SinceGatlingWasARookie wrote:Impuniti wrote:DonaldSanders wrote:I was rooting for Klay to miss when he shot, but after we won happy that we got the win and he had a good night. I really enjoyed all the pre-game love he got, well earned. I'm glad for both parties that a new chapter has been opened.
Yeah I watch full games in the off-season and both after 22-23 and especially 23-24 it was really obvious how much Klay's athleticism had fallen off. In 21-22 he looks somewhere between Prime Klay and Old Klay, where he is now. Post Injury Klay wasn't amazing, but he led the Warriors in playoff minutes and we won the title. After that, he declined shockingly fast. Last year was a disaster, I watched a Klay defensive highlight video mid-season and it was even crazier of a difference than I was remembering. Watching Prime Klay vids... wow.
Some people might say we were too hard on the difference between Prime Klay and Post-Injury+Old Klay but when I watched the tape, I realized most of us were actually being kind.
I don't agree with this at all, Klay did not lose his athleticism after the 22' season. He never had it then either. And he averaged the most minutes because Steve Kerr is a maniac who coaches with sentimentality/feelings over logic (or common sense) when it comes to his guys.
2022 Playoffs:
+2.6 with Klay on the court.
+12.8 with Klay off the court.
Add Steph into the mix
+ 13.7 Steph on, Klay off
- 4.2 Steph off, Klay on
Just because Warriors won that year, it doesn't mean that everything Kerr or the team did was correct.
When the other guy that plays your position is playing very well. It can make you look bad at plus minus.
Gary Payton was playing very very well until the Dillon Brooks injury.
Jordan Poole was playing very very very very well, and simultaneously playing very very bad. For Jordan Poole, very very, very, very mine is very very equals very very. So Poole was still playing very very well overall when you subtract his bad away from his good.
Klay is not done, but klay is an eighth man quality now, instead of an all-star quality.
My point wasn't to insinuate he's done, I completely agree with what you said. Moreso to note that Kerr had him playing the highest minutes, and wanted to explain that it wasn't due to rationality or some tactical genius. Kerr has been coaching with feelings the previous 3 seasons, many times hampering his ability to have any semblance of objectivity.
When he can objective, he's at top 3 coach in the league depending on the year.