OKC fan here... tell me about Kanter.

[Luca Brasi]

Hi guys. Most OKC fans are pretty excited about the trade, but a lot of fans are split on Kanter.

Could you be so kind as to tell me about his positives, his negatives... any chance he could take over Steven Adams' spot as a starter? How do you see him fitting in a team with KD and Russ? What kind of guy is he?

Thanks!

[stitches]

Great post-up player, great rebounder. Finishes well around the rim. In the past had better shot. This year he's been in a shooting slump, but I believe he can correct that.
Another positive - he's a very young player at 22 year old, has great offensive potential. Could be a 20/10 player sometime down the road.

Negatives - low basketball IQ, no court awareness, does NOT pass out of double team(he ranks high in both in post scoring and in turnovers in the post), unwilling and possibly unable passer(0.7 assists per 36, he has 26 assists for the whole season). Can be OK man defender, bad rim protector, bad pick and roll defender. Sometimes gets caught sleeping in D. Not great rotations, but has been improving this season.

[BudTugly]

He thinks he's a lot better than he actually is. Get ready for the F/C version of Jackson.

[Luca Brasi]

Thanks so much man. That's a huge help.

So would you say overall, he's a plus or a negative?

And if he plays off our bench, could you see him dominating bench bigs?

[stitches]

Thanks so much man. That's a huge help.

So would you say overall, he's a plus or a negative?

And if he plays off our bench, could you see him dominating bench bigs?

Offensively he can dominate even starting bigs on a good day. Defensively not so much... Right now he is not a positive for the team, but there is a possibility that in the right situation he might develop into a net positive player.

[Luca Brasi]

He thinks he's a lot better than he actually is. Get ready for the F/C version of Jackson.

ha! That sounds just like Reggie!

[Matt007b]

learned from al jefferson and plays well in the low post...posting up, can hit wide 2's and even 3's.. rebounds well..

like others say it's defense - not fast enough to guard a good PF if you use him that way...he's STRONG but not fast.. but has gotten a LOT better in recent games as far as rebounding but doesn't block very much (stat wise the Jazz were better on "D" with him on the floor the last 15 games.. it's true..). He was put in the game when the game was coming down to the wire to score but was subbed by gobert for his blocking and defense.... I think his biggest weakness is passing/assists and passing out of the double team. Good pickup for you guys.

[Luca Brasi]

Matt and stitches --- than you guys so much for that info. That's really helpful. I'm pretty excited about the prospect of a center who can score after having Perk all these years. Course, after being used to Perk's defense, it sounds like we got the exact opposite player.

[Matt007b]

you'll like him... forgot to say his offense rebounding is A++ just not sure if he's fast enough to pass and work in your system (he's got his work cut out for him..) but you guys clearly improved your team with rebounding alone.. I see him coming off the bench and realizing he screwed up since he's getting less minutes and isn't the next all star he thinks he is. The market will see lower numbers and minutes and he wont' demand $$$$ and loses on this whole fiasco. Then fires his agent sometime this summer. And hires a new over religious agent from Turkey who tells him he's the next Jordan and he should demand to start over Durant.

ok just kidding about the last bit about Durant.

[Matt007b]

anyway you're welcome good luck!

[Luca Brasi]

Matt, you've got me all excited here!! That's awesome!! Thanks man!

[JazzMatt13]

Considering he is on bench, that is a fine piece for a finals team. I mean in 2-3 years he might become that dominate center we all thought he could be. And if he is actually happy in Oklahoma over Salt Lake, then I think it will happen for you guys.

The only problems I see is Money and Minutes. How much you have to spend to keep him in off-season matching other teams who will want him, easily 32+, and if he will be happy with next years minutes if you do sign him, when everyone gets healthy. If Adams starts over him, he might not like that. Personally I think Kanter would be best utilized off bench under a defensive center or defensive PF, even then he is liability on defense.

I think if you got him to dedicate himself and stay on bench, I really think he will rise through ranks in a couple seasons, and finally get defensive rebounds like he does offensive rebounds.

[Luca Brasi]

Jazzmatt- thank you as well. It's so great to hear all your perspectives. It's nice to know he could potentially get even better and could be a good piece for a Finals team.

[KqWIN]

Like others have said, Kanter is a very good post player and offensive rebounder. His jumper was decent, but has been very poor this season. He gets a ton of garbage points and will dominate most reserve big men. That being said, he still has a ways to go to be considered a definite plus offensively. He plays selfishly often and he doesn't have a high basketball IQ. Kanter is the definition of a black whole because he doesn't have the ability or desire to create for others.

The low IQ is most noticeable on defense. He is often out of position and blows assignments very often. His effort has been inconsistent throughout his career, but Quin did a very good job of getting on him and his effort has been great recently. Kanter is the worst rim protector in the league and awful at defending the pick and roll. One thing he is decent at is defending the post because he is very strong.

I'm not sure he is a plus right now. He's been when of the worst RPM centers two years in a row. Kanter has a lot of potential, but he's just not there yet. He started playing basketball very late and his inexperience really shows. He's a good talent, but I'm not sure he'll be getting clutch minutes over Adams or Collison this year.

[falcon107]

This trade is good for OKC. You now have a front-court scorer.

He is not as bad as they wrote here in defence, and his offence is really good.

Being in a contender team will really make him better & at the end of the season you will all want him to continue in OKC.

[Stavros]

actually I think it's a pretty amazing fit.
offensively he's a great finisher for drop offs (since Ibaka only hangs out at the 3 point line recently), cleans up the misses of KD and Russ and doesn't clog the lane since he can shoot good enough. huge upgrade to Adams.
defensively you can hide him on the weaker PnR big since he can at least guard bigs on the block a little. I think Ibaka can make it work.

[babyjax13]

He is the perfect fit with Ibaka. OKC is the best scenario he could have landed in.

[Paper Face]

If I were OKC, I would have Kanter watch video of Bill Lambeer every other day for the entirety of his tenure.

[AingesBurner]

Hi guys. Most OKC fans are pretty excited about the trade, but a lot of fans are split on Kanter.

Could you be so kind as to tell me about his positives, his negatives... any chance he could take over Steven Adams' spot as a starter? How do you see him fitting in a team with KD and Russ? What kind of guy is he?

Thanks!

I don't know man, I think you should be swimming with the fishes right now.... Negative is his defense but its getting better and yes he will replace him, hes a better post player, and the fact that you actually have a legit post center now should help them. Hes a super nice guy, nicest guy besides Burke on the team.

[Dry Fly]

I would be surprised if he beats out Adams this year. I think he shines as a guy who can score coming off the bench.

Defensively, he has improved quite a bit but will always be limited. He has no vertical. I think he is the guy people will exploit if he becomes a starter. So what it comes down to is whether his offensive efficiency can overcome his defensive limitations... and who is going to roll the dice on this in regards to his RFA contract.