Jacobson is playing the perfect style for our 4 out, 1 in setup -- he is solid on defense, always looking for boards, oftentimes has one-on-one match-ups on the block where he can throw a fake or two to beat somebody, and has
just enough threat from the outside that teams cannot collapse on him when he sets a pick for the PNR for Nick or one of the guards.
Nick and Michael on the PNR has been deadly so far this year -- Jacobson setting a good screen, Nick baiting his man into it, and then either Jacobson rolling hard to the hoop or stepping back to shoot, and Nick almost always making the right read between giving it back, tossing it at the rolling man, going for the hoop himself, or pitching it out.
I do not want to disrupt that.
Then again, Lard projects as a good compliment to that, as well. He is all energy on the offensive boards and can beat people one-on-one on the block. He is not as fundamentally sound on defense as Jacobson or Young, but he has way more ups and aggression going for the block and protecting the rim. If we adjust our rotations to account for Lard selling out for the ball, I think, on net, our defense could be fine or better with him at the center.
Lard off the bench, if he is as good as
@Beyerball just said, going as hard as he can for 25 minutes on the boards and running the floor, not worrying about fouling and mauling a few guys in the process, sounds like an absolute nightmare for somebody's second string or even some starters who we are already trying to run off the court.
I guess you could play them together, but that means benching one of our
excellent guards and slowing down a little. I think Jacobson can rotate outside as a stretch, but he fights so hard on the boards and is good enough around the basket that I feel playing him outside is a hidden tax on missed rebounds and garbage points every time he is not there for it.
PNR with Lard hiding in the dunker spot in the flat has some possibilities, though. Prohm clearly wants to play a fast break game, too, turning on the jets once we get the ball, and, man, a fast break with Shayok, Wigginton, and Lard running the floor, the three of them going hard to the rim and looking to embarrass somebody, is going to be scary.