Not a KPJ fan, but if I was advising him on career moves. Instead of clinging onto the PG spot, I'd advise him to 'read the room' so to speak. Out of the 3 free agent targets this year, the front office went after FVV, Brook, Dillion (in that order). It's sign of their priority on the replacements, PG first, a big, then a wing. Them turning to FVV for a PG was a clear indiction of where the org wants to go. So instead of fighting it, KPJ should look at, "if I'm to be the 6th man and maybe a small chance of getting back in to the starting lineup, out of the spots: pg, sg, sf... which one is more open". SG - Unless KPJ severely outplays Green; it's highly unlikely Green is unseated (because of draft status and renewal talks soon). SF - Team is cluttered at this spot: with Dillion, Tari, and lower chance others (whitmore / even amen). Dillion is still the clear favorite (from front office perspective), but compared to FVV or Green, percentage wise he might have a better shot to outplay Dillion, if Dillion shoots himself in the foot (taking bad shots). Or if Dillion goes down from injury let's say; it's up for grabs between him and Tari. Realistically he should try to embrace the 6th man role; if Amen / Whitmore are hungry enough, he might not even be that.. but descend into 7th or 8th man. In the slim chance he's still a starter the door to SF might be relatively more open up for grabs.
I doubt it was his idea, the Rockets put him on that PG journey, as now they would make him 6th man because the rotation has less room for him. This whole Rockets saved him and otherwise he would have gone down a dark path. Does he have bad body language, mental issues, delusions of grandeur...yup of course. I do not give a ....about where he plays as long as he plays controlled, does not dribble much.
On the PG journey. in year 1, some people was throwing idea of comparing KPJ's game to Harden (the PG) prior. This includes KPJ describing his game similar to Harden in his interviews. There definitely was lobbying from KPJ and likely FO also like the idea. Stone's obsession with positional size (while not fully accounting for 'skill ball'). Earlier on, with Wood still here, FO wasn't sure, as other guys like Tate was taken a spin as part-time ball handler. But KPJ solidified his case somewhat after KPJ's 50 pt game late in season. Rockets FO then kind of decided to give a year + on the PG experiment. And sitting Wall out. Fast forward to today, the experiment more or less failed. KPJ might have learned some stuff; but clearly we don't want this slow growth to occur at the expense of a Jabari or other young buds. KPJ got a pay raise, so it's not like our team has been unfair to him. He can still have a productive career so long as he stay professional. "Hoopers" want the ball in their hand. But on my original point, instead of KPJ try to fight FVV for it; he should look to see what his opportunities are with the 2nd unit that or a slim chance of maybe as one of those who outplays Dillion Brooks.
He is pretty similar to James Harden but I think he has a higher center of gravity and has lots more flaws. He plays very similarly just a much worse version. There is nothing wrong to compare yourself to JH when young players fantasize but it is time to wake up the next season.
Yes, I didn't say there was anything wrong to compare somebody's game to a JH. I mean KPJ understands the role of JH as the PG / playmaker of the team. Him also labeling himself as a 'twin' to JG, another guy who was going to have ball in his hands. Take the 76sers for example. It was later revealed that in the Bret Brown era, Ben Simmons lobbied for the PG job in Philly, instead of being just a "PF/Center"; he wanted to playmake. Unlike KPJ, Simmons squeezed an All-star out of it, while Rockets continued to lose as one of the worse teams in the league. Putting someone in a pg role, is definitely a two way conversation; with FO giving the keys and a player having to shift his game completely. Can almost guarantee KPJ was not some reluctant participant to be the point guard.
KPJ should do whatever is in the best interest of his career, if it is playing 6th man, great, if he wants to start, and demands a trade - up to him. He seems to be all in with Ime, so let's see how it goes.....but KPJ ultimately will decide what makes him happy, just like every other player in the NBA..... DD
LOL. If everything people THOUGHT would make them happy actually happened and really made them happy, this world would be a much happier place. Sometimes what a guy thinks is the best interest of his career turns out to be anything but.
This is silly, kpj is in no position to “demand a trade”, if he does that he’s out of the league. The Rockets signed him to a uniquely sweetheart deal, although he gets paid $15.8m a year, none of it is guaranteed until key dates are passed each year. The Rockets were able to offer this, and kpj accepted, because no one else in the league would dare to pay him that much for someone with his history, and kpj understood this. Rafael only did this because of their Seattle connection and kpj being his pet reclamation project. The second kpj is off the Rockets due to a trade demand he will be out of the league because no other team is willing to pay him $15.8m a year, otherwise he wouldn’t have accepted such a team friendly structure that is unprecedented in NBA history.
I be thinking I'm coming into this thread to read something new about Fred and then, nope...just more KPJ ****...
Stop talking in absolutes sir. KPJ will be in the league for years, after this contract he will get another one either here or elsewhere because 20ppg scorers who can create for themselves and others, and prove themselves under IMe get paid. DD
I said he will be out of the league if he demands a trade, because the Rockets will simply unguarantee his contract and no other team would pay him the $15.8m. If he proves himself in a winning environment under Ime that would be great but there is almost no chance he will average 20 on a winning team as a 6th man.
Pretty much. A guy with KPjs history demanding a trade out of the only team that extended him a branch? He can go link up with Christian Wood who last I heard still hasn't been offered anything for the same reasons.
It won’t be all up to him which direction to go. If it is, he’s screwed. In the end, basketball is a team game and coaches, mentors, and teammates along with his determination to succeed will decide whether he is successful. If what makes him happy is to suck as a pg, he will have to do it overseas.
Im with you DD on the little to no separation between KPj and FVv. People here wouldn't give KPj $43 mil per year but are pretending that they are ok with FVv get that boat load. per NBA.com Pick-n-Roll (ball handler) 22/23: Player.....poss....freq.....PPP.....pts....FG%...eFG% FVv: ........8.1......40.8....0.96....7.7....42.2....49.3 KPj: .........8.5......42.6....0.84....7.1....41.0....46.3 Player......FT%....TOV%....( & 1 freq )....score freq....NBA percentile FVv: .......10.3.....12.2...........2.3.................41.4.................70.8 KPj: ........10.0.....18.4...........2.6.................37.6.................42.8 So the numbers are practically the same last year. I've noted how VanVleet assists jumped up after the addition of Poeltl. FVv assists before (2/10/23) Poeltl: 6.5 FVv assists after (2/10/23) Poeltl: 8.6 If KPj had Poeltl, perhaps KPj would have been near 70 NBA percentile. ____________ Deflections per game (22/23) FVv: 3.8 KPj: 2.4 I've noted how Nick Nurse ran a lot of def zone(s)....Rockets did not. All those mobile 6'9" defenders allowed VanVleet to play free safety in his area often. Allowed for more deflection opportunities. basketball-reference.com ______________ Clutch (22/23) FVv: 0.6 asts.......0.2 TOV's KPj: 0.3 asts........0.3 TOV's basketball-reference.com ___________ 22/23 .....................bad pass......lost ball FVv:..................77.................36 KPj:..................113................51 FVv (21/22)....117...............45 basketball-reference.com ______________ DFG% (22/23) Player....DFG%.............DFGA FVv:.......49.7%...............15.1 (37 minutes per game) KPj:........49.8%...............14.9 (34 minutes per game) basketball-reference.com ________________ Def Impact Player......stl.....blk....DReb....DFGA.....DFG% FVv:.........1.8.....0.6......3.6.........2.7........75.5% KPj:..........1.4.....0.3......4.0.........2.2........77.4% Both equally bad.....or ? good (supposedly)? basketball-reference.com ______________ Passing (22/23) Player...pass made....pass received......Ast...... potential Ast FVv:..........69.8...................62.3................7.2..............13.0 (37 mins) KPj:...........62.0...................56.3................5.7..............11.4 (34 mins) Player...Ast pts created...Ast adj.....Ast to pass%....Ast to pass% adj FVv:..............17.7.................8.4....................11.5.................13.5 KPj:...............14.9.................6.9....................10.2.................12.3 basketball-reference.com ______________ Pull Up shooting (22/23) Player....pts....FGA.....FG%....3PA.....3P%....eFG% FVv:.......7.2......7.5......38.3......4.4......33.6.....48.3 KPj:........7.1......7.3......38.6......4.4......33.7.....48.8 NBA.com ______________ Shooting Efficiency (22/23) Player......pts.......Drive pts....Drive FG%......CnS pts.....CnS FG% FVv:........19.3...........5.4............44.4.................4.6................34.6 KPj:.........19.2...........6.5............44.2.................2.7................41.9 Player......Pull up pts.....P U FG%.....paint touch pts......P T FG% FVv:...............7.2.................38.3..................0.2.....................60.0 KPj:................7.1.................38.6..................1.1.....................66.7 Player......Post Touch pts......Post Touch FG% FVv:...................0.0...........................0.0 KPj:....................0.1..........................100 Player......Elbow Touch pts.....Elbow Touch FG%......eFG% FVv:....................0.1............................100.....................48.6 KPj:.....................0.2............................37.5....................52.2 basketball-reference.com I have more but I need to go to work. Basically VanVleet had Poeltl added Siakim was an All Star last year Scottie Barnes was rookie of the year over Jalen Green as teammate O.G. shot 39% from 3 Gary Trent jr shot 37% from 3 For KPj, Eric Gordon shot 34% while in Houston. For those who say teammates don't matter, defenses didn't have to guard anybody but EG while at Houston on his 5.2 attempts per game......shot 42% from 3 while with the Clippers on approximately the same amount of attempts (5.0). [ was the only Rockets guarded closely ] KPj was 6.2 assists in 21/22 with Houston while Eric Gordon shot 41% from 3 and C Wood shot 39%. Can space the defense better when having two perimeter shooters spreading out the defense while shooting better than average.
Im with you DD on the little to no separation between KPj and FVv. People here wouldn't give KPj $43 mil per year but are pretending that they are ok with FVv get that boat load. per NBA.com Pick-n-Roll (ball handler) 22/23: Player.....poss....freq.....PPP.....pts....FG%...eFG% FVv: ........8.1......40.8....0.96....7.7....42.2....49.3 KPj: .........8.5......42.6....0.84....7.1....41.0....46.3 Player......FT%....TOV%....( & 1 freq )....score freq....NBA percentile FVv: .......10.3.....12.2...........2.3.................41.4.................70.8 KPj: ........10.0.....18.4...........2.6.................37.6.................42.8 So the numbers are practically the same last year. I've noted how VanVleet assists jumped up after the addition of Poeltl. FVv assists before (2/10/23) Poeltl: 6.5 FVv assists after (2/10/23) Poeltl: 8.6 If KPj had Poeltl, perhaps KPj would have been near 70 NBA percentile. ____________ Deflections per game (22/23) FVv: 3.8 KPj: 2.4 I've noted how Nick Nurse ran a lot of def zone(s)....Rockets did not. All those mobile 6'9" defenders allowed VanVleet to play free safety in his area often. Allowed for more deflection opportunities. basketball-reference.com ______________ Clutch (22/23) FVv: 0.6 asts.......0.2 TOV's KPj: 0.3 asts........0.3 TOV's basketball-reference.com ___________ 22/23 .....................bad pass......lost ball FVv:..................77.................36 KPj:..................113................51 FVv (21/22)....117...............45 basketball-reference.com ______________ DFG% (22/23) Player....DFG%.............DFGA FVv:.......49.7%...............15.1 (37 minutes per game) KPj:........49.8%...............14.9 (34 minutes per game) basketball-reference.com ________________ Def Impact Player......stl.....blk....DReb....DFGA.....DFG% FVv:.........1.8.....0.6......3.6.........2.7........75.5% KPj:..........1.4.....0.3......4.0.........2.2........77.4% Both equally bad.....or ? good (supposedly)? basketball-reference.com ______________ Passing (22/23) Player...pass made....pass received......Ast...... potential Ast FVv:..........69.8...................62.3................7.2..............13.0 (37 mins) KPj:...........62.0...................56.3................5.7..............11.4 (34 mins) Player...Ast pts created...Ast adj.....Ast to pass%....Ast to pass% adj FVv:..............17.7.................8.4....................11.5.................13.5 KPj:...............14.9.................6.9....................10.2.................12.3 basketball-reference.com ______________ Pull Up shooting (22/23) Player....pts....FGA.....FG%....3PA.....3P%....eFG% FVv:.......7.2......7.5......38.3......4.4......33.6.....48.3 KPj:........7.1......7.3......38.6......4.4......33.7.....48.8 NBA.com ______________ Shooting Efficiency (22/23) Player......pts.......Drive pts....Drive FG%......CnS pts.....CnS FG% FVv:........19.3...........5.4............44.4.................4.6................34.6 KPj:.........19.2...........6.5............44.2.................2.7................41.9 Player......Pull up pts.....P U FG%.....paint touch pts......P T FG% FVv:...............7.2.................38.3..................0.2.....................60.0 KPj:................7.1.................38.6..................1.1.....................66.7 Player......Post Touch pts......Post Touch FG% FVv:...................0.0...........................0.0 KPj:....................0.1..........................100 Player......Elbow Touch pts.....Elbow Touch FG%......eFG% FVv:....................0.1............................100.....................48.6 KPj:.....................0.2............................37.5....................52.2 basketball-reference.com I have more but I need to go to work. Basically VanVleet had Poeltl added Siakim was an All Star last year Scottie Barnes was rookie of the year over Jalen Green as teammate O.G. shot 39% from 3 Gary Trent jr shot 37% from 3 For KPj, Eric Gordon shot 34% while in Houston. For those who say teammates don't matter, defenses didn't have to guard anybody but EG while at Houston on his 5.2 attempts per game......shot 42% from 3 while with the Clippers on approximately the same amount of attempts (5.0). [ was the only Rockets guarded closely ] KPj was 6.2 assists in 21/22 with Houston while Eric Gordon shot 41% from 3 and C Wood shot 39%. Can space the defense better when having two perimeter shooters spreading out the defense while shooting better than average. Their loss. Looks fine on my screen
