Jason Kidd gets real about Mavericks' roster battle with no clear winner
Jason Kidd has a battle for minutes on his hands between Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams, and the answer to that internal joust for the backup point guard spot still doesn't have a clear answer.
The Dallas Mavericks signed D'Angelo Russell to a two-year deal during the offseason, but over the first two games, Kidd hasn't seemed to trust him. Russell spent the entire second half on Friday on the bench, and Kidd used Williams, Nembhard, and Jaden Hardy to try to give the offense a spark instead.
Dallas' backcourt is worse than they could've imagined, especially if Kidd isn't going to give Russell a consistent role, but he is going to have to decide between playing Williams and Nembhard soon.
Kidd will be forced to decide between Williams and Nembhard
And he seems to know that.
After Friday night's loss to the Washington Wizards, Kidd gravitated to speaking about this subject when asked about Russell and what he needs to do to earn more minutes, and he and the coaching staff are clearly evaluating who they like more between Williams and Nembhard.
"We got B-Will and Ryan, that we're trying to figure out which one we can play early here in the season," Kidd said to reporters after Friday's loss. "Again, if you want to play Ryan, or suit him up, you have to play him because it's a game that's going to go against you."
Kidd went on to talk about how they're "short-handed" at guard, and it sounds like only one of Williams or Nembhard will come out victorious with consistent minutes. Both players have played decent minutes over the first two games, and so far, it seems like Nembhard has the edge.
Nembhard has been checking in earlier than Williams, playing more than him, and plainly, he's been more effective. Through two games, Nembhard has averaged 5.0 points and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field, and Williams has been held scoreless thus far.
He has averaged 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game, though, and the lineups that both players have played with are comparable. Nembhard and Williams bring different skills to the floor, as Nembhard is more of a true floor general and elite passer, while Williams is a score-first guard who can create his own shot and score at all three levels, and Kidd will have to pick between the two guards soon.
The answer is still up in the air, as Williams hasn't played as much and hasn't gotten a full chance to show off his full offensive bag, but as things stand, they may need Nembhard's skillset more. Dallas needs someone who can set up the offense and get everyone involved at an elite level, as their offense has been stagnant over the first two games.
There has been no sense of flow, and Nembhard is much more of a floor general than Williams is. On the other hand, the Mavs also need pure scoring, and Williams is much better at creating his own shot and getting to the rim.
Either way, Kidd made it evident that he is evaluating Williams and Nembhard's performances so far to decide who he wants to lead the offense off the bench, and this is definitely a competition to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.
Patriots Predicted to Cut Ties With Bill Belichick’s Final 2nd-Round Pick
A New England Patriots player who went viral for his stone-faced reaction to being drafted in the second round two years ago, and explained later that “I’m a very big business person, so I’m not too big on the glitz and glamour of football,” is about to find out about how the business of football works — the hard way.
At least, that’s how it seems for Patriots third-year defensive end Keion White, after he was made a healthy scratch just hours before New England’s Sunday game against the visiting Cleveland Browns.
“White’s inactivity with the NFL trade deadline coming up on November 4 makes him a potential player to watch in the coming days,” reflected
One of Belichick’s Final Draft Picks
White was selected in what turned out to be the final draft for legendary Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who also served as the team’s general manager. The draft turned out to be one of the more fruitful ones of Belichick’s later years with New England, yielding not only White, but All-Pro cornerback and first-round pick Christian Gonzalez, and receivers Kayshon Boutte and Demario “Pop” Douglas.
But White appeared to fall out of favor early with new coach Mike Vrabel even before this current season got underway, with his practice reps sharply cut back in training camp and the preseason.
At the time Vrabel explained the reduced role for White, saying that he “wanted to see him work on some things and continue to develop and try to continue to improve… That’s kind of our whole job is to be ready to play and prepared until told otherwise. Just try to work on some things that we had been talking about and do it in game action.”
But White’s role simply continued to diminish.
First Heathy Scratch of White’s Career
“Entering training camp as a starter on the edge opposite Harold Landry, he eventually lost his position to free agency pickup K’Lavon Chaisson and has been a role player ever since,” Buchmasser wrote. “In total, White has appeared in five of the Patriots’ first seven games and registered no sacks and just three quarterback pressures. He also missed one game each with an illness and elbow injury, respectively.”
With his name on the inactive list Sunday, White has now missed three of the Patriots eight games. The healthy scratch was the first of White’s career. “This is another sign that points to the Pats looking for pass-rushing help before the trade deadline,” wrote
“That would seem to point to the team’s plans for him ahead of the trade deadline, but they will run into a big problem if they hope to move him in the next week,” added Sara Marshall of the Patriots site
White’s lackluster, at best, performance makes him an unattractive trade target — unless another team believes that a change of scenery could rejuvenate the third-year edge rusher from Georgia Tech. If not, and the Patriots use the trade deadline to acquire another defensive end, White could find himself a candidate to be cut
