Perkins was a beast last night

[Bad-Thoma]

Gotta give props to my favorite celtic here, Perk was pretty awesome last night, even getting some love from the ABC announcers (I didn't even know they were watching the game). People forget Perk is only 23 sometimes, but I think we are starting to see more and more what he can be in this league, thanks to a lot of hard work and a healthy dose of Clifford Ray. An All-Star? Probably not, but a regular double-double candidate, a very good defender and shot blocker. People that hate on him always fall back on "he drops the ball to his shoes every time he catches it", not crediting him for the vast improvement in his game around the rim this season, not just finishing the KG assist bunnies, but also showing the beginnings a low post game. Someday he'll have a consistent little PJ Brown jumper also (I jumped out of my seat when he finally took one last night), if you look at the strides he made in his foul shooting and hear about the work he is putting in to develop his mid range game, there's no reason he won't be knocking down a wide open 15 footer before long. Anyways, he and Rondo may not be the big 3, or have Al Jefferson-like potential, but Ainge held onto some really solid young players while revamping this off-season.

[chakdaddy]

I don't know about that, I'm skeptical that the jumper will ever be reliable.

I'm just pleased had what an excellent finisher he has become with regards to reverse layups, using the rim as a shield, and also how much more effective his post offense has become, more along the lines of maneuvering for a layin off the glass rather than setting up the robo-hook.

[ParticleMan]

word.

[Triple M]

Even before last nights game I've notice he hasn't been a total stiff in the post he has actually had some decent post plays ran for him. He seems to have much better touch around the basket as well I dunno who is having the effect on him probably a mix of having kg around, Clifford Ray and now pj but i hope he keeps improving down the road.

[tlee324]

The key to beating Detroit so far this year and in this postseason has been getting contributions from other players outside of the big 3. We've seen this in the 3 games vs. Detroit in the regular season and the playoffs so far. Good performances from other players in addition to the big three has been the x-factor so far. Perkins was excellent on the boards and proved to be a plus on offense in this one, putting more pressure on Detroit defensively when they've exerted so much covering Pierce, Garnett and Allen.

[P2]

I'm not exactly sure, but Perkins seems to have added Big Al's turnaround hook.

[UGA Hayes]

He seems to be much more cognizant of not putting the ball on the floor unless he has some space to operate. JVG has liked Perk for a while now. For some reason he doesn't like Rondo which is kind of surprising.

[The Rondo Show]

Perk did have a great game, but I'm not sure we are going to see him turn into a regular double-double guy. He's really not a very good rebounder.

He'll show flashes of being one with games like he had against Detroit in the regular season, his game last night and some of the games he had his 3rd year--but he puts up far too many 1 rebound/2 rebound/3 rebound performances for me to be marking down 10 boards a game for him in a season. I'm not sure why he's so inconsistent on the glass, but there's really no excuse for a guy who is asked to basically do nothing but rebound and defend to only grab 6 boards a game and have as many games where he is just invisible as a rebounder: he had 17 games this year with 3 rebounds or less (including playoffs).

Since this is a "Props to Perk" thread, I'll also give him the credit he's earned. He's an excellent defensive player and if he could ever become the 10-10 guy you envision for him along with that D, he'd be one of the very best role players in the NBA. He also had a great game last night...hopefully he can give us a couple more like that this post-season.

[GonzoLays]

anybody else find it funny how Mark Jackson called Perk a low IQ player in game 2 and then sung his praises in game three calling Perk a high IQ player?

[Bad-Thoma]

anybody else find it funny how Mark Jackson called Perk a low IQ player in game 2 and then sung his praises in game three calling Perk a high IQ player?

That's Mark "Frontrunner" Jackson for you, he's got a little Stephen A. Smith in him, overstate whatever is obvious at the moment and you too can be a successful member of espn.

[ermocrate]

He's developing but he has not to develop a 15ft jumper, he don't need that, he needs to develop a couple of strong post moves and a 5ft jumper, that's all and he can do it....

[return2glory]

Perkins played a great game yesterday and he deserves a lot of props. He was great on offense, defense, and on the glass.

But Perkins usually has one good game out of about 10-15 games. The only exception was this year when he had a stretch of about 5 very good games in a row. If Perkins can someday play like this on a regular basis, he will be a huge asset to this team.

[Joselo16]

I don't know why people ant Perk to develop a 15 ft shot. He is our big guy and last I remember bigs play close to the basket. KG is our jump shooting big. I agree with ermocrate in that Perk should just refine his post moves. I like the spin to the center fade away he has, especially now that he knows about waiting for space in order to operate on the post.


I found the comment by Mark Jackson on Perk to be very inappropriate by a commentator, especially one who probably barely saw the Celts play during the season. Perk may not have the highest BB-IQ but he definitely does not have a low one.

[3pt %]

I remember one play in the second quarter (I think). Both KG and Perk went to the left hand block (KG's main position), and Perk DEMANDED both the block and the ball.

Fading hook and 2 points.

That is what we need to see from Perk. Not all the time of course as I'd prefer KG on teh block with the ball 90%, but Perk needs to add variation to the post O, and just as importantly, want to get the ball there.

[EdSkae]

Perk was a beast on defense and both boards last night.

[Pogue Mahone]

But Perkins usually has one good game out of about 10-15 games. The only exception was this year when he had a stretch of about 5 very good games in a row. If Perkins can someday play like this on a regular basis, he will be a huge asset to this team.

Yes, at the beginning of March. Don't confuse lack of progress and opportunity within an offense. Production is solely a by-product of opportunity and minutes. Impact, though, is different.

At the beginning of March, when Perkins had a string of "productive" games, there was no Ray Allen. Perkins overall impact is often obfuscated to the casual fan because of the lack of touches he gets in this offense.

I have my own ways to measure impact and, while some may not agree with those methods, I trust them. For instance, last season, on a bum foot and using 10+ possessions less per 40 minutes than Al Jefferson, Perkins had about 84.4% of the same impact. Now that he is healthy, Perkins impact is very real and is being felt. To wit, during the regular season, Perkins' impact was roughly equal, on a per 40 minute basis, to what The Jefferson put up last season. Again, using 10+ less possessions over the same time frame.

Scoring is great and valuable, no doubt, but I think people tend to marginalize defense. Especially when that defense does not include the accumulation of lots of blocks and steals. It is why players like Jeff Foster, Nene and Jason Collins are actually worth their contracts. They all make impact even though the box score might not indicate it.

Perkins was, at one time, the best prospect of his draft class. Yes, better than even LeBron James. I think people are too quick to chaulk up a player's development to outside forces instead of crediting it to the player's inherent abilities.

Anyone who has seen film from a healthy Perkins in high school knows what I am talking about. He could handle the ball, shoot it consistently from about 18', rebound, block shots and a had a ton of low post moves. No, he wasn't playing above the rim. More oft than naught, he would use the rim to shield his moves.

With Perkins, it is about confidence. He has a ton to his game that many haven't really seen. Personally, I think at least 5 consistent, good looks a game during the regular season would have went a long way in his development over the last two seasons. No, we got to see Ray Allen jack up contested threes after dribbling aimlessly for 12 straight seconds or we got to see Delonte West and Wally Szczuperstar play hot potato for most of the shot clock before Delonte would inevitably go left and pass to Ryan Gomes for a contested 18 foot jumper from the baseline.

Perkins makes pretty good decisions on the block. He is adept at finding the open man once the defense collapses. If there is no double, he is able to beat his man one-on-one in most circumstances. No, we don't get to see him do that.

Defensively, he is an elite level player. There is no arguing that, imo.

[GonzoLays]

I don't expect Perk to show up everynight; he is only 23 years old. But I'll take games like this once every couple of blue moons when he gives it.

[Fencer reregistered]

Nobody's going to have consistently great rebounding numbers playing next to KG.

Meanwhile:

Of course Perk should develop a jumpshot. If his man has to follow him away from the basket, it opens things up for post scorers (KG) and slashers (PP). Or, rather, with those guys on the team he WILL be left open, so it would be nice if he could reliably bury the shot. That's a key skill for players as great as Robert Parish or as sucky as Mark Blount, and everywhere inbetween (Antonio McDyess, Charles Oakley, and for that matter PJ Brown).

As for learning the shot -- many guys extend their shooting range well into their pro careers. This is most famously the case for guards who are great because of other skills (e.g., Magic and Jordan), but it's true at all skill levels and positions.

[Al-Haqq]

Not sure if you guys know, but Perkins has been solid against the Pistons, especially on the glass. He had 20rebs against them during the regular season.

[Kids Are Alright]

Pogue Mahone's comments about Perk with the ball in the post vs Ray-Ray's volume shooting hits home with me. The entire Celtics Nation winced last night when Perk finally missed a shot and most of us probably felt he ought to be benched despite making his first 5 shots. Know your role, Perk.

Ray was 3 for 13 and was dinging threes left and right and missed another wide open layup.

Perk is a very good matchup against weak post teams. He still struggles against bigger men (read Z).

I think we'll be able to use the combo of Perk and KG against LA after we win two of the next three....Pau's no defender...