KPJ: Can someone explain to me why he has become Clutchfans favorite whipping boy?

I agree that this isn't on KPJ. He is doing what naturally would come from being a high usage pg and one of the most senior players on the roster.


But what I worry is what happens when staff and management tell him it's time to have a diminished role as a 6th man if we get someone like Harden or Scoot. Will he accept it?

 

He is a malcontent.

He says nice things as long as he and his "twin" get to shoot 40 times a game and Sengun only gets to shoot 7 times a game, as long as Sengun sets screens and picks for him and quickly gives the ball back to him, or he will pout.

That would be like Kenny Smith pouting when Hakeem gets more shots or doesn't pass him the ball. That's the talent differential. Sengun is a much better player, and for the organization to allow the inmates to run the asylum is stupid.

We are literally letting the most immature guy on the team act like he is some kind of leader, while he pouts, barks at teammates, demands that other teammates do the dirty work for him as if he were some kind of star. And the second most immature guy on the team is his backup - a guy who is so bad that it makes the "head honcho" look better than he is.

The results speak for themselves.

Just because that style got us a win against a team that's trying even harder than us to lose doesn't mean that Silas or KPJ are vindicated.

 

saying nice things is meaningless if your actions do not match them. He thinks Sengun has unteachable post moves but he prefers a contested 3 rather than pass him the ball when he locks his man?

 

You are exhausting. The same post over and over, regardless of what actually happens in the games. If someone can never do anything you find acceptable, that says far more about you than him.

And you have the gall to say someone else is immature, inefficient and a pouter.

 

How many contested 3s has he been shooting recently? He was 7-13 on 3s last night and 4-10 the prior game.

You don’t have to love the guy or think he is the answer, but it is OK to admit that he has had a good, efficient stretch.

 

He has been shooting well, it is not an opinion, it is a fact. What I was pointing out has nothing to do with it.

I was just talking about his choice not to pass the ball to Sengun when he has positioned himself well. The play may end up with a contested 3, a mid-range etc. but it is a bad choice regardless of what the result is and it is not something you would do if you think Sengun has good post moves or if you value him high as a player.

the only relation this has to do with kpj’s shooting is kpj is the type of player who would be more inclined to pass up the correct play if he has been shooting well.

 

He shot the ball well in recent games. Doesn't mean it was good team basketball.

And just because you don't like what I say doesn't mean it's not true. I don't care if it exhausts you, it's still true.

 

Delusional lol. Sengun’s been struggling while we've been playing better collectively. How are you critical of KPJ's defense without mentioning the worst defender on the team Sengun? Teams aren't actively seeking out KPJ on defense lol

 

Put this malcontent on my team any day

 

Let's not forget 2 mention his efficiency in assist/turnover has been fantastic

 

Another day, another set of temper tantrums by the Sengun lunatics.

 

Didn't he do the exact same thing the last few games of last season?

And then this entire season he's done what exactly? Oh, exactly what those posters are saying.

Obviously that famous saying doesn't ring true to you.

 

If he is shooting well from 3 - which he is - then he should take that shot instead of giving it to Sengun in the post. Whichever play has the highest expected PPP is the “correct” one.

Again, this thread is incredibly poorly timed. KPJ has done absolutely everything you want to see in a young guard the last few weeks, and people cannot acknowledge it due to some combination of needing to defend their own entrenched position and defense of a different player.

 

KPJ has actually played really well recently. As a Rockets fan, that’s good to see.

 

no it’s not. Sorry but that’s just not true. He’s actually gotten worse in that department. He’s 5.8/3.2. Last year he was 6.2/3.1.

he’s shooting better but he hasn’t improved as a point guard. The eye test tells us and the stats tell us.

 

Since he got back from injury his turnovers have been down. His overall playmaking has also excelled

 

It's not even that recent, since Christmas he's putting up 19.4/6/5.5 with only 2.4 turnovers while hitting 40% of his 3's with a 60% TS%

He's been the most consistently good player on the team this season. I know that some people are WAY too attached to their false narratives, but they crumbled long ago.

 

I think KPJ can ball very talented player that would thrive in structure around some vets.
With that tho.
I definitely want him no where near my young players teaching them anything.
He is in his 4th NBA season still throwing tantrums on & off the court like he in high school.
The whole Jalen "Twin" thing is idk.. I feel like he's attaching himself to Jalen for personal gain just my opinion.
He has the most incidents on the the team by a mile but given the most leeway which is odd.
Having talent can only take you so far. Ask Rockets legend Michael Beasley.
I think KPJ wineds up like a JR Smith type.
This whole reclamation project thing is tired & old.
Would much rather have had Jalen in the PG role if the team was still gonna only win 20 games.

 

Maybe we are getting lost in the discussion here because we don't have footage or you are certain that I am trying to push some 'play through Sengun' agenda because he is my favourite player. But I'll try to explain anyways.

Your logic 'whichever play has the highest expected ppp is the correct one' is wrong in two ways:

1- KPJ shooting the 3 does not have the highest ppp. In March(his good performance month), he shot a fantastic 25% with closest defender 4 ft and less(compared to 42.9% on open 3s, closest defender 4-6 ft). Those are the 3s you get when you don't pass the ball to the post and prefer to shoot or generally not move the ball.

2- You cannot compare plays just by ppp because every play leads to other actions. For example passing the ball to the post have a higher chance of drawing a foul or creating a better action with a cutter, or generally using Sengun's court vision. If ppp was the criteria to be used, why do we use KPJ as a pick and roll ball handler when his ppp on pick and roll is very bad?

The players that you can use ppp type of argument are Harden or Luka who has a great combination of scoring skill, passing skill and decision making to choose when to use which. KPJ is average on the first one, poor on the latter two. He is not a player to pass up an open teammate to create something on his own.

The second point is KPJ's improvement. How much did he improve this season? I wrote my assessment to the player assessment thread:

Improvements:

1) better ft shooting on more volume. This is by far his greatest and possibly only significant statistical improvement.
2) less hero plays on fourth quarters
3) turnover % slightly down

non-improvements:

1) no improvement on effective field goal, still shooting the same from the filed
2) no improvement in playmaking. I wouldn't be impressed just by increased assist numbers because I want to see him move the ball to get everyone involved, but even the assist numbers is not up although he has more playing time.
3) defense might be relatively better compared to last year. but still it is so bad, you can't count how many times he(and the other guards) gets thrown off by a simple screen or ball movement.
4) on court behavior problems, the biggest problem of all for me. Quitting on plays, not playing defense, not running back, pouting, endless stuff. This is the reason I wouldn't want him on my team.

So, his improvements has nothing to do with his responsibilities as a pg. All this season shows, he is not suited for a pg role and he is not willing to change his behavior. I wouldn't keep a player with his attitude unless it is an all-star player. I am okay with the org trying it, but that should be not at the pg spot and should be a more limited role.