05-12-2021, 07:01 PM
(05-12-2021, 05:32 PM)dynamicalVoid Wrote: Good response.
Do you think his play in the Bubble was just a good stretch? Do you think he would be a liability in a WCF or Championship?
Your comment about RC having to hide him on Defense. How was he in the Bubble on defense? I dont really remember talk about him being trash. I assume that in the Bubble when there is more at stake is the best way to determine how good or bad he is on Defense. I dont know the game well enough to know if he did poorly or not on defense....or...a better way to ask regardless on if he did the small things good or not....was he a liability in the Bubble on Defense?
1)I think the bubble version is really similar to early 2017/18 KP. He started the season on a hot streak but even prior to his injury scoring volume and efficiency declined. In the past anemia was mentioned as the reason not sure about the current situation. That´s the the best version of KP we have seen so far. Even without injuries he has never been able to do it for an entire season.
The bubble was basically the best case scenario for him. Time to get in shape and get back into rhythm. Long break and time to rest. Bubble started. If I could get an guarantee that this version of KP is available for the playoffs every single year I could probably live with a mediocre regular season. But even the best version of KP has some limitations. Especially on defense.
2) I have no idea in what kind of shape KP will show up today. If he moves like his january self the Mavs are in trouble and he probably shouldn´t play at all. If he is closer to the best version of himself he can help the team.
Him being a liability really depends on the matchup. A good pick and roll offense can easily expose him. Especially guards like CP3, Lillard or Curry. That´s what we saw earlier in the season. In the playoffs matchups are even more important and a smart team would try to force him into the pick and roll on every single possession.
Teams with five out spacing are a problem as well and he would probably lose the individual matchup against elite bigs (Davis, Jokic, Embiid) but those are issues that can be solved with good schemes. Also should at least mention that he can do some damage on offense as well.
If we are talking about this years playoffs I think healthy KP could be huge in a first round series against the Nuggets (no Murray/no pick and roll threat) and Clippers (iso heavy offense).
3) Looking at his entire career KP has been a clear positive on defense. In his best seasons he ranked among the best rim protectors in the league (top 3 in DFG% in the paint and blocks). Prior to his injury he also had above average lateral quickness for a big. That´s not the case anymore.
The bubble already show cased his weak pick and roll defense but his rim protection made a big impact in the series against the Clippers. Difference is that this season teams started to target his weakness. Or maybe it is just easier to recognize the problem because the switch heavy defense without KP is looking really good.
In a way KP is the anti unicorn on defense. Unique but not in a good way. Not quick enough to defend the perimeter. Forcing him to play center. Not strong enough to bang with guys like Embiid, Valanciunas or Adams. Leading to matchup problems in the paint.