Where do you think Kevin Porter Jr. will be for the 2023-24 season?

I don’t know personally if he still is to be honest, I think he has regressed slightly with age. Not that it’s a flat out no though just expect age to hit him even more so this season.

 

Explain why he isn’t instead of just saying so.

Outside of Eric Gordon who has aged, who can score at 3 levels, defend at a reasonable level and despite what people say he has made improvement with playmaking even if doesn’t please your eye test.

The fact he actually tries and can defend makes him one of the best players on the roster if not the best if you factor in where EG is now in his career.

I don’t know whether it’s because the team is so poor defensively that people actually don’t like to admit KPJ is a pretty good defender individually.

 

I like KPJ defensively. A lot. Let's break down where Kevin is in terms of grades:

Mental : F

We all know why.

Shot Creation : B+

While he does have some shiftiness where if you squint hard enough he can remind you of one bearded fellow, he drives too often with no clear direction/intent. He also doesn't have the physical explosiveness to make up for these indecisions and it usually results in a turnover or forced shot.

Defensive: B+

His man to man defense is good and apt. I trust him defensively but has moments where he "loses it" and is disengaged. Laterally he's serviceable though he can't keep up with quick twitch guards (in his defense no one can. Like saying Chet can't defend Embiid or Jokic).

Playmaking: C+/B-

My biggest issue with him is here. He just doesn't have the court vision or play development ability. I think this could develop a bit if the player shows above average maturation or mental fortitude, which KPJ doesn't. Harden was always an amazing playmaker. Not pretending to be one. He reminds me of Westbrook in that he doesn't really "playmake" like Paolo, Cade, etc. He looks for his own shot first and when it isn't there he funnels the ball at inopportune times which results in a forced shot, turnover, or in some cases a basket. It's why he has decent assist numbers. His turnovers are way too high. This is where he has to show it this year.

Physical: C/C+

Nothing much to see here. Not explosive or physically imposing. He's a dude. Nothing bad but nothing great either. He's not Jalen Green (explosive, springs for legs) or Jabari Smith (Airplane wings, crazy lateral speed, impossible to block shot).

Lets compare that to other players on the team like Jabari or Jalen who'd both get A's in certain categories. Jabari is an A+ defensively and an A+ physically. Jalen is an A physically and an A+ in shot creation. Jabari is like a D in playmaking and Jalen probably a B- there but that's the general gist. Sengun is a more natural playmaker than Porter. KPJ needs to be used in the Jamal Crawford/Lou Williams role of 6th man and microwave offense. Or run the offense through Sengun and let KPj play off ball more so he can slash and just do what he does best. Playing him at PG is bad for everyone including himself. Combine all of that with him being a ticking time bomb mentally and you just can't trust a guy like that. I'm assuming the Rockets are going to let TyTy/Nix have a shot at running the offense and see what they do with KPj at the end of the season.

 

My point exactly! At this point, he does more things on the court than Jalen right now. It’s okay, Jalen was a rookie

 

Porter Jr (21/22) Dribbles:
Dribbles..........Freg%.......FG%..........eFG%
0 Dribble: ..........20.3..........54.3............72.0
1 Dribble: ...........9.0...........42.5.............53.4
2 Dribbles: .........8.3............32.8............41.8
3-6 Dribbles: .....32.5...........41.8............50.6
7+ Dribbles: .....29.8..........34.4...........39.2
_____
Porter jr (21/22) Dribbles leading to 3-pt shot
Dribbles.........Freq%.........3P%
0 Dribble: ........15.0............47.9
1 Dribble: ..........5.3............37.2
2 Dribbles: ........5.1............29.3
3-6 Dribbles: ....14.1...........40.4
7+ Dribbles: ....11.6..........24.5
____________________________________________________


So we can see when Porter jr dribbles more than 7 times in a possession....
usually doesn't end well for KPj and the Rockets.

I believe the Rockets are going to emphasize fewer dribbles by
KPj as point of focus going into this season.

I expect Kevin Porter jr to progress well this season as we (Rockets)
bring greater spacing with Bari/Tari.

Information for others (not you big D) Schroder and Porter jr Ast%
was equal at around 31%.....both working more or less with the
same material.

https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629645/shots-dash

 

There is a good chance he will be at the back door, barking, so we can let him out to take a dump.

 

Folks who like to point out kpj assist to to ratio as a sign of a serviceable pg. Seem to gloss over that man really lacks the pg vision. Sengun has better vision than him. Still think he can b the starting point guard regardless if he ups his scoring efficiently

 

Exactly this. Assists don't mean great PG play. Any numb nuts with the ball in his hand enough can average decent points or assists (Wood). Next year I'm looking for Silas experimenting with running the offense through Sengun as the year progresses and using KPJ as more of a slasher/secondary ball handler. If Sengun takes a step forward we can basically be like the Nuggets offense except with Sengun as Jokic lite and more dependence on the guards as cutters/slashers/3 point threats.

KPJ is a serviceable player for microwave offense. He's just not a franchise cornerstone caliber player. But I think Rockets brass knows this. Don't want to deal with another Rafer/Lin/Ryan Anderson type of contract that shackles you for 3-4 years.

 

I would presume most if not all players fg% drops as they take more dribbles before a shot.

 

It's funny watch KPJ'S fans like each others posts and support their hero. Same group all the time

 

No, I see what evrry other team saw in the draft and what Cleveland saw when they gave him to us for free.

 

He was trying to be Harden....the NBA has moved on from that style.

 

Ah, your eye ball test supported by ...

... NOTHING

Just bring something ... ANYTHING ... to these basketball discussions.

 

Buh...buh...but their eye test!?!

SMH.

Compare KPJ passing versatility to Sengun, very close but KPJ with A- and Sengun with B.



KPJ assist to TO ratio is same as Ja and Steph - better than Luka.

And no one is saying KPJ better than any of the guys mentioned but their production and efficiency, including both strengths and weaknesses, are not so disparate.

 

When you look at his whole game it's just too inconsistent and a big part of it is pushing him to be a point guard. He is not disciplined enough for that all the way around. Also at this stage of his career (still young but has been the league 3 years at least) do you see him contributing to winning consistently? Not asking if he is a championship level player yet. Can he contribute or be a positive player in regards to WHY your winning...

 

He is so much better than people realize, and they are running out of things to say other than he was immature at times.

DD

 

Don't need it. Your boy isn't getting ****