight.
Despite having a rough half offensively, AD showed up on the defensive side of the ball, guarding the paint and cleaning up our mistakes.
Hopes:
Obviously, more Rui-Bron-AD. Ham moved Rui to be the first sub tonight. I’d like for Ham to slowly just move Rui into the starting lineup. Rui-Bron-Wood was also a pretty interesting look. I might rewatch that stretch to just get a better gauge of whether that lineup was real or just a result of shot variance.
No Dlo-Reaves-Rui-Bron-AD. Closest thing to it is Dlo-Reaves-Wood-Bron-AD, which was a +8 in ten minutes.
I think the problem with the Dlo-Reddish-Prince-Rui-AD lineup (and I haven’t gone back and watched the film btw so could totally be wrong) is that it’s a little small. I think taking Reddish or Prince out for Wood for example may make things better.