Seeing talks about this year’s offseason free agency, elite shot creators like BI and Demar just aren’t that valued in today’s league compared to someone like Lauri who is a great offense. Even from a production standpoint, the Pacers with the top-rated offense don’t have many shot-creators on the team. I wonder if the NBA will see an offensive transition from its second-tier star players (aka stars not like Luka/Shai) to focus more on play finishing and becoming somewhat like an elite offensive role player.
Shot creation is still crucial to a roster.
The issue now is just that guys that were only borderline max players can’t justify that contract under the 2nd apron era.
In the 2nd apron era, if you want a real contender with longevity, you need a genuine #1a, #1b dynamic with your max guys. Ingram might not even be a real #2 on a contender so he’s going to struggle to get a max contract.