AK What Changed

[Lava Rock Kid]

What has made AK come out of his shell.

I have figured it out. It is Harpring. I think practicing against Harping all these years ruined AK's Confidence. IT is back. Harpring was a great defender.

[hoops4life]

Haha, I liked where you were going until you said that Harpring was a good defender. He was decent until the last two or three years.

[carrottop12]

Honestly, I think the downfall of Mehmet Okur has opened up a spot in the offense for AK. Deron and Boozer are always going to be the go to guys, but when Okur stopped playing well AK really started to play better.

[loserX]

I think we just have to accept the fact that Kirilenko is an extremely talented but inconsistent player. When he's on, it's glorious. But when he's off, it looks as though he'll never get "it" back. Either way, I'm enjoying the ride

[jazzfan1971]

Probably just a combination of minutes and a healthy back.

[HammerDunk]

I think this team realized they needed a consistent third scoring option. Memo wasn't pulling his weight in that role, so he has switched to a more defensive minded 5. Over our last 10 games AK has averaged 14.3 with some high scores, like a 26 and 25 point game. He is attacking the hoop like we haven't seen in years with one of the fastest dunks in the league that is practically unguardable. His shooting is looking pretty good and his 3pt % isn't bad. He has shot 57% from the field in the month of January. His steals and blocks have picked up in Jan but he still hangs onto the ball pretty well.

But, the thing that really makes AK great is that he makes everyone around him so much better when he is playing well. It doesn't show up in his statline, but he is a formidable defender when he is on and the other teams know it. He is also a major distraction on the offensive end of the court. He is becoming a good threat from range and a major threat to get to the hoop and flush. This really opens up the floor for the rest of the team.

AK may not put up the crazy stats he used to, and he may not score 20+ a game, but this team is so much better when he plays well. He is our catalyst.

[Soul Patch]

I think it's responsibility. When he had his breakdown the team was not reliant on him at all. He wasn't asked to do anything but be there. With Memo's offense sliding this year the team needed AK again. They needed him to step up and from the looks of it he's more than happy to do so.

[outerspacefella]

I think he simply matured; It happens to most people at some point.

On a side note, chemistry seems to be back again; dudes' are having fun. May be they finally realized Sloan sucks and stop listening to him...

[rick333]

What I think is interesting is you can tell he and DWill are closer. Could just be because of the winning, but have you ever seen DWill show as much emotion toward a player on the court than after the and-1 last night?

They are a lot of fun to watch right now.

[nyjazz]

Maturing is right on the spot. He has finally accepted his role. But also, it can't have been easy for AK to have that huge contract and be relegated to fourth or fifth option on the team, as well as losing the respect of the guys around him. When Deron took the reins, he simply did not look for AK in the offense, why would he, AK is not a guy that delivers in a structured offense that Deron was put in charge of running. Also with Booz and Memo coming in and with young wings, the other players never seemed like they knew how to play with AK. AK was disruptive, not only on defense to the other team, but also in the offense. Now it seems that AK is finding his place much better, his team mates know how to use him better and is a key playmaker in many offensive sets. He's got the respect of his team mates and is an integral part of the franchise. Before he was the most overpaid player in NBA who nobody on the team played well with. No wonder AK seems much more happy these days and is talking about staying in Utah for the rest of his career. He is a freakish player and finally he is fitting in on a very good team.

[seejaydeja]

I think its due to other players role's decreasing, AK's naturally increased, and AK looks like he's having more fun than he's ever had in a Jazz jersey. When your having fun, those little things start to come naturally.

[idajazz]

Don't over analyze it...........
I think he used his free pass recently

On a serious note I think you can sum it up in one word ATTITUDE.

[HolyToledo]

AK-47 and Sloan both matured. Ak-47 finally put winning as being more important than individual stats. Sloan finally let go of the crying incident in the playoffs and personality conflict with Ak-47 to allow him the minutes to play his game. DWILL finally stating trusting AK-47 as well and actually passing him the ball.

I think alot of credit goes to Hornacek as well for working with AK-47 on his shot and his confidence!

[Lava Rock Kid]

Don't over analyze it...........
I think he used his free pass recently

On a serious note I think you can sum it up in one word ATTITUDE.

LMAO

[Ming Kong!]

I think he simply matured; It happens to most people at some point.

On a side note, chemistry seems to be back again; dudes' are having fun. May be they finally realized Sloan sucks and stop listening to him...

[David Ginola 14]

Now he is important for the team..
Kirilenko must play 35 minutes....before he played 20 minutes...

[ColdBlue]

AK is loose and confident... it's a good thing to see.

[Racer X]

1) Better team defense is creating a more havoc-style and AK game where there are a lot of fast breaks.

2) Better team ball movement has given AK more touches in spots where he is able to be successful, which in turn has boosted his confidence, which has made the game more fun for him.

3) Health? I always thought his leg and ankle injuries had stripped him of his freakish athleticism we saw in his heyday, but he is trying to throw everything down these days . . . AND I LOVE IT.

[HammerDunk]

It also seems that he is just letting the game come to him more, not forcing so much, letting it flow through him. I realized while I was playing ball tonight, that when I sit and think about what I'm going to do, or what I have to do, I don't do so well. But, when I just do what is natural and turn my mind off and be natural, I play much better. Now I'm nothing near a pro athlete (I look too much like the current Charles Barkley), but I would imagine that it works similarly for them, with even more effect due to talent and athleticism.

Whatever the cause is, I love the new/old AK. There are VERY few players I would rather watch at the peak of their game play than AK.

[erudite23]

I think energy is the operative word here. AK has the kind of quickness, length and coordination that allows him to challenge almost every shot that occurs within 15 feet from the hoop. He used to do that. More recently, he'll just allow a guy to go by him and get an uncontested look, choosing to stay with his man and allow the high percentage shot to go uncontested so that he doesn't have to expend the energy or risk a foul and/or injury.

Now he's shown more willingness to bust his ass on the off chance that his effort could alter the shot, and the rest of his entire game has picked up. He isn't anywhere near being the same whirling dervish that he was in 03-05, but he's getting closer. Now, though, his shot is much better, he's smarter, more experienced and more skilled. So he can come close to being that type of player. He won't have the same defensive impact, but he's better offensively. If he can get his RR up to 11.0 or so as well, and start making his FTs in the high 70s or low 80s (like he is certainly capable of) then we will see him get back over 20 PER for the first time since 04-05. If that happens, we might vault into "legit contender" status. He has the ability to make a difference. I can't say how devastating its been to me to watch him regress the way he has. There was a time when he was my absolute favorite player in the NBA to watch.