Small sample size but he already showed flashes of stardom. Getting him for basically free was an absolute heist by Stone. But the problem is will he sustain his level of play when the defences start to load up on him? What is your prediction on his career?
Ceiling? Franchise player, up to him. He has some of the same tools that Tmac does with the space creation of Harden. It will be interesting once Wall gets his knee scoped and we let KPJ run the show Reasonable expectation? All Star Floor: keeps setting himself back until he is no longer in the league and we just sit back and think "what could've been"
He's further along at 20 than James Harden was....now that doesn't mean he'll progress as a player from 20-23 like Harden did, but it's a possibility which is awesome.
I think his ceiling is "solid starter" but that's not an option here. It's above "role player" but below All Star.
He needs to work on his shot. 32% 3pt and 71% FT in 58 career games so far. Yeah I know that’s not even a full season but it needs to improve. He also needs to work on his defense which should improve with more time in the system and experience. His vision and passing ability impress me the most. If the Rockets keep their pick and add another playmaker to Wall and KPJ it will be interesting to see how things are handled. KPJ seems to need the ball in his hand to be most effective.
While entirely possible this is what happens, the question is what is his ceiling. I can’t imagine anyone watching KPJ right now and thinking the absolute best he can be is solid starter. That doesn’t make any sense. His ceiling is a star, whether or not that happens is the unknown.
He has legitimate scoring ability. I think he could very easily be a guy that can get you 20 nightly. Pretty good court vision also, the tools are there for him to be a borderline all star type player. Honestly he still scares me though. An NBA team literally gave him away very recently (despite all these tools) because he seemed to have major off court issues, possibly psychological. Maybe that was a wake up call for him, but I find it hard to believe they went away that easily. A big part of me wants to sell high before he needs an extension.
Poll is a bit too vague. There's a BIG gap between "borderline AS player" and "franchise player." I think KPJ will be better than borderline but never reach franchise player.
He has a terrible shot selection, is terrible on defense, has not ever contributed to winning, and doesn't make those around him better. So those are all things he needs to work on. He could just be a taller Lou Williams, but I'm hoping he becomes more than that. But he is very young so all of these things *could* improve. Unfortunately, he's currently with a poorly run org that has the league's worst culture, so improvement in those areas is far from guaranteed.
He's already above "solid starter"? Solid starter in the NBA is probably, what, top 50ish player in the league? There are obviously more starters but I wouldn't call all of them solid. The dude was traded for nothing more than a future second round pick, was playing in the G league, and now has been putting up good numbers on a terrible team for a handful of games. I'm excited for him, he clearly has potential and is still super young. But let's not get ahead of ourselves if we are talking about what he is now
It depends, will we still have Silas or Chris Finch replacing him? Just kidding, it's not about the system, it's more about the players around him
I may be in the minority, but I see the traits for KPJ to be our next franchise player. Offensively he'll likely only get better, just think about this... - Converted him from SF role he had in CLE to PG in 15 G-League games. He not only adapted quickly, he dominated at that position. In the big show he's got a limited sample size, but he's showing the ability to be a starting PG in the NBA. - Finishing at the rim skills have been elite if not phenomenal (eye test) so far in both G-League and NBA. He can get even better as he learns to draw more fouls. - Mid-range game is solid, but he's still adjusting to how he needs to fit that aspect within the offense. Last night he clearly played more of a SG role and he did well. - 3PT shooting has been below par, but last night he shot 60%, which if he can come back into the 35-37% range (sitting at 25% now) that will be a solid finish for this season. - FT shooting is below par and he seems a little lackadaisical at the line. This can be improved with focus--I love how KMJ has increased his focus at the line and its starting to pay dividends, KPJ needs to do that as well. - His vision and passing skills are solid, but he has a tendency to attack without a plan and then use his athleticism to bail him out. Here I think working with the staff and watching a guy like Augustin will benefit his development. Defensively he's still a work in progress, but he's got good length and instincts to work with. He picked quite a few pockets in the G-League and has some limited success with Rox in this area, but believe he'll get better with more consistent playing time and coaching. The reason we got him were concerns about his mental makeup and stability. So far he seems to be doing fine. I think the G-League stint was an important part of getting his mind right, while also giving him a chance to experience the role of PG, which includes leading. Now he's with a blended group of young and experienced players, these next 27 games will be a great opportunity for him to deal with new situations, adversity and relationships. Hopefully, it goes well and he learns and grows from this year's experience. Final thought, I had worried about him not getting to be the primary PG, but watching him playing SG last night I think he can benefit from seeing time in both roles. Besides adding to his versatility, he allows him to test his skills in different situation and with different players. I'm REALLY excited to see this young man's development, he gives me hope for our team's future (w/ Wood, Tate, KMJ and DPs).
I mean Michael Carter Williams dropped 22/12/9/7 in his first nba game.... shooting 60% from the field.... Obviously KPJ has a better offensive game it seems and has a higher upside but I’m super skeptical about young players. I hope it turns out well and we got a steal.
It really depends on how much he can improve his shooting. Everything else is easier to fix. But some times guys never learn to shoot
