Lowry came in as a point guard prospect. His scoring came later. KPJ entered as a scoring combo guard prospect. His scoring is extremely inefficient. For one of these players, scoring was supposed to be their strength coming into the league. There is a lot more to being a floor general than ast per game and Lowry always had the right temperament imo. I’m frankly tired of the iso ball. KPJ single-handedly shot us out of games because he was selfish. I’m not going to forget those things because of a 7 game stretch. Moses Brown averaged 20 and 10 in silly season. We need a point guard.
Nope, my point is that your expectations of the 30th pick should not be at level of 2nd overall pick. But as @Reeko mentioned, comparing these 2 players is a fool's errand. The better comparison is with players like Lowry and Dragic. FYI - Dragic has only had ONE season with 6 or more assists in entire career (4.8 average assists career). Dragic did not average double digit PPG until 5th season and even then he averaged under 12.
So do you want KPJ to be a more selfish scorer or less? Sounds like he's damned if he does, and if he doesn't. Rockets are the ones who told him to be playmaker first. That message was voiced by Wall last season. And FYI, KPJ played backup SF not combo guard his rook season with Cavs.
If he is going to be a point guard he needs to be a more willing passer. If he is going to continue to take iso shots and step back 3’s at the rate he’s doing that, he needs to at least be average in terms of efficiency.
It's weird for me to hear you say, "And don't say KPJ. He's inconsistent." They're all inconsistent. They're babies.
I think the Cavs played him there because of the glut of guards they had highly drafted. I’m not sure he was viewed as an NBA SF coming out of college. Rockets told KPJ to be a playmaker first and he takes more shots than Christian Wood. Do you think Rockets are happy with that when he shot .415 for the year?
What’s next is trade Gordon, Tate and Nwaba for picks and expirings. Only these guys should get minutes: KPJ, TyTy, Green, Jaygup, Eason, Garuba, Smith, Sengun, Nix, Matthews, KMJ We are heading into decision time in 2023 with a boatload of cap space, KPJ extension decision, and ideally another top 5 pick. Let the young guys play, learn, bring up their trade values and lose. If you could add Scoot or Wemby plus Jokic, Wiggins, Middleton, etc in FA? Or cash in the pick along with young guys for a disgruntled star. If the Nets implode those picks are gold for a disgruntled star as well. So many options. We don’t need to do anything but trade the vets, enjoy watching the young guys and then prepare for a helluva exciting off-season next summer.
KPJ has become elite 3P shooter. +40% at both C&S and self generated. But I agree, his efficiency is at its highest if he's not dominating ball beyond 7 seconds. He needs to make decision after at 5-6 second mark because it maximizes his efficiency via his strengths - length, first step and athleticism.
This is pretty much why I liked Banchero for his development. Who is reliably finding KPJ open looks? It can’t be primarily Sengun at this point. It won’t be Jabari. I have doubts about Green ever being that guy. KPJ is obviously a shooting guard. The longer he holds the ball the worse it is for everyone else including himself. This can’t be more obvious.
We will see how happy Rockets are with Scoot come contract time. KPJ had at least some influence with both Stone and Patrick regarding Green pick. If Scoot was not an influence then Rockets FO thought highly enough of him to share their preference which he then very publicly disclosed prior to draft, early and often. Scoot is also from Seattle, like Banchero, Eason, Beauchamp. And Stone's love for his homeboys is practically written on his very shiny forehead for all to see. But we've waylaid this thread long enough about KPJ, rather get back on topic.
Why cant it be Sengun? Or TyTy? Or Nix? Or Burke? Banchero is not the point god you believe him to be. He is just as inefficient, some areas more, a scorer as you think Scoot is, and from everywhere on the court not just from 3P. And his ball gets sticky too when he iso's.
I’ll leave the 7 games out of it but I overall started to see him improve over the season The man was handed a dog **** team and his stats are “empty”. A roster of straight borderline g league players in Armoni Brooks, sterling brown, nwaba, Mathew’s, and even Tate. What do y’all expect him to do with guys in the paint like Wood & Thies. On top of that you had Jalen looking like a scrub at the start of the season He had some questionable games but was handed a team with intentions of not being good and a coach with the most baffling rotations I expect a lot from KPJ this season but I also expect for Stone & Silas ready to compete and not bullshit with the roster trying to tank HOF players do nothing but praise this man’s talent and dog mentality but I got to listen to clutchfans say Christopher or Nix should start ahead of him lol
FYI - you do not hold Banchero to this standard. Banchero was much more efficient at C&S from corners than he was in self generating shots. Especially Banchero's mid range and 3ball game. And not seeing Banchero average +6 assists his rook season either.
Worst thing to happen to KPJ was that stupid game winner he hit after his temper tantrum. He is not a willing passer and that shot made him even less a willing passer in the closing moments. I was hoping that the Rockets drafted TyTy and they did so that he can compete for the PG spot. The team looked better when DJ Augustine or Schroeder manned the point. It's about setting up the right play. KPJ didn't show any real growth in this department. It's not the player he is. He's a combo guard and wants to get his. KPJ is like if Banchero was dumber and 6'7. He'd have no place on any team. Maybe manning the 2nd unit. He's wouldn't be tall enough to justify his spot on the roster nor smart enough to justify his position. That's KPJ. He's not talented enough of a scorer and not smart enough of a playmaker. He needs to show massive improvement in decision making and unselfishness or let some other team sign him next off season.
I think about where we were just two years ago and I have nothing but praise for the work that Stone has done here. On the other hand, Harden imploded Brooklyn and there are already signs something similar could happen in Philadelphia. Conclusion: Stone has been successful in most of his decisions. Let's give him time to do his job.
Basically if 21 year old first time PG KPJ wasn't prime Magic Johnson but better, a certain group of fans were going to act like he was the worst player ever..... those simply aren't the kinds of people anyone should pay attention to.
Again we are comparing a 4th year player to a rookie. I wouldn’t suggest doing that. Banchero per 100 possessions already averages more ast per game than KPJ. Banchero did that as a power forward on a stacked team of playmakers. KPJ literally is supposed to be THE playmaker and wasn’t as good at distributing per 100 possessions even though he had the ball in his hands more. KPJ is new to point guard but Banchero was doing this since middle school on a national stage. It goes without saying Jabari is a better defender but you are now saying he will be a better scorer from the jump despite some serious concerns about what he does when he’s run off the 3 pt line or if he can get any kind of reliable separation or if he truly has the ability to just shoot over nba length the way he did in college. Those are all serious concerns but I’m hoping for the best. If Banchero isn’t the best scorer and he’s not a great playmaker and his shooting and defense need work, then why are we comparing the #1 pick to a guy in KPJ who was almost taken in the second round?
Is Banchero the most inefficient offensive player amongst top 3 picks or not? Even Keegan Murray and Jaden Ivey were more efficient offensively. Worst in TS%, eFG%, 3P%, ORTG. Just be consistent is all I'm saying. https://www.tankathon.com/players/c...gren--jaden-ivey--keegan-murray--jabari-smith Heck, even Eason and Sengun match or absolutely destroy Banchero in almost every counting and advanced stat regarding offensive efficiency. https://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=paolo-banchero--tari-eason--alperen-sengun
He scored the most points on the highest field goal percentage. He also had the most volume. He is only 1 of two players in NCAA history to have over a certain number of made baskets, assists and rebounds. This isn’t even relevant because it is all about how it translates at an NBA level and I think he’s a safe bet to flourish with his style in the NBA. I’d prefer if we didn’t resurrect the prospect debate but we shouldn’t be comparing Banchero the #1 pick to KPJ. I’m happy for what Jabari can bring and I like the direction of the team much more. I just haven’t seen enough from KPJ. He has to actually do it. Next year has to be the year he makes a significant jump. These rookies and second year players are just beginning their rookie deals. They have time.
I'm just saying be consistent. Don't shart on players for being inefficient while also cheerleading for players who are just as inefficient. Again, I'm not married to KPJ but you conviently overlook areas where he is elite in offensive efficiency but willing to overlook or excuse offensive inefficiency in players with your preferred aesthetic. But I'll end by agreeing with you. KPJ has obvious areas of opportunity and he has another season to prove himself.
