It may be time for some veterans to get "injured" so the youngsters can play
By Chad Porto
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It may be time for guys like Collin Sexton, Kris Dunn and Jordan Clarkson to come down with a bad case of Spanish Leg Cramps. Maybe they can have the Finnish Flu or the California Stomach Bug. I don't care what made-up illness or injury you want them to have, it's time to sit them and play with the kids. The trio of rookies has gotten a bulk of minutes, with Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Brice Sensabaugh obtaining the lion's share of reps. That's good, if the goal is to suck, let the players who don't know how to be winning NBA players yet play the most.
That's not sarcasm, it's the right call. The problem is they're not the only young guys on the roster. Micah Potter, Johnny Juzang, Luka Samanic, and Kenneth Lofton need to join the rookie trio to get reps. I'm not the only one suggesting this either, as Sarah Todd of the Desert News agrees.
It's the right call at this point. It's not just about the rookies and that's the point that's getting glossed over. We know what Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, and John Collins can do. Why bother playing them the rest of the way? Get Lofton in there. Give Walker Kessler 35 minutes a night. Give the kids the ball, because, after all, that's the whole point of the season now, right? "Let's see what the youngsters can do".
So let's see. Have the veterans take a seat, fake illnesses, fake injuries, fake whatever you have to, if you have to, and play the kids. Maybe you don't need to fake something. Maybe NBA Commissioner Adam Silver won't care that your best players are benched for the last 17 games. Maybe he will. Who cares? Just play the kids.
Let's see what Lofton and Juzang, among others, have to offer. They may not be stars on next season's squad, but they may be valuable rotation guys. But we won't know if they can perform at that level until the Jazz try them and see for sure.
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