Thread title says it all. KPJ: 6'4'', 212 lbs with a 6'9'' wingspan 21 year old, 3 year "veteran" who has logged minutes at the 1, 2 & 3 at different times in his NBA career. This season (his first designated as a PG) he has averaged 14 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal along with 3 turnovers and 3 fouls per game on 40/38/60 splits. Of note, in the 20 games since his suspension his shooting splits have been 43/43/58.
dude put up 50 in Jrue's face and people are still wondering if we should keep him around because he bickers with Wood lol
I wouldn’t call him a franchise player type, but if he continues to play good defense and can hit open 3’s then along with his playmaking he can very realistically develop into a 3rd best player on a title team worth $20-25m.
Only if he changes his style of play to initiate the offense earlier and stop the predictable 2 man game. He had a stretch of about 4 or 5 games where he did and it was a huge difference for me
KPJ is a special talent at times. But his natural position is not PG. He is effective at it for stretches, but he doesn't do the basics well. He's the type of player who should bring the ball up on occasion, mostly to initiate his own offense, but otherwise should be a SF/SG that can focus on scoring and less on ball distribution or managing the offense.
I don’t know how to vote. Depends on what position you’re trying to sell me on. He’s talented and is capable of impacting the game in multiple ways when he’s got his mind right. I am not a KPJ hater. I see a gifted creator and passer for a wing player. In simplistic terms, he clearly has above average skills in those areas for a wing, but merely average ability in those areas compared to other starting point guards. I think he’s being played out of position and would benefit from a switch to his more natural role where he would still be able to put all his skills on display while shouldering less burden and responsibility. Instead of worrying about setting the table, he can just eat from it.
Everything he is capable of doing well in stretches, I assume he will be able to do more consistently with more experience
If he puts it together, he can be the best player on this team. A franchise player...but I dont know if he can meet that potential. Green can be that guy as well. I think Porter has a higher ceiling but Jalen has a higher floor.
It depends - he is probably our most talented natural basketball player - with a killer attitude. But, we all know he has to grow up and mature some. He hasn't even been a PG one year yet, and is averaging a good Assist to turnover ratio and is getting better and better....12 assists tonight. SO, for now, he is a core piece, unless something better comes along and that goes for EVERYONE on the roster. DD
No, but maybe. It's less about his basketball skills and more about the other stuff that has gotten him kicked out of USC and Cavs, that also might be his downfall here. He literally left at halftime after an argument with a Rockets' coach. We pick up his team option for next year and keep an eye on it.
What does that even mean? Wood should be gone at the end the season. It is a shame he didn't get traded at the break. I would rather bring back Ty Lawson than have Wood here.
Problem is he is 'only' 6'4 for a wing, that is not great after already having a 6'4 skinny two guard. You are surely at a disadvantage night in night out against the better teams of the league.
That's why he's best at PG. His size is beneficial at that position.... and he's already pretty good at running the point. There's simply no reason to think KPJ isn't the long term solution at PG.
His fit with Green is questionable, the Rockets will need to make a decision at some point between the two if it continues. This game was a glaring example of this, KPJ being the PG needed to facilitate the offense to ensure Green gets the ball when he was hot, but there are very long stretches spanning 5-6 consecutive offensive possessions where Green literally does not even touch the ball.
Agreed, KPJ/JC seem suited to run as backup guards. We don’t yet have a starting point to pair with Green. Ivey might be that guy if we draft in the 3-5 range this year.
With the Rockets I think his role will be 6th man that gets close to starter minutes. The Ginobili role. Green will be the SG, KPJ isn’t a natural PG and is too small for a SF - but he can be valuable as a scoring spark off the bench. He could be the starting SG on a championship caliber team, but he would probably be the 4th best player on that team. He is a nice player but I don’t think he can be a foundational player.
A tire is a building block for a trailer; and there are a lot of very nice trailers, too. The point is what’s the end goal? Is he championship level point guard? Paul, Patton and Stockton are/where but it didn’t make them champions. Kenny Smith has rings as the starting point guard on a back to back championship team. So does Derek Fisher, Ron Harper and Steve Kerr. The point is what other player are we playing next to him? Is he worth keeping? YES and NO. Sure but at the right price on a non-guaranteed deal (because of his behaviors in the past) VS maxed out on a 5 year fully guaranteed deal, then no.
