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

Exactly. You can hope for the best but formulate your opinion based on what you've seen

 

Lol welcome to my world.

DD

 

Its going to be epic!

 

I think the issue is with those who say they just don't see it.... then people say "well what about when he did this?" The response is always something like "that doesn't count" or "that didn't lead to wins" then people point out that KPJ was basically the only young player on the team that was a net positive when on the court among those who played significant minutes.... then those people typically go quiet for a while only to come back with some kind of "he hasn't shown it" all over again.

Imo he still has a lot to prove, but he's shown more than literally any other young player on the roster.

 

With him, it's about playing winning basketball: sprint back at transition defense; fight through screens, put pressure on the ball and stay active off the ball, lower the TOs. He can also improve at finishing, and more things, but yeah, main thing it's about competing defensively, where he has terrible habits, and playing hard. You can put 100 videos of beauty highlights showing his talent (which is obviously very high), but it's not about that.

I wish he could change because I genuinely like the guy and his talents, but we'll see... those are habits that players normally can't break at certain age.

 

B

But it really isn’t. Players get paid for offensive stats, if he Avg 20-7 on good shooting, someone will offer big money.

DD

 

So when does he stop having that 1 incident define him?

What is being real with yourself, ignoring all the good stuff he has done since coming to the Rockets, and just letting 2 incidents define him?

I think you need to be real with yourself and realize you are letting his worse incidents define him and ignoring everything else.

 

You do know you can say the same thing about Green right?

He is guilty of all of that as well.

 

This is the difference between someone like Jabari/Green and KPJr. It's why mental makeup matters. There was a number of different times KPJ wouldn't get back on defense. Pout when he didn't get a foul call or had to be yanked because of bad body language. I don't care what you look like in good games. I want to see what you look like in bad games. Jabari shot like ass all SL and *still* wouldn't pout and was the best defender in the Summer League. KPJ has that little monster inside him that tells him to quit when the going gets rough.

Any outburst this season like what he pulled last year should be an immediate cut. You do not poison your good locker room with guys like that. Ones already gone. Just need to see if another needs to be punted. He better be damn near perfect (mentally) this upcoming season.

 

You don't know **** about what KPJ has in him, the going was rough the entire season but he did not quit on the entire season he got better.

JG loves him so I guess he is poison as well right?

 

And more importantly he made his teammates better because he's a two way team player. You can't say that about many others on the roster.... but you still have people winning about KPJ.

I think the fact that their whining makes no sense is the point. They're are some of them that seek to annoy by saying things they know are foolish, hoping to get a response.

 

One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is how KPJ rises to the occasion in clutch situations. He has that clutch gene and dawg in him

 

1st couple of sentences defines what i think of him... i said "Dude has skills and is very intriguing " .... I ain't say a damn thing about his incidents... You pointed it out as a way of defending him to me , which wasnt necessary... I wanted him gone early last year but he's grown on me.. I just hope folks defending him at all costs , taper their projections to something realistic.. Hence , be real wit yoselves!

 

They would want him because he would return to being a shooting guard and he really has a close relationship with Murray. Young/KPJ/Murray is an amazing amount of depth at a great price.

 

THIS is reason why FO support KPJ.

 

Kenyon Martin Jr is on so many highlights. If you can move without the ball, he’ll find you. Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr are going to feast.

 

Really wanna see how he plays with a team that’s not deliberately trying to tank. No Theis/Wood lineup, g leaguers like armoni, 6’5 forwards who can’t really shoot in Tate & KMJ, and a center in Wood who can’t catch a bounce pass in the post without fumbling it. I love Jalen but he wasn’t exactly providing much help for KPJ either. I don’t think Silas was really trying to coach hard really that much either

I’ll just him a lot more harsh this year on getting people involved. I don’t blame him for getting his. Wood, Gordon, House, and even Tate we’re playing a lot more selfish this season with some of the wild **** they were doing. Most point guards in the league wouldn’t be a to do much with the hand KPJ was dealt with tanking as the most set. CP3 probably couldn’t do much with the clown show of Silas’s “teaching the basics” style of coaching.

 

I don't defend him at all cost, I just don't understand why some want him gone at all cost.

I am not even sure I would give him the next contract but he is trending toward deserving it IMO.

 

I don't know If it is entirely fair or accurate to say there has only been one incident as a Rocket. We have Nook mentioning He is a little bit of a pain in the ass with the coaches. And I think that almost everyone would have to agree there is has been opportunity with his body language on the court.

For context, in the middle of the season I was fully on board with us just cutting him. But I thought that he responded nicely to adversity and I think I saw him mature over the last 40 games. I certainly saw him just play better basketball.

These are young guys. He has earned the right to play pg in 2022-2023. After that we can decide if he is the point guard, small forward or just not a fit on this team.

I'm pulling for him. If he ends up hitting his ceiling KPJ/Green is going to be a serious back court.