03-08-2021, 02:36 PM
(03-08-2021, 01:28 PM)SleepingHero Wrote: Overrated in what way might I ask? The only reason why I'm a little puzzled is because since KP has suited up for the Mavs, I feel he's been significantly underrated by many. People always have doubted him. They question if he can ever be healthy. Be an effective shooter. Work next to Luka. Question his attitude.
Some of these doubts obviously have merit and should be asked, but some are a bit of a stretch where we as fans are conjuring up narratives based on performance/interview snippets.
From what we've seen so far is that KP is a 20/9 kind of guy, with potential to be a 26/10 kind of guy when he's 100%. How often he can be 100% is up in the air. So far he's played in 71% of games for the Mavs (not counting his post trade time where the Mavs deliberately kept him out).
I don't think KP is untouchable in every case. I don't mind upgrading him for a player of his caliber today. But I think it's counterintuitive to winning if we're trading our clear cut 2nd player for projects or other oft injured guys.
I was all in on KP before but I think his offensive game is more limited than I ever thought. He doesn't really play off of Luka at all in the PnR which I had that would be a staple of their game today. He mostly shoots long 3s and midrange jumpers that make me uneasy every time I see them.
I don't see him do much off the dribble or run off screens for catch and shoot opportunities like I thought I would. I don't like his post-ups and I wouldn't trust them in a big game. I trust his long 3's in clutch moments more than I do his post-up game.
All that to say his offensive game is limited. Not terrible bc he does open up spacing but not star-level either.
Defensively he has struggled but I do think that is going to come back. His value to this team is mostly around him being a well-rounded two way player that has a unique combination of skills.
His injury history and attitude are too big concerns for me. If KP is going to get injured a lot then he is no good to this team. If he has an attitude issue then he isn't going to mesh well either. I worry that since he and Luka don't really have much on-court chemistry he is relegated to just another spacer. I have a hard time believing he is going to be happy with that role on this team.