I love I told you so threads but… 2 things can be true 1. KPJ is the best option at PG for this team. I would rather be playing next to him than NIX 2. KPJ isn’t the future PG of this team. Especially a team with future title aspirations, he will be an excellent 6th man and closer We need an actual offense since we really don’t have an actual PG - in the meantime, I want every player to develop and grow regardless of the coaching staff we have. My I told you so is - start KJ and give him more minutes than Tate (now we have Tari too) - we were going to tank again (organically) and - Silas will not be gone until his contract expires. Unfortunately this is what we have to watch, hopefully the results are similar to watching the Astros in 2012 etc..
We have somehow forgotten that the priority should be putting our franchise player (Jalen Green) in a position to maximize his talent. wtf are we doing putting him next to a ball stopper who can’t facilitate or run the pick n’ roll? Seriously. Have we lost sight that we should be focused on Green? Are folks really going to argue that KPJ at the point is good for Green? Come on.
The facts support my position. Green is better across the board with KPJ. I’m sorry the facts don’t support your bias.
Im not arguing that we are a better team without KPJ. KPJ is a very good player; maybe our best clutch player. I’m saying the KPJ-Green combo has not been very good. In that 11 game sample size there’s a drop in Green’s production but I don’t think that is solid proof that the KPJ- Green backcourt is good for Green. what would be interesting is if we had a decent point guard and could compare Green’s production while playing next to him vs KPJ (with the same surround cast). And just to be clear since there is no tone over posts, I respect your point of view. The stats certainly strengthen your argument, but those last +/- stats don’t consider who else is on the floor; that makes a big difference. It’s not directly correlated to KPJ.
Kpj with Green and we are still dead last. Acting like kpj is the answer to pg is the solution to our current predicament. Folks acting like this one game sample size without kpj proves he's the answer. I reject that notion.
We need em both, and yes, they are both SGs. They are both Rockets players we should want them both to be successful. As I said, doesn't matter who plays PG until we get a coach with a system.... This one is ISO - and our best ISO player is the enigmatic KPJ. DD
Makes sense, and I agree to a degree. To me, the KPJ/Green/Smith/Sengun starting lineup is a solid foundation, but it is missing a big piece. I like Gordon, but he would be better served coming off the bench. In that vein, I think there are two ways the rockets can go. 1. Keep KPJ and Green at the 1 and 2, but run a 4-1 out offense through Sengun. In this case, we need true 3-and-D forward next to Smith. or 2. Insert a pass-first PG and put KPJ at the 3. I'm fine with either solution, but NOT running the offense through Sengun and NOT having a true forward at 3 is really killing us.
KPJ shows flashes he can be a good PG. He needs a coach who can bring that out. When he starts going full on ISO ball then he needs to be benched for a minute and coached. The coach needs to point out the good things he did and why they were good. Then the coach needs to show him the bad ****. Put him back on the floor. If he does more stupid ISO ball then repeat. My fear is the coach is telling him to ISO and KPJ is just doing what he is told.
If we look back to the preseason and earlier part of the season, the one thing that is missing is Bruno! SOFs please hear me out before you all go on a rampage. I think Bruno brought more toughness in the paint, not that he is better or more skilled than Sengun, he's not but it's his style of play, I think the Rockets are missing that. In addition to tthe fact that he was a lob threat. I've always said the one thing this team needs is a TRUE BIG CENTER.
That sometimes happens with a ball-dominant guard. When Harden was here, he dominated the ball so much that the team naturally flunk without him (except when CP3 was here). Harden was a machine back then, rarely ever injured so we didn't get to see how the team perform without him. But I have to think if the team had played without him for an extended time and gained "confidence" from being able to, it would be a very good thing. KPJ is also a ball-dominant guard. This team is learning, including KPJ. They should just try different things. Experiment. Doesn't matter as long as the objective is to see, learn and improve. Data for decisions in 2023.
We play like that WITH him so that makes no sense lol As a matter of fact with him we turn the ball over more. The only thing that happened last night is that we missed shots. Jalen and Al P both missed shots they normally make. That has nothing to do with KPJ.
