Jokic

[Lipoli390]

Yeah, I get that, WW, and I've been a critic of his temperament as much as anyone here. And the offensive fouling continues to be as issue...he needs to get much smarter in that area. But I encourage fans to reassess KAT's on-court temperament. I detest the whining we see from many NBA players, and especially whining that results in not getting back on defense. I don't know if Wolves management has talked with Karl about this, but I noticed a significant change in his demeanor this season. In a league full of complainers and whiners, I actually now find KAT much less offensive than I used to.

KAT is a unique offensive performer who is often challenged on defense. But with 4 good to very good defenders next to him in the starting lineup, we don't need him to be an all-NBA defensive player. We just need him to hit 3-pointers at a 40% rate to provide spacing for our inside scorers and get his double digit (or near double digit) rebounds every night.

I agree, FNG. As you pointed out, only his rebounding number have declined since his second season. It’s telling to see that his stats last season were the same as his second season with the exception of rebounding. And as you noted, Vando probably had a lot to do with the decrease in KAT’s rebounding numbers. I’ll add that KAT’s defense was much better last season than in his second season. I also think his offensive game has expanded to include a more effective dribble drive game. He started his career outperforming Jokic. But since then, Jokic has improved his game substantially while KAT has remained largely the same, although I would contend he’s better defensively and has a more versatile offensive game now. I’ll also add, per Monster’s post, that KAT’s development has probably been impeded by injuries/illness that Jokic hasn’t had to contend with and by the constant turmoil around him with a revoking door of different front office executives, players and coaches.

But putting all those impeding factors aside, the bottom line is that KAT is a highly productive and efficient offensive all-star caliber player. In that regard his numbers speak for themselves. It would be foolish to assess his value to the Wolves based on what he hasn’t become. His value resides in what he actually produces and when healthy he produces at a very high level offensively and does so with amazing efficiency and consistency. Assuming he stays healthy and the organization stabilizes the situation around him, it’s reasonable to assume that KAT can improve in the next few seasons while he’s in the heart of his prime.