NL41 wrote:The only things missing from KOs offensive game early last season were confidence to fire away, confidence to dribble-drive, NBA experience, and perhaps a little more all-around polish, which he now has.
The KO we saw from January on wasn't some fluke, as a few detractors like to tell themselves. That KO was just the beginning of what we can expect from him going forward.
I'd rather have KO taking ill-advised contested jumpers than Bradley or Green or anybody else. KO not only has more potential than those guys, but he can get his shot off much easier than those guys, making his contested shots less contested.
KO is a better passer and ball handler than Bradley and Green and Bass and even Sullinger, and it just makes too much sense not to get the ball in KO's hands as much as possible.
KO's upside, if not this year, is 24-25 ppg on good efficiency, with 6 assists and 10 rebounds. Like a stronger, slower, more complete, point forward version of LM Aldridge.
KO basically already has much of Paul Pierce's basic offensive skill set, except in a 7 foot body. A more complete herky-jerky arsenal of pull-ups might take a couple more years to fully develop, but at 7 ft less herky and jerky are needed to free up a shot against shorter and/or more lumbering big men than what Pierce faced at SF.
You might think I'm getting way ahead of myself, and KO hasn't proven enough yet so he should be a secondary weapon while Green and Bradley chuck away. Fair enough, but I think you're about to find that Stevens is already thinking along the same lines I'm describing.
A few weeks ago I suggested that the Smart/KO pick and roll should be the centerpiece of the Celtics' offense. While I still think that will be an excellent play for us in the short and long-term, more and more I'm thinking that KO should be the go-to guy for playing the ball handler role in the pick and roll, with guys like Sully or Zeller setting the pick for him.
KOs dribble drive talent is still not extremely well known, but by now we all have a good idea that his decision making is outstanding.
During the most recent glory days, the Celtics' offense ran through Paul Pierce as much or more than it did through Rondo. And no, 2012-13 was not our glory days, when we started out 20-24 with a ball dominant Rondo.
Pierce in his prime and late prime was excellent running the pick and roll with KG and others, and KO has all the tools necessary to succeed in this same role, however unconventional it might be for a 7 footer to do so.
KO and Sully have had great chemistry just about from the get-go last year, as they are both heady players with well rounded skill sets. Sully sets a nice wide pick, and KO is going to be at his best in these situations, with a little room to dribble drive, or go right up with the jump shot, or fake the drive and then pull up off one or two legs, or drive and dish, or drive and kick, or fake the jump shot, pass, and cut to the hoop.
I really think we're going to be talking about one of the most dangerous all around offensive weapons in the league within the next two seasons, and the more KO is emphasized in the Celtics' offense, the faster that development will happen.
For 2014-15 KO to shoot as inefficiently as Green did last year, he would probably have to put up a ridiculous number of shots, and he'd probably end up with 21+ ppg as opposed to Green's 17 ppg last year.
Guys like Green, Bradley, and Rondo are going to want to get lots of shots and/or control the ball excessively, but hopefully this motion offense gets the ball out of their hands more and into KOs, with a big green light from Stevens to dribble drive, run the pick and roll, and otherwise let Sunshine shine.
I agree with most of this. And now that Rondo's gone, we'll probably see more of KO handling the ball and making moves.
At the very least, in a reserve role, KO can still be one of our top 3 players, or even our best player. Playing a Paul Pierce type of game against backups, and then closing out games when he's hot.
When KO plays well like tonight, he's better than Drummond and most other starting centers in the league. Probably the most versatile offensive center in the league, and probably the best shooting center in the league as well.
