People that are first to recognize or first to see things get questioned, but ultimately, this is 100% right. And all the casuals nipping at my heels only confirms it. Also, it shows who just reads thread titles without the first post explaining things more deeply vs really reads to understand context....that is weak. KD is not the answer, he is part of the answer, and if we think he is the entire answer - that is the problem - he isn't. Love having him but want him in a role that makes the entire team better. DD
So far Durant is the only player keeping us in games. Seems to me like he is the only consistent answer and to not back him is wild. Its either Durant of Jalen, id choose an hall of fame player over JG any day. The blame is on Ime and other players in the roster, Durant is single handedly keeping our season alive
See, this is an example of someone that didn't read the thread, just the title of it, and comes in and comments about what he THINKS it means without the actual context of WHAT it means...Codman did the same thing. Of course you do the DURANT trade, no one is saying anything about that - this is 100% about how Durant is being used.....I contend he shouldn't have the ball and be the initiator all the time that he should be on the END of the play shooting as that is what he does best. And that it benefits the OVERALL team to move the ball around and their bodies around for a good shot, to lean into players like Amen, Sengun and Reed more as the initiators - and let KD do what he is best at - FINISH. THAT is what this thread is, but in today's headlines and social media frenzy people just glance, comment and run away...... Complex conversations be damned. DD
This doesnt deserve another thread, it should be posted in the Ime is a **** coach thread, these are all Ime being a terrible offensive coach
Well on that we agree - but at the time I was hoping Ime would make that adjustment - but when he told the team that they would lean into KD, and it pissed off Sengun, that is 100% on Ime and let's me know we aren't winning crap with Ime as coach. DD
Initiating with players that can't hit 3s is an awful, awful idea (more Westbrick anyone?). Opposing teams have to respect the pull up 3. There are 0 good point guards in today's game that can't shoot from distance. And they tried it with Reed and they sucked, negative NetRtg.
Not everything has to be a 3, you can initiate with a PnR in the midrange, that is what they are doing with KD right now. DD
Not gonna argue with that, we need to embrace the 3s.......much more than we already do.....we are trying to win games as a 2pt shooting team....and losing the math war. DD
Putting KD into the Luka/Harden role of being the iso guy is indeed not the answer. But that's not on KD. That's on the people who gave an 30+ yr old sub-6 foot PG coming off arguably the worst season of his career an untradable $25mil/yr contract, and then have no way to pivot out of that decision when said player went out with an injury. It's not KD's fault the Rockets don't have anyone to make his life easier.
If you run the offense the right way, Amen only needs to take a 3 occasionally from the corner. With his driving there is plenty of space for 3 pt shooters, Jabari, Reed, Tari, DFS, Durant. It is not the pg’s inabiity to hit 3’s that is packing the paint, it is Durant spamming middies and Sengun regressing from 3. Watch the last 15 or so games closely and see how many wide open looks Amen is creating since he started making his layups and getting to the line. He is averaging 10.2 expected assists per game for the season and many more recently while playing with Alpi that has 11.4. Cade Cunningham who rarely shares initiating duties leads the league with 18. Stephon Curry has 9.1. Fred VanFleet averaged 10.9 for the full year last year. I expect Amen’s full season to surpass that if he continues to progress as he has to date, but only if the offense features more movement and less Durant middies which are almost all unassisted. Not to mention if they start Reed Sheppard who Amen feeds regularly (unlike Sengun and Durant who ignore him). If Amen starts to hit 3’s at a decent clip after a few seasons, he will be a hall of fame level PG. It would be stupid to not develop him further at the position.
Yes, we have 3 guys that are good at creating for others in a normally run offense. Sengun, Amen, and Reed can be an elite PG by committee. Positionless basketball has changed the dynamic of the NBA dramatically. Positionless basketball is the new normal. It will be absolutely entrenched as the basketball and training evolution continues to paint the new paradignm. Exciting times for professional basketball fans.
You are correct, but it does put an emphasis on shot making. So, it might mean Jabari goes to the bench - his 3pt shooting is pretty bad....overall.....he should be a 38% 3pt shooter not a 34% one. DD
Alot of reading between the lines.. Saying KD aint the answer, but then acknowledging why he was needed, is gonna come off crazy.. Makes no sense to keep responding to everyone ( especially knowing how they love to clown you at every opportunity) with " that ain't what I'm sayin"... That means it wasn't clear from the start what you were saying or as I have thought sometimes, you're just bored and wanna ruffle a few feathers.. I just think it aint KD fault that he joined a team that was said to be " a clutch scorer away" at 37 years old... But it quickly became " We need you to be 26 year old KD and lead us for every damn minute you're out there"... It's more of an indictment on the other alleged cornerstones ( Sengun, Bari, Thompson) .. They havent improved on anything that attributes to more team oriented winning , as you've pointed out several times.. Thompson still cant shoot nor ball handle with 100% confidence throughout games .. Bari can't spread the floor nor finish at the rim yet still fires em up from 25 ft with regularity .. Sengun still can't provide adequate lane protection nor keepfrom committing some crazy head scratching plays in the clutch They're the ones that ain't the small things associated with being serious contenders.. Lets not get into Ime being Ime... Calling KD out seems as I said, crazy IMO..
