Who's been the best player thus far?

[Ming Kong!]

It's early, but I've heard from some that Boozer has been the best, I think Kirilenko has been the best..

15ppg 8.4rpg 3apg 1.8spg 1.6bpg, shooting .556 .200 .774. He hasn't found his 3pt shot this year, but he's only taken 1 per game. He' been very well rounded, with the only thing I've been upset about is his passing efficiency, more turnovers, and less assists.

There are Boozer's numbers: 20.8ppg 9.8rpg 2.6apg 0.6spg 0.4bpg, shooting .603 ---- .800.

Their minutes are basically the same, Boozer with 33.4mpg, and AK with 32.4mpg.

To me it goes far beyond the stats though. AK is not only efficient on offense, getting boards, and playing great defense, but he's just ENERGETIC, the kind of energy he was oozing when he came into the league.

Anyways, who do you guys think has been the best player for the Jazz thus far?

[The Sheik]

Brevin Knight.

Why we are 5-0.

[fivas14]

Boozer.

[mrce23]

mine has been AK, closely followed by brevin knight

[hoops4life]

I first reaction was Ak.

[schneiderjazz]

AK followed closely by Boozer. Knight has been pretty good too.

[DelaneyRudd]

Carlos Boozer with out a doubt.

[FJS]

The best part is that we are playing like a team.... boozer, ak, knight, brewer... all are playing fairly well

[xstockholmsyndromex]

1a-Boozer
1b-AK
2-Knight

[Duiz]

AK, with a comfortable lead against Knight and Millsap. Then the rest of the team is chipping in almost equally. Okur has upped his defense, Boozer has been playing honestly not at an All-Star level.

AK is by all means our Deron Williams. He is running the offense, and he is getting down and dirty with the rebounds, blocks, and everything else. We are winning by means of defense, rather than just simply outscoring.

Again, notice +/- and you cna see the great impact that Kirilenko has meant to the team when he is on the floor, compared to C-Booz.

Sure, it is a flawed stat, but usually you want your superstars to have a dominating effect just by purely entering the game. I know people don't want me to bring those numbers, for several reasons since they don't really tell of individual performances, but the impact that Kirilenko playing PF and Millsap playing SF * is undeniable.

Saturday vs. Clips

Boozer = +9

Kirilenko = +28
Millsap = +18

Monday at Clips

Boozer = -3

Kirilenko = +24
Millsap = +24

Wednesday vs. Blazers

Boozer = +3

Kirilenko = +14
Millsap = +16

Friday vs. Thunder

Boozer = +6

Kirilenko = +13
Millsap = +10

Honestly, the Jazz play their bench first, and their starting lineup play the last two thirds of every half.


*Notice that when I say that Kirilenko plays the 4, because during their flex offense, they have the smaller quicker Millsap beating his opponents who are also playing the 4, while Kirilenko distributes. I have seen even Kirilenko playing the 5 while Okur plays the 4 and Millsap the 3 which makes a huuuuuge mess defensively for the opposing team. This doesn't mean that in terms of defense, that they like to mismatch, because I think they stick according the position in man to man, even in offense. What I am referring to is the role and position during the time that the offense if being executed. By the end of the games, they finally get caught up of how Kirilenko is raping, and by then, they adjust and then Knight can play more freely and stack up the assist numbers.

btw, anyone who doesn't say that Kirilenko or Knight or Millsap hasn't been the best player thus far, really needs to hug a tree today. You have to be haters and try to actively ignore the numbers and the impact these players are having on the team to not be giving them the recognition they deserve. Obviously, some people still love Boozer's high offensive turn out, and his constant absence on the defensive end, which have improved, but no cigar.

[The Sheik]

dont come in here with that +/- bullsh^+...it is the most useless stat in basketball.

[Duiz]

dont come in here with that +/- bullsh^+...it is the most useless stat in basketball.

It is actually the the less BS most team oriented stat in the basketball. Did the team on the floor produce? Yes/No? +/-?

[Racer X]

Dont forget about Brewer. He has been huge this year. Also I am not sure we beat LA the second time without Millsap.

[Denizfeital]

I think AK, because he's showing the old AK that we love.

Brevin Knight in second: he's been amazing, specially for a backup point guard.

Regards.

[erudite23]

Duiz, sometimes I wonder if you watch the same games as everyone else. No offense, but I really don't get some of your ideas.

Plus minus is the worst stat ever invented. It just is, it is akin to measuring the quality of coach by the number of wins he has in a given season. Sure, there is a correlation in there somewhere, but there are so many different elements involved that it becomes impossible to sort them out. All you need to know is that in Chris Paul's first season he had a negative +/-, and his backup--Speedy Claxton--posted a better number than him.

Finally, I would also say that AK has been the best player, in a very narrow race with Boozer. Carlos has shown me a lot defensively so far. He has been jumping to contest shots much more often--something that upset me to no end in the past--his rotations have been noticeably better, and he has been even more active down low with strips and swats on the ball. Just a great effort to this point. But its definitely been between the two. Anyone who says Brevin Knight should have their head examined. He's been a revelation, sure, and his role in our 5-0 start cannot be overstated, but he certainly hasn't been one of our 5 best players so far. AK, Booz, Millsap, Brewer, Okur have all been much, much better.

I think everyone is just comparing him in their head to Jason Hart, and he looks like an MVP candidate when viewed that way, so....

[JStockLivesOn]

I think people's point about Brevin is just that he's been a big part of our success so far. He's certainly been one of the most important players on the floor.

[DelaneyRudd]

Brevin will be Deron's #2. Ronnie is out there to start so Brevin can get comfy with his regular role.

[majortripps69]

Boozer has been the best player thus far, followed closely in by AK47, Brevin Knight and IMO the most improved thus far, Ronnie Brewer.

[freakazoid]

I think Harp has made the biggest contribution to the team so far.

His starting the season on the bench has been a huge plus for Utah.

[realfung]

Boozer for sure.