Quin Snyder has made it abundantly clear that he won't play Kristaps Porzingis and Mouhamed Gueye together.
We're nearly a quarter of the way into the regular season, and the big duo has only shared the hardwood for a combined 19 minutes of play. Of course, it is incredibly unorthodox to play a double big duo, especially when Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu also exist on the same roster.
The bad news about this coaching decision is that we have no tangible evidence to learn how effective Gueye and Porzingis are together. The good news is that their staggered minutes have now reached a large enough sample size to extrapolate a few meaningful trends from.
Mouhamed Gueye is the prototypical 5 of the future for the Hawks
Kristaps Porzingis has played 275 minutes without Mo Gueye this year, and Mo Gueye has played 263 minutes without Kristaps Porzingis - a nearly even split. Having split the floor for only 19 minutes, these larger sample sizes almost entirely represent their season so far.
The most revealing stat on the surface is the net rating each possesses. While Porzingis' minutes are a -3.2, Gueye's minutes are a +9.3. While this can, on some level, be attributed to playing starters vs. benchwarmers, remember that KP has missed nearly half of the Hawks' 20 games. Gueye has sustained his dominance against starting-level talent during such occasions.
Even more interesting are the 94 minutes in which Mo Gueye has played without either Onyeka Okongwu or The Unicorn. While this sample is small, it's enough to indicate potential areas of interest. In such minutes, the Hawks tout a staggering +19.3 net rating, headlined by their allowed 3P%.
These minutes have seen opponents shooting a dismal 29.4% from three. While this will likely return somewhat to league average (36%) over time, it's a verification of the eye test: Mo Gueye does a phenomenal job of using his length and mobility to provide interior help without giving up wide-open triples.
Porzingis isn't mobile enough, and Okongwu isn't long enough to offer the same defensive impact that Gueye can. While Big O has had a much improved season, especially on the offensive end from range, his defense remains a question mark, especially his viability as an undersized big. In minutes without KP or Gueye, the Hawks are a -5.2 net, suggesting this isn't the direction the franchise needs to take.
The decision now rests on Coach Snyder. Will he see these significant trends on the statsheet that verify the eye test, and give Gueye more time to show off his defensive gifts? Or will he stick with his guns and play the experienced vets more, hoping they return to expectations? Hawks fans should hope for the former, as a Mo Gueye frontcourt takeover doesn't appear to be too far away.