I feel uncomfortable how easily people dismiss KPJ as not part of the core future (Green, Sengun, JC etc). People forget he's still only 21 and had discombobulated first 3 seasons, a lot from his own doing and a lot from Covid. People give up on him too easily. My only concern with KPJ is whether he fits with Green. Right now it's difficult to determine if he's our pg of the future or SF wing scoring threat of the future.
I think there's a fair story behind the hesitancy that's been well documented. I think most of Rockets fans agree that KPJ has enough talent in the world. I think even those who won't put him in the Green/Sengun core are still rooting for him because he is easy to root for.
This is a fun stat but DGC cherry picking at the most umph-th degree. KPJ and efficiency, these two words sound weird together in a sentence.
I do think he needs more time, but I think the team should be very cautious. I don't think he has earned the keys to the team, but it's clear the front office and coaches have given it to him. His on/off attitude is quite troublesome, and whilst it could mature over time, he honestly hasn't done enough to warrant the amount of focus that this team has given him. That being said, he has played a lot better lately in comparison to most of the season. He needs much more consistency though between possessions, because he can hit a big 3 on one possession, then commit a really bad turnover in the next possession giving up easy points. I think he's best utilized as a 3, less ball dominance and more off-ball movement. He has a lot of physical gifts that would allow him to be a pretty good defender.
I think a lot of players do step it up around the trade deadline, even if they are nailed on, thus is the hazard of being traded.
I think some people thinking tanking as a winning strategy is even more pathetic. I'd much rather play to win and draft where we land (much like the Warriors did, who never tanked to the bottom of the league for their players) which has a much more proven track record of success. But sure, run with your loser ass b**** made mentality, that'll work.
It certainly wasn't Green's night. He was aggressive and got up 13 shots in 23 minutes. Made 3. Gobert was waiting for him at the rim, and the rest of the Jazz defense knew exactly how to play him. By contrast, Mathews was hot. Also nice to see the team grab 12 offensive boards against the Jazz.
Imo that's all there is to it. Green had a bad game, others played hard and were hot. They rewarded those players who got the team back into the game.... and I think that was the right thing to do
