I’d honestly be surprised if a team gave up more than the Clips got for Zu. I guess I’m praying Kawhi stays healthy and put up these MVP numbers the rest of the year, and maybe a team talks themselves into him this summer. Probably at least needs to get through this investigation stuff (even though feels like nothing is going to come of it) and any results that come from that before Kawhi gets traded.

I guess my worry with these score first (and second and third) players, is their ability to play in a team concept. Do they hold the ball? are they a black hole on offense? The assist numbers are a bit worrying, but he was mostly playing with a rare playmaking PG, and this year are the best numbers of his career.

I guess I am hoping he can be like a young version of Norm Powell (from before he became an all-star). Efficient scorer, maybe best served as a 6th man, but can provide this team some needed offense. Obviously Norm Powell has played all-star caliber basketball the last 2 seasons, which might be hard for Mathurin the replicate, but prior to that, Norm was viewed as a very solid role player who can score, but had some tunnel vision and defensive issues.

I think the big thing about the Zu trade, is that they reloaded on assets where they can go after the next star that gets traded, and don’t have to pray for a miracle in free agency. Obviously, if Mathurin disappoints in LA, it makes the decision easy to keep the flexibility, but I don’t think they would want to lose a 24 year old elite scoring guard just to keep the books clean in 2027.

I hope he plays well, but is forced via RFA into a team friendly deal, that either is pretty short, or at a low enough number that makes it very tradable should they need.

The skepticism is largely centered around his defense which is understandable given stats etc, But I think there are some caveats to be considered. Coming out of college he was rated as an elite perimeter defender. He is also a tremendous athlete, so it can’t be that he’s suddenly terrible. I think his issues in Indiana stemmed from being one a four players with the same archetype to where it’s difficult to find security in one’s niche on either side of the ball. He looked dejected and miserable much of the time and I think it was more about effort than ability. I expect him to be far more inspired and locked in on that end with this team where his job security will be stable and he can really lean into his talents.

The other thing worth noting is that at 22 years old he was able to light that Thunder defense up for 27 on 9-12 from the field in the Finals. Not the regular season, April, or May, but June. That means a helluva lot more to me than Trae Young hitting ten threes in November. He had to know he was out the door at the trade deadline all season and still put up great numbers.

For all the above I think we are going to get a his absolute best at both ends—especially with it being a contract year. Both he and Garland can handle and are excellent off ball shooters so if they can put some chemistry together look out. If Ben can up his POA defense I think this may be our most promising back court ever. Time will tell.

Sadly, while that offensive production is what makes a lot of people view him as a top 10 center, I still think his defense is generally underrated.

I think there are a lot of centers that can replicate Zu’s offensive contributions, but where he’ll be missed the most is his defense. When he first came in 2019 and basically replaced Marcin Gortat in the lineup, the change in rim defense was like night/day. I think there are a lot of centers in this league that still don’t put the necessary focus on defense.

My worry is this over excitement on Zu’s offense and underrated defense, essentially is a wash. While I don’t think Zu’s market will ever be higher than it is now, his on the court value can still be underrated, because the general public still does not know how to properly value defense. Clips can might go a decade before they find another center that can replicate what Zu did for them.