What evidence do we have that Elijah would be a worse defender than Bogie? Because from what I’ve seen, Bogie might be the worst defender on the entire team. It’s between he and Niang. I haven’t seen Hughes on defense. But if we’re using Bogie’s offense to justify his defense, then couldn’t one argue for Hughes ability to create off the dribble to justify his defensive liabilities in the same way you’re justifying Bogie’s
Shooting? What about the points Bogie gives the other team by constantly getting stripped which leads to easy fast break opportunities?
What production is Royce providing us again? 7ish pts per game? His defense is far from lockdown. If we’re going to use Royce’s defense to justify his playing time, couldn’t one argue for Oni in the same manner? What about all the second shot opportunities Oni creates with his hustle and rebounding? Does Oni have a higher ceiling? Better handles? There’s got to be a better measure of Royce’s worth than just the mythical defense and non-box score stuff that we routinely use to justify the status quo. I mean, in that case, he’ll never actually have to produce anything in the box score and can remain in the starting lineup permanently.
What about the pts we leave in the table because teams know Royce isn’t an offensive threat? Or the points we give up because Bogie is always the worst defender on the floor unless Kanter is there?
I’m not claiming that Hughes or Oni should be given a free lunch. But I think it’s absurd to maintain the status quo without giving Oni or Hughes a chance. Neither Bogie or Royce are doing things that can’t be replaced. Just because they’ve been starters in the past doesn’t mean they should for the present or future. Especially Bogie, who has been displaced offensively by Conley, Clarkson, and seemingly Jingles. I just don’t understand why neither Hughes or Oni are getting playing time.
