07-03-2021, 01:09 PM
(07-03-2021, 09:44 AM)duboh7 Wrote: Thanks for the posting. I thought it was an excellent, nuts & bolts explanation of KP's season vs. his 7 games vs. the Clips. I am in the camp (perhaps differing with you) that he espoused in the last couple of paragraphs. I hope Kidd is smart enough to utilize KP's talents (assuming KP stays and that additional talent is added, as described.)
As @"ThisIStheYear" stated, the article doesn't address the defensive end at all, other than illustrating what opponents are doing to take Porzingis out of the game. I think that can be fixed by adding talent and through some hard work by KP to add a little more offensive versatility. I don't think he'll ever be a max player on offense, but he's already a useful one, and I believe he could be even better in time.
But, the defense, though. I'm so skeptical that he'll ever not be the 10th best defender on the floor in an NBA game again. I keep seeing people suggest things like "KP's not a real center, so he should play with a real center" as if the team won't target him, simply because he has a different position written next to his name on the lineup card. To my thinking, his only realistic chance to contribute on the defensive end is at the 5, where his length has a chance to help in the paint, but in order to do that, he'll need to commit to the physicality required to rebound. And, in order to be on the floor at any position, he must learn how to play the pick-and-roll more aggressively. We've watched Brook Lopez make adjustments in these playoffs, so it's possible, I just don't know that KP's athletic problems and mindset are temporary.
tl;dr: I'm not worried about his offense at all, even though it has been concerning at times. I posted the article because I thought it was a good explanation of why Luka and Carlisle might not have pandered to KP on that end as much as some people here might've wanted. I am extremely worried about his defense - so much so that if it were my decision, I'd move on from him and let someone else worry about it.