Since the general's retirement, the interior has been the object of headaches for Popovich, the coaching staff and management, and when Duncan was still playing, the management has been looking for suitable helpers to assist Duncan, to help him reduce the pressure on the defensive end, so that Duncan can put all his strength on the offensive end. So the Spurs' inside line generally changed stubble after stubble, Nestrowic, Mohammed, Elson, Oberto, McDyce, Thomas, Blair, Split, Bonner, and our flexible fat man, Dior.
These helpers did play their part in their respective periods, some focusing on the defensive end so that Duncan could avoid being hit by the opposite interior, which would lead to premature fouls or physical decline, while some also had the function of coping and could also help Duncan a lot on the offensive end. After Duncan retired, we ushered in the era of Ader's internal line, and the team management and coaching staff were also helping Ade find a competent helper, after all, Ade's status was the same as Duncan's status at that time, and the purpose and starting point of the coaching team were still the same. So there is the big Gasol, David West...
Peltel, who traded from the Raptors, was still a substitute center who could not play the ball at the beginning, and after Ade's departure, he became the team's starting center of the iron play - unless there is an injury problem, and under the guidance of the old Deng, his defense has matured more and more, and has now grown into the league's best protective frame inside line. Have to lament the Spurs' culture of cultivating new talents, veterans can come back after retiring to continue to play residual heat, which is happy for the team, for the fans, we can witness the inheritance of team culture, retired veterans, in another posture, continue to appear on the court. So, it's time to find the right helper for Peltel.
Previously, Ubanks, who came up from the development league, with his efforts, sat firmly in the position of substitute center, but he had more than enough and lack of strength, even if he was full of blood and energy, he could not resist the lack of talent, and his performance on the court always did not meet the expectations of the team. So, in the offseason, the Spurs signed Randall from Australia and Zach Collins, who was seriously injured and still recovering. Obviously, the management sees the shortcomings of the inner line and intends to protect this restricted area well, and now the inside line play is basically outside, and the two signed have the ability to be inside and outside.
When Randell first arrived, he couldn't shake the position of Theucans, and with the protection of the concussion, he only got a little playing time long after the start, and the first few games were really good, giving us hope of replacing Ubanks - after all, he has more offensive means than Yubanks. However, after a few games, he also slowly exposed his shortcomings on the field, the strength of the next game is not very good, the defense likes to pounce out, resulting in leaks of the people he is defending, and he is not good enough in the top defense. So, in some scenes, Bobo hid him again. After surviving the Ubanks trade, we thought that Randall finally had a head start, and it was expected that Ko Zhen Evil - Collins recovered from his injury.
Collins' playing style is somewhat similar to Landell's, both have the ability to score inside and outside, and also have a certain ability to respond, but Collins also has a different place. That is, he prefers to stay in the inside line, will not be easily pulled out by the opponent, although it is the beginning of the injury, he is playing hard, the mid-range back is chiseled, the offensive rebounds are also good, and the vision is also wide. So, the question is, in the face of two so similar interior lines, how should the coaching staff arrange? In the previous game against the Lakers, Peltel was trapped by too many fouls early, which led to a sharp decrease in playing time, and the team's protection of Collins was still the same, so Landell got more time, and the result was miraculous!
Whether the Lakers put on Master Huo's big four small, or no center lineup, Randale has to deal with it with ease, +19 plus-minus was once the highest in the game, playing 13 minutes to win 8 points, 4 boards and 3 assists, shooting 80%. Collins is more reflected in the rebounding competition, his rebounding ability is better than Randell, and the defense of the ball carrier is also better, so he can get more playing time at the moment. Randale's biggest selling point is his three-point shooting, and if he can maintain a relatively stable three-point firepower, he can play a big role in some games that pull out opposing centers, but for a while, his three-point shooting rate is so strong that he has to output a good hit every game, and if he can't provide three-pointers after playing, then his role will be greatly reduced.
At this point he was indeed inferior to Collins. In some future games, we will continue to see the coaching staff differently for the two of them, according to different opponents on different substitute interior lines, I believe the coaching staff will do better than we say, after all, they are the people who know the players best.