Dude I don't think he's the next Kobe and on top of that they are two years apart in age. That isn't "nearly the same age" by NBA standards especially at that age range where players see the most rapid development. KPJ has two NBA seasons under his belt. Like the difference between a 29 year old and 27 year old in the NBA is relatively small in terms of development progress but the gap between a 19 year old and 21 year old in terms of NBA development is much wider. This is also what I mean by shifting goal posts. You literally said "to be their best player" which implies the Rockets management sees KPJ as their best player of the future.
They are a year and a half apart in age. Last year in the G league Green was 19 while KPJ was 20.....but sure, they are miles apart in age if that's what you want to believe. So when you were replying to someone who said they scoff at Kobe comparisons and you said "I mean what level of player is a bigger and more athletic Beal when Beal already has led the league in scoring?" I get earlier you hedged by saying "What separates guys like MJ and Kobe from their peers is their work ethic and overall mentality. They were essentially psychopaths when it came to training. So what will determine whether Green is a generational first ballot hofer or merely a slightly better Jordan Clarkson is that work ethic. But he definitely has the tools and natural talent to be a generational scorer." but of course previously you said "Yup and that's why I'm more confident in Green's ability to be a superstar relative to Cade. Green has that "I'm going to ****ing destroy you" mentality." So yeah, while I get that you want to hedge and pretend you don't think the kid is the next Kobe, you definitely think that. If you legitimately thought he was going to be just a "slightly better Jordan Clarkson", you wouldn't be here talking about him being the best player on the team given what KPJ has already shown in his short career.
They are 1 year and 9 months apart with KPJ having 2 seasons under his belt in the NBA. And my point was that before MJ was MJ and Kobe was Kobe they were high level prospects like Green. There are many high level prospects. The difference between high level prospects that reach first ballot hof status Vs glorified sixth man is what is upstairs. I acknowledge Green worst case scenario would be a glorified Clarkson. There is a larger possiblity of him being that than Kobe. So no that doesn't mean I think he's the next Kobe. I'm just giving you what his upper ceiling is and floor. Nowhere in the post did I tell you what I believe the probability is of him reaching that ceiling. Now I did. So ya he has a better chance of being Jordan Clarkson than Kobe Bryant.
Hmm I mean, I won't disagree with you regarding testosterone levels but in the fact that usually having a stable household will lead to more focus on the grand prize, which in this case is winning the chip. Aren't all main stars from the past championship winning teams, married? Lebron, Curry, Giannis, Kawhi etc. Except for KD I guess
Every thread is just flooded with the same argument with one person going nowhere. This is worse than 'holic days.
Yo just a friendly PSA for anyone at summer league: I bought 10 of the exclusive NBA topshot moments on day 1 for 5 bucks each. They just came in now and I'm selling for at least $65 a pop. Stonks. Gonna go and get more today on my lunch break.
Okay.....and? Do you think players are done improving after their first partial season as a starter at the ripe old age of 21? No question the 70 NBA games KPJ played were an advantage, but you are making it seem like a LOT more than it is. Green will improve over the course of the next few years, KPJ likely will too. There's currently a huge gap between the two, it'll likely shrink some, but will Green overtake KPJ? Maybe, but not for sure. Now of course, if you are convinced that Green is the next Kobe/MJ, and it seems you are, I could see being overconfident that will happen....but I'm not on that bandwagon yet.
By all means, if you don't like the conversation, I encourage you to click ignore. You won't be missed.....and your whining that conversation is happening REALLY won't be missed.
I literally am telling you that Green has a higher probability of being Jordan Clarkson than Kobe Bryant. So you are literally putting words in my mouth. And no where did I imply that KPJ is done developing. I'm telling you that KPJ is FURTHER ALONG in his development than Green due to having literally 2 years of NBA experience and being 2 years older. The development stage of a 19 year old with zero NBA games under his belt vs a 21 year old with two seasons of NBA games under his belt is quite large. Those are the years you see the most rapid development. Between 19 and 21 players are still growing. It's also when they start filling out in terms of muscle mass. If you haven't noticed KPJ is considerably larger than he was the day he was drafted in terms of muscle mass.
Okay, so if you think he is more likely to be a Jordan Clarkson, the rest of your comments make no sense. Jordan Clarkson isn't close to the level of player KPJ is already.....and you just acknowledged that KPJ isn't done developing yet. You can't have it both ways. Predictions that Green will be the team's best player and predictions that he'll be Jordan Clarkson don't belong together. I'm not going to push the subject, but c'mon man, you aren't fooling anyone. You should feel free to admit just how high you really are on Green. If you're wrong, it's not the end of the world.....if you're right, that's amazing for everyone.
You have difficulty understanding what probability means. Let me place some arbitrary numbers to be more specific of my thoughts. Green has a 1% chance of reaching the greatness of Kobe. He has a 10% chance of being a Clarkson level player. That leaves a lot of other outcomes in between dude. You are trying to strawman my position by pretending that only two outcomes are possible.
How anyone thought that for even a second was crazy. Thriller was about as tall as Kuminga when they were on Ignite together.
No, being primarily a scorer does not mean a player is limited to Nick Young or JR Smith. There are players like Bradley Beal that are not great playmakers for others that are still stars. However, I would say that in the modern NBA to be a true superstar guard, you have to be able to also create for others at a high level like LBJ, Harden and Doncic do..... the era that Jordan and Bryant played in was different. I don't consider Bryant or Jordan as great at running an offense by modern standards.... but they were not expected to, and at that time that wasn't what they were allowed to do. Green has showed some flashes of being a good playmaker and we will see with time....... as for Cunningham, he lacks the athleticism of Green so he has to make up for it in other ways.
I think this will be a mistake......... playmaking is what will be the difference between being a Bradley Beal type player and a true superstar like Harden/James/Doncic. Being able to score is really nice, being able to run an offense is on another level......... defensively a player can improve regardless with effort and/or scheme. Harden improved defensively, Doncic is a poor defender but still a top 5 player.... and LBJ hasn't defended in years....
DEFENSE and ENERGY Can switch 1-4, some 5's. Excellent defensive communicator, high work ethic and IQ. Adds another thicc player on team full of twigs. Only 6'6 but 7'0 wingspan. Another super bouncy run all damn day role player.
