KPJ: Can someone explain to me why he has become Clutchfans favorite whipping boy?

No one said it was wrong/bad to hope, it’s that the 5-6 of you guys who were on the pro KPJ side of the debate all summer were so sure that you were right and that everyone else was a wrong hater. The phrases “just don’t understand ball””dumb””haters” were pretty often thrown around. You, Apache, Bobby and a few others were so sure that everyone was going to be eating crow and you couldn’t wait to serve it up to us.

And honestly the majority of the “negative” side of the debate was just countering the severely unreasonable expectations the pro KPJ guys had for this season.

When one of you would claim with certainty that KPJ had proven without question that he was already a really good shooter, it wasn’t hate to point out all the reasons that probably wasn’t true.

When one of you would throw out these outlandish stat line predictions for KPJ this season, it wasn’t hate to point out the reasons this was probably pretty unlikely. Specifically to pull off a gaudy stat line on good efficiency. Putting up a ~20/7/7 stat line isn’t all that impressive when you have the ball a ton and do it on bad efficiency with a high turnover rate.

Just because some people had a good idea that KPJ probably wasn’t going to be the answer doesn’t mean they are all knowing basketball geniuses who have the answers to everything. And hell it’s still possible that he turns it all around and all of us “anti KPJ” guys look like complete jackasses. But it’s pretty hard to ignore everything so far that has pointed to that positive outcome trending to be less and less likely as the bad results pile up.

And I really don’t understand why people are so surprised and offended when a lengthy debate takes place that the people who took opposite sides of that debate let the other side know about it when some of the results start to come in.

Without question if KPJ was looking like an all star worthy candidate through the start of this season you guys would be letting us hear about it.

 

Are you illiterate? What the fuq else you want to throw tomatoes? All you have to do is go back a page or two and you would be up to speed on the discussion. You're too quick to jump into the bully aspect of it all. Similar to the Jalen love last year huh?

 

Like I said, that is simply the most realistic standard (now that I think about it, I believe it was actually 20/8/8, but let's just go with 20/7/7) and he's not even close to that. He's averaging 19.2/5.8/5.6 on poor efficiency and high TOV%. Even if we were only looking at raw numbers, he would have to spend the next good number of games a great deal more boards and dimes. This will only become progressively harder as the season goes on.

 

All I ask for is dribble less, move the ball quickly and more. Then I'll say he is doing a good job even with 15/5/5. His tov% will automatically go down, and is efficiency will go up. He just doesn't understand what is good for his game.

 

Most of the negative expectations for KPJ were already pre-conceived. Even when the kid has a worthy game to celebrate there are always "but's" involved. When the extension came out there was panic! "BUT" then the contract gets shifted into a negative "team friendly" deal so that it could remain palatable to those who questioned him as a player. Cool! The hopes for this season stemmed from a great ending to last year and the few PS games where this team actually looked good and sadly those expectations have not materialized. Big ups to your basketball acumen that you were able to spot an inefficient player early - so now what? Enjoy the bullying for a little while longer until a new whipping boy and his "fanbois" get the brunt of the energy? This team is flawed way beyond one player and like i've already posted for pages that its time to sit KPJ down. Not sure what else you guys want. A guy mans up and sits in front of the barrage of "haha I told you so" and remains as civil as possible during the hostile finger pointing and high fiving and its still not enough LOL. Im fine with it. Not losing any sleep because Clutch Fans thinks Im a dumb basketball analyst trust me.

If KPJ were looking like an All Star this team as a whole and its fans would be in a better place - hard to imagine that 5 or 6 guys really had you all this pissed off. Talks devolved into a personal nature filled with idiosyncrasies relative to each fans experience(s). It would have been good for everyone for him to break out, but even when he showed glimpses the "support" was typed out through clenched fists. Now we can shift into the TyTy experiment and see what an efficient "true" PG can do for this team. Nothing gained. Nothing lost.

 

10th in time of possession…26th in potential assists

only players averaging more turnovers per game are Lillard, Embiid, and Ja, but his turnover rate is much higher than Ja or Embiid’s, and 1% higher than Dame

 

Which?who?what did I miss?

 

This is the hardest part of the schedule. It will only get easier for these guys and hopefully the more court time will equal more chemistry and easier games to win. Im not happy with the output or making excuses for the player - he is simply not playing well at all right now and some of you were able to identify the issue last year or the year before and can rest on those laurels. Is that the expectation for the remainder of the season? Not from me, but it is time to mix it up if for nothing else to satisfy the contingent of fans who feel that a pass first PG is what this team needs the most - Im here and eager to see if that is the case.

 

Your material is being passed around and thought you would be the best to offer the response! Tread carefully! Bow your head, dont look them in the eyes. There is blood in the water!

 

We don't need a playmaking PG, but we do need a playmaker. Since we can't count on Silas to come up with and implement an offensive system, then we can only continue looking for someone who can simply make plays. Could be TyTy, could be Green, could be Sengun. Honestly, I don't care who it ends up being but we need to start looking for that player who can be the "eye" of our offense.

 

People have no patience, either Jalen or KPJ will struggle while they work out how to play PG - and the org has said....let's let JALEN be the SG and develop there because that is his best spot. Let's put KPJ at PG, even though he is a SG, Jalen is more important so we will let him try to develop there, and KPJ...shockingly or not shockingly to those with a brain - is struggling at PG while he learns.

And, he may never get there, but he is giving it his best - some games he looks like ass, some he is mediocre and some he is damned good.....GOSH that sounds just like a developing player.

People here and in Social Media circles that are fans of the game, but have never coached it, and probably didn't even play in High school are up in arms, thinking they know best - when the reality is....they don't.......we don't......

And NONE of this matters if Silas is the coach.

But leave it to all the Captain Spreadsheets out there who don't know even know a single offensive set....but can read excel.

DD

 

This may be the best post you have made in years. Props DD

 

His body language was noticeably bad last night for the first time this season IMO. He's not thriving. Time for a change. Time for the 'real' fan analysts to get their time in assessing a "true" PG and then maybe the board as a whole can move in the right direction. There's nothing that can really be argued as a positive for keeping him in there so give the vultures their pound of flesh and the base can move forward. I said from the beginning that I'd be here for the good times or the bad. Im a Rocket fan and will always swing on the side of optimism even when it may rub others the wrong way. I dont apologize for that. Blaming the player(s) or the coach is just an excuse when you have guys who need to feel justified in their positions. A lot can happen in 60+ games, but in the meantime Silas SHOULD begin to tinker with the lineup, but if he doesnt hopefully the mob can actually recognize what is going on.

 

https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/jalen-green-can-be-special.312679/page-9#post-13935312

 

I think Silas has started to do this as I noticed that he is now staggering their minutes somewhat. Especially in the recent 3rd quarters it feels like there has been a concerted effort to have Jalen run more of the offense without KPJ.

Your posts have actually softened my stance toward KPJ's plight. I agree that we've seen enough to at least try a different direction but sympathetic to the fact that he has been put in a tough situation and asked to play a role that may not allow him to be his best as a player. Agree that he is trying as I've seen glimpses of improvement. Hoping his demeanor last night was more about the refs than his role.

 

I'll check it out later after work.

I had the same stuff happen last year when I said Jalen Green was this eras MJ and Kobe.

Many people here called Jalen a bust and call me out. Then the end of the season happened.

Thanks for the heads up. I don't put much stock on first 10 games vs playoff caliber comp.....sooner or later we will face sub 500 talent. And our players will shine

 

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Does Porter Jr even enjoy playing PG anymore. I say we just split ball handling duties between EG, Green and KPJ. Just run continuous handoffs and simple pick and rolls. So no one over dribbles.

I feel like Porter doesn't even get better shots when he dribbles more, I'd rather he just jack up step back 3s

 

Its easy to see a flawed player with a checkered past and err on the side of caution. Hard to see that type of player and isolate the positives and hope for the best. I thought he would be able to absorb the responsibility, but he's caught in the quicksand. Best to let someone else carry the load for a while so he can just hoop and have fun again whether its here or somewhere else. I dont believe that a pass first PG is necessary, but there's only one way to find out. Last night was bad - it was written all over his face and Im pretty sure KPJ first and foremost would have wanted to play better for himself and the fans. Having a brutal schedule early has been a sobering dose of reality. Season is still young, but then Im sure as the games tick off that will only be another "excuse" for those waiting on him to take the next step. Its an ugly brand of ball and he doesnt have the repertoire to pull it off as of today if ever. Its wild because Im sure they are having film sessions pointing out these moments, so then within that understanding lies the crux of him not being able to learn from his mistakes.