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

fair enough, but i still feel like it's worth trying to help people here understand what matters in basketball more. I've tried a bunch with DD but i suppose you're right, at a certain point it's better to just give up on trying to educate. I guess the teacher in me wants to keep trying, foolish as it may be lol

 

I’d go with both

he modeled his game after prime Harden, and Harden was no off-ball player…he was a dribbling machine who loved to take tough, highly contested shots

KPJ is what happens when a mediocre talent patterns his game after a superstar

A coach might be able to reign that in somewhat or harness that in a more productive way (scoring 6th man), but how hard can u coach KPJ before he gets to chucking hot spaghetti bolognese at your dome? Would he accept or be happy with a 6th man role?

 

It's very frustrating to watch. A new coach needs to be brought in ASAP to accelerate whatever will happen when he is reigned in/forced to take a reduced role.

 

The problem is you guys keep trying to relate it to what the TEAM gets out of it, sometimes if a player is good for the team he can have low efficiency scoring......

Basing your opinion of a player based ONLY on efficiency isn't even close to the whole picture, defense, setup, leadership, does he lead the team to wins....are more important than efficient scoring.

Plenty of efficient scores were fools gold for winning.

Now, I am not saying KPJ is a winner, lord knows our team sucks.....but I can tell you he is the only player on the team that can literally get to anywhere he wants on the court, and that eventually SHOULD lead to better team play.....and as I believe coaching is our problem - I want to see him and all our players with a better coach/system before I am either in or out on anyone.

DD

 

A low efficiency scorer that's a SUPER high turnover guy can only be a useful player if he's absolutely ELITE on defense. Even then as a guard, the impact is not that immense. If he was say a marcus smart level defender, he would be a reasonably useful player if his turnovers/efficiency stayed the same. Basically, if he was the best defensive guard in the league he would be a passable starter. However, he sucks on defense so he doesn't even have that going for him. The way for a guard to have value is on offense, where KPJ absolutely unequivocally sucks. He's not average, he's not mediocre, he's outright terrible. There's no situation where more efficient scoring hurts the team, so idk what you're trying to say with the "team gets out of it"

 

I don't think his numbers are permanent, I believe with a proper system both he and Green would have much better numbers - I hate the Iso system, my turn, your turn, but that is what Silas wants - it is nuts.....

All these NBA players recognize his talent - sometimes a coach is holding you back, that is what I believe is happening here.

DD

 

That’s fine. There’s no way for me to say that what you’re saying isn’t true, because it’s a hypothetical. However, you need to stop saying that he is growing or improving, because that is simply false. He is identical to what he was as a rookie, as a 2nd year player, and last year as a 3rd year player.

 

The only way a low efficiency scorer can be helpful to a team is if they almost never shoot and are a great defender and/or playmaker.

Plenty of efficient scorers who were fools gold to winning? Like who? And who did they lose to? And how efficient were the guys who beat them? I’d wager it was someone….MORE efficient.

The downplaying of the importance of efficiency is maddening.

Three of our highest volume scorers have piss poor efficiency. Thus we lose all the time. It’s pretty simple.

 

Well he is improving - his passing has gotten somewhat better, his dribbling a lot better, his FT% is better - clearly his mentality is a lot better.

So it is not fair to say he isn't improving.

DD

 

very very minor/marginal stuff. Overall as a player he's BARELY better then he was as a rookie 3 years ago. His FG% has actually dropped all 4 years which is wild

 

He was not tasked with trying to get others involved as a rookie, or even as a 2nd year player, it was just go score....it is honestly amazing that he is the same with the extra responsibilities

DD

 

you think it's remarkable he's only slightly worse then he was 3 years ago? spicy

 

DD also claims that he feels KPJ has a higher ceiling than Green, which is... mind blowing.

 

Hard to judge people because they love a player, no matter how irrational and illogical it is. I do think (sadly) at this point, there's very little chance that KPJ ever develops into an average starter

 

I don't know if the stats back this up, but I think the Rockets get kiiled in transition D. They're better defending against halfcourt sets when things slow down.

 

No, I said he might, because he has a much better dribble....I have no clue which one is better.

Green has many issues too, he is almost all right handed, his D is equally ****....and his handle is borderline at best.

DD

 

@Plowman remember how you replied to my mention that it was Sengun's fault hahahahahahahaha

 

I like the myth being perpetuated that KPJ wasn’t tasked with playmaking responsibilities until last season(claiming he only just started being a PG in year 3) yet his career high in assists per game and assist% was his first year in Houston, his second season.

 

I don’t even think it’s a myth, more of a sad reality. I think he clearly was playing different back then than he is now. Back then he was a scorer primarily, they didn’t really ask him to set up the offense or be a floor general type. It was more of a “go out there and do your thing” where he would try to score, and if that meant he drew a double team, or beat his man and got a help defender, then just make one simple pass for an assist. And he was pretty good at that. Assists via scoring acumen/gravity rather than “point guard” type assists.

Now they’ve got him trying to be a point guard, trying to set it all up, running plays and reading defenses, trying to “read and react”. The primary playmaker and decision maker in the Silas offense. And the result of all this is actually less assists and more turnovers. He’s still learning so I’m fine giving him more time, but so far the evidence shows that either he’s not cut out for this role, or he’s got bad coaching, or both. But I don’t think it’s a myth.