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

What is this leadership thing you are talking about? The Rockets have no leaders right now.......they are searching to find someone to break out.

And.....NEWSFLASH - it doesn't have to be the PG - remember Hakeem?

They are looking RIGHT NOW for a player to stand up and PROVE they are "HIM" right now, we don't have that player.....and don't give me any nonsense about anyone on the team - no one has stood up yet.....

There are candidates but until one breaks out, this is what we get a competition for "HIM" ship!

DD

 

That seems like the entire argument; that he hasn't been boneheaded lately and is "transforming before our eyes". Still very lost on how that makes him leader material.

 

My sincere apologies, it was a post by Plowman and somehow I got you confused with it. I disagree that he is developing fine though. If anything, he has regressed in the areas that matter.

 

He hasn't regressed at all - he has some games where his decision making is better than others - and some where it sucks, and well, that is what you get when you are learning a new position at the age of 22.

If he were in Green's shoes of someone that only has to attack or shoot, he would be more effective, but he is still trying to learn that balance of when to facilitate and when to score.

Is it guaranteed he gets there? No, not by a long shot, but it is what we have and I am willing to be patient to find out as this team sucks ass anyway.

DD

 

It's not even about how he performs overall as a facilitator (which he has been mostly terrible at and both eye and stats match up here), but basic behaviors as a primary ball handler which IS NOT a first time in his career thing. Driving into traffic and jumping without a plan? That's basic ball handler no-no discussed since he's been on the team. Same with dribbling the ball too much and losing the ball in the final minutes of the game. These are both very basic fundamental behaviors of what NOT to do when you have the ball, yet here are us fans seasons later griping about the same damn things still.

 

Yeah, he has to clean that up, the jumping in the air with nowhere to go....that is a product of his score first mentality.

Also needs to keep the dribble alive, but again he is transitioning - and is doing a good job of it for the most part.

Seasons later? No, 1 season later, he started playing PG last October.

Just 2 games ago he got 11 assists and generated 28 scoring opportunities.....then sucked against the Jazz, he and the team are young this is what you get.

Let me ask you a legitimate question, who would you have on the current roster running the point?

DD

 

Who said he was completely sold on him?

He gave him an extension earlier than he had to, and KPJ would have to **** up royally to not get the remainder of the contract.

He was sold on him enough not to wait until the end of the season, you are the one that needs context because if he worried that much about him, he would have let the season play out.

 

Yeah its really crazy the level of vitriol that people have for KPJ the fact that he got a contract has really set off people.

 

He has a horrible Utah game after 2 games where he has 11 dimes.....and out of the woodwork they all crawl....SEE....SEE....LOOK....it is all his fault.

LOL - meanwhile we are running a bunch of 20 year olds that are barely out of diapers......with a coach that couldn't inspire a mushroom to seek sunlight.

DD

 

Erick Gordon still does it, but somehow it's a sign that KPJ is not what?

Do you want to start talking about all of Greens tournoovers?

KPJ is averaging 4.1 To's a game and Green is averaging 2.7 they both have an about a 1 to 1 ratio.

 

Yeah he has a better TO ratio than Green but nobody ever talks about Greens TO's.

 

Green's job is easier, it is simply get the ball and score - and for a reason.

I am fine how things are going tbh.

DD

 

Jumping into the air without a plan is NOT a symptom of score first mentality. It has nothing to do with scoring first or PG or whatever role you want to give a player. There is not a single role where that is an acceptable option or decision. That's a sign of lack of thinking or panic desperation. Klay is purely a shoot/score first player. How many times can you count starting with his rookie season seeing him do that? Iverson was very much a score first player. How many times have you seen him drive into congestion with absolutely no plan or thought and then jump with no plan or thought?

"Also needs to keep the dribble alive, but again he is transitioning - and is doing a good job of it for the most part." - Disagree completely. If he was dribbling out to reset the offense, I would agree with you. He's not and this is when he is most mistake prone. He performs much better when he dribbles LESS.

He started PG last season, he's been the guy who dribbles the ball most every time he's been on the floor for his entire professional and non-professional career.

He's had 2 games this season where you can say he did a reasonable job passing the ball. In the world of statistics, we call those games outliers. That means he is consistently mediocre to bad, not improving or developing fine.

At this point, I would like to have Sengun / Green / TyTy try to run point on this team. For me, the KPJ as playmaker is a dead end andI would much rather experiment elsewhere and see what others can give me if I was the coach.

 

It’s possible that the reason that KPJ gets more flack for turnovers are the expected roles of the players and the actual outcomes in terms of turnover frequency.

KPJ is turning the ball over on 18.3% of his possessions this season.
Green is turning the ball over on 11.9% of his possessions this season.

 

Yet every single PG still does it occassionally - so the goal is that it becomes less often.

In a world of statistics that gives about 25-30% of the information, sure, or it is growth, whatever it is just how you want to frame your own narrative.

I know you hate KPJ - got it.....the org disagrees.....sorry you will not enjoy watching the team because you aren't getting your way.

DD

 

Never mind KPJ being played out of role, I am still confused about the fact that anyone can watch KPJ play and thinking he could be a primary playmaker. Not just think that after last season, but to continue thinking that this season. In that sense, I do agree it's on the coaching staff. KPJ on his end though needs to spend each offseason with people actually known for being good playmakers and picking their brains every second they are together.

 

I see growth, that is why, I see him having to learn the trust when he is surrounded by kids who have no clue where to be, or how to play, and a vet that has checked out...and still makes the same mistakes that you are blaming KPJ for making.

DD

 

LOL define occasionally? I have a feeling that your "occasionally" is heavily skewed into making KPJ look less shitty.

2 games of decent playmaking out of 13 games is no where close to 25-30%, but sure... keep spinning.

I actually don't hate KPJ. I would love for him to stay in his lane as a 3&D player, the singular area where he has shown consistency and improvement in.

It's funny how you keep saying the org agrees and yet he was given the most team trade friendly contract known to man, a contract so out of this world in the NBA that everyone was shocked KPJ signed it. If the org actually believed in KPJ, it would have been a 3-4 year guaranteed contract, not one where we can waive him after the first year at no cost.

 

I just don’t really see it with KPJ aside from being a solid role player. The contract gives the Rockets some flexibility.

 

The contract gives us or whatever team he ends up on if we trade him the ability to drop him like a sack of potatoes. This is why ppl all over were shocked that KPJ agreed to the contract. That type of contract... not a sign of belief in a player.