07-05-2021, 06:46 PM
(07-05-2021, 05:03 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: 1) Valuable, and rarely so, as a stretch center? YES, though that value is offset more than somewhat by his suddenly becoming one of the least playable "starting" centers in the league on defense.
*Due to point #1, I feel it's irresponsible and fairly pointless to remove contract value from the conversation, because his contract takes the option of making him a 3rd big (or 2nd - whichever is the team's first big off the bench), which is probably where he'd be best used, completely off of the table.
2) "efficient scorer"...not buying that, sorry. The numbers might show that he's an efficient finisher of plays that other people create for him, and that's great, but it's not who the Mavs traded for, extended, and maybe more importantly, it's not how the player sees himself. We've seen what happens when the Mavs try to run the offense through him - it dies. We've seen what happens when a team (NY) commits to that as a plan - they lose.
I mean his defense was not good but he still had a net positive rating on the floor by .7.
As bad his defense was in the playoffs and it was very bad.... The mavs were so much worse with him off the floor offensively, they had to live with it. With KP on the floor they had an offensive rating of 118.2. Without 99.5. Defensively 112.2 without and 121 rating with.
Those #s actually are in line with what he was in the bubble against the clippers albeit in only 2.5 games. Point being even when healthy in the bubble, the Clips exploited him defensively. His regular season ratings were much better tho last year.
On point 2... I didn't say he was a guy creating offense for himself. I said he was an efficient scorer. You can slice down his game any way you want. But 20 ppg on 47% 37% 3pt and 54% EFG is efficient scoring. Only 20 guys did it last year. Bottom line he scored 20ppg well no matter if he didn't create his own shot or not. Poke holes in his overall game all you want but you can't call that anything but efficient. I'm not saying he's not been a disappointment but that's a DAMN good starter. We need a 2nd star. If that means KP has to go, so be it. But y'all are seriously hating on him waaaaaaaaay too much.
And we can just end the conversation here... I'm not interested in debating his contract value. I made a statement about the quality of player he is overall without any value attached. Feel free to have that conversation without me tho. It's an interesting one. It's just not what the point I made was about and not what I want to discuss.