The only player ahead of him? Rudy Gobert.
Surprisingly, this passes the eye test too for me.
KAT has been different this year. Defensive effort and intensity has been way up there. I’ve seen him be flabbergasted at calls, but only when play is stopped, and he has kept it to a minimum.
He has a new role to play and he has clearly made it his mission to be great at it. Despite his shot not falling, after 6 games his +/- is still positive. If we know anything about KAT, it’s that his offense is great, and that will revert to normal, especially as he further adjusts to his new role. I like this KAT. The way he’s playing, he will be big for the team even on off nights.
by daydriem
21 Comments
His defense has been better than usual, but he was atrocious and almost cost us the game last night. Games with playoff atmospheres bring out Kat’s worst tendencies, and it’s been that way consistently since the Rockets series in 2018
He has Jaden, Ant, and Rudy around him on D. I’m glad he’s playing hard on that end, but swapping him out for a player who the team doesn’t need to worry about showing composure would be huge.
And yes, his offense probably will come around, but I just want off the Kat rollercoaster.
I actually think this is a good thing.
I wish KAT could step back and play an Aaron Gordon role for the Wolves. High draft pick player. Very good. But now a sold role player that can step up and have the occasional big game.
I agree he’s looked better defensively, but def rating and +/- are both team/lineup stats. If you’re surrounded by good defenders and on a good team, both those numbers are going to look good. They’re just not meant to be used as individual player stats
We know his offense Will come back, the real question is when it does, Will he still be putting this effort on D, even if it’s 75% or 50%, because that would make us a threat
Just wondering, are these numbers from when Gobert is off court and he’s the sole center on the floor? The claim being ‘among centers’.
He’s doing his part on rebounding and him and Gobert are part of the defense working right now. Over 22 rebounds from the duo. Along with the insane defense from Ant, Jaden, NAW of course. The reduced second chances for opponents is huge.
Is there a stat to show how many times he acts like a pre teen on the court?
I think he has 2 of the best defensive players in the league with him and they are dragging him up with them. I don’t often see him doing anything really well on defense.
He is what he is, which is a huge offensive weapon most of the time.
His shot will return.
I still like KAT. This dude has taken on a whole different role then he has ever played. People want to slaughter him after last night but loved him for Nuggets and Jazz. We all need to chill!
What are twin towers good at?
Finding rings!
My only issue with him is his drives. I wish we posted him up a few times a game depending on the matchup
If KAT haters could read they’d be so mad right now
I like this positivity
putting holiday on kat was a choice to expose his propensity for foul trouble, it largely worked.
on offense, boston regularly tried to expose kat on a switch, it largely failed.
if kats not there, that energy and game planning would have been directed elsewhere. this is why depth is good. this, and it’s a long season where you’re going to miss him dearly when rudy and/or naz are out.
how bout we try to build this team up this season and worry about roster adjustments next summer.
KAT will be fine. 6 games into the season. He’ll be fine.
Happy for you guys. I’m going to camp over here for a bit. Our sub act like they ain’t ever rebuilt before.
Kat was starting to take advantage of the Jrue matchup when he got called for the hook on the drive. That was a big play in terms of Kat’s night.
Can we just make Kat a three and D guy? I’m not as knowledgeable on the details of basketball like I am in other sports like hockey but it seems like he only gets into trouble when trying to DRIVE the offense.
We gotta collectively as a fan base get KAT in the right head space. Once his offense gets going, watch out.
I mean I read somewhere where KAT is adjusting to a new role, so it’s not like he’s playing poorly just because he’s been our franchise player for the past few years. Our defense was atrocious in the past and right now our team probably has one of the best D’s. With Ant and Gobert, I see this as a positive but I hope KAT is doing alright and can find a way to be consistent on offense as well.
I’ve been impressed when I’ve watched him. He’s been a little more like Kentucky KAT out there which makes some sense because if I remember correctly he would sometimes share the floor with Willy Cauley-Stein. Those happy feet he has on defense might just be more suitable for help defense at the rim. Going back to the playoffs last year I was really impressed with how quickly he got to the rim to double Jokic when Jokic got to the basket.