He was, but his efficiency was based on his support cast being pretty avg and being forced to shoot 23+ times per game is not an efficient recipe for a under 6ft guard in any era
I like KPJ and I think he's a baller. That said, he needs to work on all facets of being a creator--not just creating for himself, but for others. Making quick decisions and good reads. Yes, he is putting up numbers, but to what end? I want him to grow together with the team. I'd hate to see him become the Monta Ellis to Jalen's Curry
All g, I figured you meant that but I took it as you worded it, but those three plus Bron 07' Cavs was probably weakest cast of finals support in at least past 30 seasons or so
He is never going to do that. Silas needs to actively put him off the ball for him to be a fit here long-term. Lucas and Silas and every damn person on here that wants a rim-running C are enabling him to go James Harden redux + doodoo.
The crazy thing about KPJ is he has a lot of playmaking ability for himself and others. He is an excellent catch and shoot player. He has an NBA body and excellent NBA athleticism. He just needs to play within a team concept. If he could learn how to make quick decisions he'd be worth every penny of his contract and some. He needs to get the ball and think "pass, drive, or shoot" except for the occasional mismatches or clock management situations.
I don't know if I see it as him being low IQ. I think he has an exceptionally high IQ but his ego overrides it. You can see that there are stretches where he's being a perfect plain vanilla PG and getting the ball safely where it should go. But if Green erupts or there is an opportunity to get famous in the 4th quarter, it all goes down the drain. He's still trying to prove himself to people. In fact, just TRYING to do anything is a mess for him. Just do it, and do what you can, and do it quick. He's also very addicted to the "oohs" and "Aahs" from him doing some streetball dribbling that goes nowhere. There's data to show that with every dribble, his efficiency gets worse. It's all choice and ego with him right now. There's nothing he needs to do that he can't do. He just sometimes slips into a different personality. You can see it clearly, because his excellent defense disappears at the same time - which is inexplicable from a coaching perspective. For this particular type of player, MDA would have done wonders. Cut out the stupid mid range shots, attack or take a 3, stop wasting time on the clock with purposeless dribbling. There's a mountain of fear coming for him, I hope he's ready. It's not going to be easy to accept that he will never get iso plays on any team that wants to win desperately. He's lucky it's happening right now and they're babying him like crazy. What he's shown in iso right now has been boring and inefficient. It looks worse because there are suddenly guys on the team who convert on possessions at a far higher rate than him and he should be feeding them. He can work on his iso game in practice if he wants, but let's be honest it just doesn't work if you're afraid of contact at the rim and are no good at absorbing it. He's a 3 and D guy who can take care of the ball because of tight handles. He can gradually improve at finding teammates in the right time and place. Still, I'm rooting for him and happy to give him 20 games to make a case for himself. I like his journey and it would be a great story. It's not my money so I love that they're taking a flyer on him and we can waive him after any season if it doesn't work out.
From Jalen Green’s mouth. Exactly what I’ve been saying about having a scoring threat at PG next to him. “Scoot [Kevin Porter Jr.] got things going early in the first quarter," Green said. "Once he did that, that opened the door for me a lot more. But once we both got things going, it opened the door for Jabari." https://www.si.com/nba/rockets/.amp...green-kevin-porter-jabari-smith-stephen-silas But hey, I should believe y’all over Green.
Rick Adelman's corner offense might be the most aesthetically pleasing system that has ever been run in Houston. Created tons of highlights during the regular season against bad defenses, but couldn't elevate middling talent into playoff berths, or compensate for injury. I do agree that Silas should open up the playbook, but if guys are straight ignoring one-pass away open shooters in the current system, I'm not exactly optimistic that they're going to making hundreds of reads for off-the-ball actions and do it well. One of the big downsides to going so young is that literally all of the Rockets' good players are only about 1-2 years removed from being the unquestioned, ball-dominant star. The quality of off-ball actions matter as well, and if the young guys are not willing to put in the thankless reps where they're acting as functional decoys, then the entire system breaks down. Ironically, Garuba seems really well suited to such a flow offense, because he so clearly does not want to shoot or dribble the ball that he is always thinking about where everyone else is on the court. I think if teams actually bothered to scout him at all, they would design a gameplan similar to how they deal with Westbrook or Simmons by just ignoring him completely and sagging off. But right now he's the one guy where the ball never seems to stick.
