A big 2 that can guard the 1 allows us to really take advantage of Hardens ability to run the point. Having no one on the court under 6'5 while still playing fast will accomplish what Type Lawson wanted to do, make opposing PG's work on the other end. Create mismatches. It's the fit that I like more so than KJ, it will work. I'd be interested to know if this is the role they intended for Kent Bazemore.
If I was him I would live in gym trying to get my 3% at least a 37% clip, if he can do that he will have a long high paying NBA career. he already has major hops, good defense, real athletic, plays well off ball. Iman shumpret 2.0 but with better 3 should be his goal, and less injury prone.
Not surprised by KJ's push for time. When he was first traded to Houston I stated that he and James Harden were the future Rockets back court. I think we are starting to see that evolution now. The chemistry is there and I believe KJ will now get some solid coaching/teaching both(defensively and offensively) that we didn't see him receive in Philly or Houston recent years under Mchale/JB. I'm on record saying I'm not a fan of the D'antoni hire but one thing I will say about him is that he is not afraid to experiment(good or bad).. and I don't see him pulling KJ out because of a mistake. He will let him play and hopefully let him learn how to play at a high level. He(KJ) still has to improve and get out there and prove it consistently in regular season/playoff but his ceiling is still very high!
Me too - great point. I don't know that he does anything above average at all - maybe shooting? He's essentially still a rookie so it all remains to be seen. I know the hope is he turns into a Parsons type of player but he seems much less solid than Parsons was entering the league. As for Brewer, I like the guy but I'm officially off the Brewer train. He is an atrociously bad offensive player and at this point his only NBA defensive skill is reckless hustle. Good bench warmer to throw in when the starters already blew out their opponent I guess...
I think they see Ariza's decline and Bazemore was a way to get a younger replacement...but in general, your comments are spot on - Houston moving to a positionless roster with a bunch of medium height players who can guard all the positions, lots of switching on PnRs. It seems to be the way the NBA is moving and a perfect answer to an offense like the Warriors. The Bucks have a similar thing going when Giannis is running the point and the Warriors are essentially the same type of roster minus Steph at the PG.
I'm really surprised at how well KJ is playing why did he play so badly in SL if he was this good? I'm guessing it's because he just used the SL to get in shape and/or Harden's impact really is that good. Maybe it's a mixture of both, since KJ's last 2 SL games were solid. Regardless I'm happy to see his improved play and the bitterness I had watching him get outplayed by random scrubs who wouldn't even stay in the roster in SL is now washed away.
He's worked on his outside shot; we just don't know for sure that he consistently finds time to do that.
I'm on this kids bandwagon. He works hard. Plays D. Just needs to learn to shoot and keep his intensity up. Makes Brewer available... Not that anyone would want him.
KJ lost me entirely when he said cop killers in Texas are martyrs. Rockets players have a special place in my thinking but that was just too much for me. I hope guys with this sort of thinking just flat out fail.
What makes you say Cedric??? I thought he was a power forward (Barkley's backup) chucker (effective though) who was not known for defense.
Ceballos was a 6'7" small forward who came into the league as a athletic defender/dunker/garbage pal/ energy guy. Then he evolved into a nice all around player who could stick the open jumper/and sometimes 3 ball. Never needed the ball to get his. Really he was the Matrix before the Marion. KJ has that type of potential
You might be right. I was pretty young. I remember the garbage man aspect, but I recall his being more of a scorer than KJ has shown. Did not realize Cedric was a big time defender. Didn't realize he defended any in the backcourt.
Ehhh. If you haven't checked cops are killing black ppl at a disgusting rate in this country, even unarmed with their hands up. At the time, emotions were high I give him a pass
Why do people continue to spread misinformation about homicide rates by police in America? This is why people like KJ send out uninformed tweets. If people did even 15 minutes of research before they opened there mouth, there would be no arguments at all. Unfortunately that's a lot to ask. Most people are either A) stupid or B) don't have time. KJ belongs to the latter group.
I'm interested in how he does. I feel like he could replace Ariza in the starting line up by 2017 whether this season or next season. His shooting doesn't seem to have improved, but he has learned how to be a useful complimentary player when he's not a 3pt threat. He seems more concentrated on defense. If he could hit 36% of his 3's, he should start imo. This is the perfect season to let him learn through some mistakes. If he gives us average starter minutes, his contract becomes incredibly valuable too. With Anderson and Beverley both capable of hitting 40% on 3's and Harden no slouch himself, we can afford for KJ to be an average 3pt shooter as long as he is active offensively and can defend the best swingman every night efficiently. I like that MDA has given him a chance, but if we are being frank, he hasn't been shockingly good. He could just be on a good run. But I'm a big believer in the power of motivation. If the coach is confiding in him, it might be the catalyst to him finally showing some improvement.
