Five big questions about training camp battles around the NBA

We have questions. Luckily, we also have answers. Some of them might be useful. A few might even turn out to be right. This is Five Big Questions.

This week we are talking about position battles around the NBA. So we will start in New Orleans where reports have Dante Cunningham as the favorite to be the starting small forward. Who should the starter be?

Brendon Kleen (@BrendonKleen14): First of all, let me just say that I’m glad there are other people who are actually concerned about this battle. I’m in favor of Cunningham starting for two reasons. The first is that he’s probably the third or fourth most valuable player on this team after Solomon Hill’s injury (depending on how you feel about E’Twaun Moore), so he should be getting a starter’s minutes load. The second is that Alvin Gentry juggles lineups so frequently that starting truly doesn’t matter. Omer Asik started 19 games for the Pelicans last year, but finished below 500 total minutes for the season. Cunningham could be the seventh man off the bench and still finish in the top four in minutes played, but his size gives him the edge over Moore as the other starting wing opposite Jrue Holiday.

Senthil Natarajan (@SENTH1S): There are 4 different players who could conceivably slot in here, and they all tilt the identity of the starting lineup in various ways: E’Twaun Moore, Dante Cunningham, Tony Allen, and Ian Clark (longer shot than the other 3, due to his size and defensive limitations). Cunningham’s main draw is that he’s a high-intensity player with a now drastically improved 3-point shot (he shot just over 39% from deep last season after never having shot above 31% in previous years). And he’s very aware of his role and limitations on offense, as half his shots last year were 3-point attempts. In a lineup with Rajon Rondo, Jrue Holiday, and two big men, it’s critical to have a fifth player with some gravity, so Cunningham is a sensible choice, provided his shooting holds. Given though that his defensive impact is probably overrated, I will say that it wouldn’t surprise me to see Tony Allen as the nominal starter if the Pelicans opt for a starting lineup with a clear defensive identity (although like Brendon touched on, it would be very surprising to see Allen actually finish with more minutes played than DC). I very much expect the starting wing spot on the Pelicans to be fluid throughout the season.

Paul Centopani (@PCentopani): Ugh…I guess Dante Cunningham? He did shoot 39.2 percent from 3-point territory last year. So he’s got that going for him, which is nice. I dunno, isn’t there a free agent they could sign? If the Pelicans do poorly this year, it won’t be because the twin tower experiment failed, it’ll be because Solomon Hill getting hurt is considered a big loss for them.

Philip Rossman-Reich (@philiprr_omd): The Pelicans should have a vacant space starting at small forward. They will transcend small ball completely and decide to play a player so small at small forward that it will appear to be nothing. Plus, I am sure they have another center they could throw in there.

Bryan Toporek (@btoporek): How can a team with Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins have such a glaring hole at small forward? Damn you, Pelicans. Cunningham wins this position battle (if you can even call it that) by default, but none of the options are all that appealing. At least Cunningham could fill a token 3-and-D role, but asking him to do more than that is a recipe for disaster.

Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg): How could it not be NBA CHAMPION Ian Clark? I don’t care that he’s undersized and not actually a small forward. Clark is good on catch-and-shoots, and can handle the ball some. If you play two centers at a time, you can play three guards at a time. New Orleans’ strategy should be to get as weird as possible.

The Kings backcourt is packed with a combination of young players and veterans. Who should start?

Kleen: Vivek Ranadive just shoved me six grand under the table to say George Hill, Garrett Temple, Vince Carter, Zach Randolph and Kosta Koufos. Sacto is gunning for the eight seed — buckle up.

Natarajan: It’s hard to pin down who will end up starting on opening night, but you can probably pencil in George Hill. As for the other four, my prediction is that Hill will be joined by Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Skal Labissiere, and Kosta Koufos, a combination of impactful veterans and youth. Given George Hill’s versatility though, it’d be interesting to see how often De’Aaron Fox and Hill share the same backcourt as the Kings look to develop their top pick from this year’s draft.

Centopani: George Hill and Buddy Hield will be the starters to begin the season. But if I was running Sacramento, I’d roll out a symbiosis pairing of De’Aaron Fox alongside Hill, with Hield shifted up to small forward. Go small. Go run-n-gun. Go crazy.

Rossman-Reich: I think I would start De’Aaron Fox and George Hill. Maybe that is what you get to eventually. Playing Fox is critical to the Kings’ development. But Hill could be a steady hand for the team. The Kings have to play their future young players and Fox is critical to that. Maybe that is not who you go with opening night, but I would suspect that is a lineup they use at some point. I just do not think Vince Carter is capable of starting quite yet.

Toporek: George Hill and Buddy Hield get the nods in the backcourt, although De’Aaron Fox will supplant Hill once the Kings inevitably fall out of the playoff race. Hill’s ability to operate both on and off the ball will make him a valuable part of Sacramento’s backcourt rotation regardless of whether he starts or comes off the bench, and like everyone else, I’m all about a Hill-Fox dual PG look at times. I live in constant fear of Sacramento starting Zach Randolph and Kosta Koufos over Skal Labissiere and Willie Cauley-Stein, though.

Goldberg: The obvious answer, if the Kings want to be half-way competitive, would be to start the vets (like they probably will, and what Vivek paid Brendon to say). But the future of this team is with the youngsters and I say throw them to the fire! Fox, Hill and Hield in a three-guard bunch, plus Labissiere and Cauley-Stein in the front court. Labissiere stretches the floor a bit for Fox’s drives, while Cauley-Stein can develop into a nice pick-and-roll partner with him. Hill is a nice secondary ball handler and Hield can help space the floor as well. If we’re negotiating (Vivek?), I’d be okay with subbing Hield for Garrett Temple.

Frank Ntilikina is banged up early in camp. Is he the starting point guard for the Knicks on opening night?

Editor’s Note: Brendon just stopped answering at this point. I guess the questions just got to be too difficult or depressing for him to answer. 

Natarajan: If the Knicks are serious about building towards the future, it should be Frankie. He’s going to, in all likelihood, be pretty bad. So are the Knicks. Let Ntilikina be bad while learning and developing his body, getting adjusted to NBA speed and physicality. Oh god the Knicks are going to start Ron Baker, aren’t they?

Centopani: Of course he is, because Knicks fans can’t have nice things. Regardless of the injury, I feel like they were gonna bring Ntilikina along with adagio. That leaves the uninspiring troika of Ron Baker, Ramon Sessions, and Jarrett Jack to choose from. I’ve already advocated for Jeff Hornacek to make a point-guard-jump-to-conclusions mat, so I’ll suggest something new. Write Baker, Sessions, and Jack’s names on the three heads of a fidget spinner and give it a whirl. Whoever lands true north will be the chosen one.

Rossman-Reich: I think the New York Knicks go slow with Frank Ntilikina. He starts by midseason at latest, but he does not start opening night. Especially because he is banged up. They will want to get him up to speed in the preseason and early parts of the season rather than throwing him to the wolves and the New York immediately. It does not seem like there is a ton of excitement for Ntilikina’s rookie year anyway. He may need the time to develop.

Toporek: Are the Knicks trying to feign competitiveness, or have they embraced the undeniable fact they’re going to be a godless abomination this year? If it’s the latter, Frankie Smokes (h/t Jared Dubin for the incredible nickname) should be the starting point guard on opening night. But because James Dolan overpaid Ron Baker in free agency this summer, I’m fully expecting some amalgam of him and Ramon Sessions early in the year before Ntilikina takes over once the tank race heats up.

Goldberg: Why do I feel like it’s going to be Jarrett Jack? And why does Jarrett Jack keep getting chances in the NBA?

Give me your Orlando Magic starting big men.

Natarajan: Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic.

Centopani: Shaq and Horace Grant.

Rossman-Reich: Aaron Gordon at point guard. Nikola Vucevic at shooting guard. Marreese Speights at small forward. Khem Birch at power forward. Bismack Biyombo at center. DO IT FRANK VOGEL.

Toporek: Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic. But since the Magic are seemingly intent on ruining Gordon’s chances of ever having a productive NBA career, I can’t wait to see who they play at the 4 instead of him! A Vucevic-Bismack Biyombo starting frontcourt? Sure, why not?

Goldberg: Gordon and The Vuc. But I’d love to see lineups with Gordon and Jonathan Isaac together because what do the Magic have to lose? More games?

The Nuggets are a team a lot of people are excited about. Who ends up their starting point guard?

Natarajan: Assuming Gary Harris is penciled in as a starter, I’d be disappointed if it weren’t Jamal Murray. It’s hard to see much optimism with Emmanuel Mudiay, barring a thoroughly incredible turnaround (despite what training camp reports are trying to say). Murray on the other hand was one of the most exciting rookies last year, and while he struggled with all the things rookies typically struggle with, he has a great three point stroke that he should continue to develop and foundational strengths to build upon whereas Mudiay still struggled with his finishing and all around feel for the game on many nights. Plus, having Nikola Jokic as the god of point centers should also conceivably help ease Murray’s transition into being the primary lead guard.

Centopani: Count me in as one of those excited people. I kinda like the idea of Jameer Nelson steering the ship with his steady veteran hands. I still believe in the potential of Emmanuel Mudiay. But Jamal Murray represents their best option with the highest upside – even if point guard isn’t his long term position. The Nuggets have the dynamic playmakers around him to make up for any lack of pure point guard skills.

Rossman-Reich: Jamal Murray probably gets the nod. They really like him and he is their future. He still does not feel like a natural point guard to me. But maybe he can grow into it. Or maybe the Nuggets just need someone to get the ball up the floor and then run the offense through Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap. So maybe they do not need a traditional point guard. I changed my mind, Jameer Nelson starts the year. Murray eventually takes over. The Nuggets need the stability to get themselves started.

Toporek: For their sake, I hope it’s Jamal Murray. Emmanuel Mudiay doesn’t look as lost on the floor, which bodes well for his ability to stay in the NBA once his rookie contract expires, but the Nuggets don’t need a ball-dominant starting point guard. Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap are two of the league’s best-passing big men, so why take the ball out of their hands? Denver should seek to surround those two with catch-and-shoot threats, and Murray fits that bill to a T.

Next: The Clippers are another team with plenty of training camp questions

Goldberg: Jamal Murrary will end up as the nominal point guard, but the offense will run through Jokic.