Kendrick Perkins Expectations This Year

[nickagneta]

The kid is 23 and plays some of the best interior defense in the league, that alone makes him okay in my book.

For those thinking that Patrick O'Bryant will be starting in place of Perk by season's end, to be perfectly frank, are delusional. O'Bryant has promise but could have as much as two years worth of dedicated, painstaking effort and work just to get to Perk's current level.

And offensively, I like where Perk is going. Everyone mentions his trouble with the catch and dunk/shoot but no one mentions a couple of good points of his offensive game.

- His hook is starting to become pretty consistent and with time and less brute strength will be a very potent option.

- His use over the last 1 1/2 seasons, but especially last year, of using the rim as a blocking screen against bigger and or more athletic shot blockers is magnificent. He seems to be able to tell exactly when to use the under and to the other side lay in, thereby inhibiting blockers from getting to his shot. Very effective.

- It's part of the offensive game and no one brings it up, he is the best outlet passer after a defensive rebound on the team. Perk may not rack up assists but if basketball was like hockey with the double assist, Perk would get a ton.

- His reading of a baseline trap has become much, much better. It doesn't often happen when KG is in the game but when teams do try it on him he is usually reading it much better and getting the ball out to the perimeter for the swing to the other side or to a cutter off the trap defender.

Now these are only a few things but I see steady progress and at his age a couple or three more years of progress should be expected.

I wouldn't rule out a face-up 12 footer happening soon as I have seen him pre-game draining that shot with consistency. His pick setting without moving should improve. His decision making regarding when and how to foul will get better. And his chemistry and familiarity with KG should wise him up as to when to look for the ball so as not to miss that, at least for last year, unexpected pass.

Will he ever be an All-Star? Not even close. Can he get his game to the point of being on the 2nd or 3rd team All-Defensive team and average near double-double production most nights? I believe so. And with a potential future All-Star PG and the PGA still a part of the team, that's okay by me.

[xmuscularghandix]

as you said throughout the playoffs he expanded his post game, and that really opened my eyes to what he could become. before july i thought perkins would never be anything more than a solid  center that could play good D and rebound but score only score 10 on his best nights. i hope more than anything that he proves me wrong but i almost feel that o'bryant could take care of his 2nd chance and grab the starting spot. PROVE ME WRONG PERK.

So does this mean that after July 1 you now believe Perk can  be much better?  Because not sure you remember, but Perk had a monster game against Detroit in the ECF.  Didn't he put up over 20 pts in that game?

All Perk needs to do to improve greatly is play like he did in that Detroit game (catch passes cleanly, go up with the ball without bringing it down, and stay out of foul trouble).  IMO, that's all Perk needs to do now to be a top notch center.  He's already an excellent defender.

he showed me things that he could become an offensive threat outside of garbage buckets, but i just can't see him regularly putting up 20 points, i think they should go to him more often because when they had good games it looked like they were making a point to get it to him early and overpower guys inside (this also could get some of the smaller PF's and C's in the league in foul trouble) but why would you make a point to get perk points when you have KG Ray Paul. i really hope he gets nasty.

[Shaqzilla]

I don't really expect much more from Perkins offensively besides putbacks, garbage buckets, and passes thrown to him by KG when he's double teamed. I think with Rondo gaining confidence and expereince he'll handle the ball more while the Big 3s numbers go down next year.

Anyways Kendrick Perkins will become a smarter defender and I hope he can limit his fouls more.

Perk is a beast and if O'Bryant can be as good as i hope he'll be we will have the strongest backcourt defense in NBA History 

[TripleOT]

Perk has improved every single year in the league, first by remaking his body in his first few years, and lately by learning how to be effective.   The jump he made on the defensive end this past season was remarkable, to where he's considered one of the best defensive centers int he entire league.  He can do both things one needs to be a good defensive center - guard the post and hedge and recover on the pick/roll on the perimeter.  His protection of the rim, through shot blocking and hard fouls, is also very helpful.

I expect Perk to get a bit more respect from the refs in the future, which should help him continue to keep his fouls down.  On the offensive end, e just set the single season Celtics FG% record.  I don't see him as a volume scorer ever, but as long as they dump the ball to him a couple of times a half, his scoring should uptick a bit as he matures. 

It really doesn't matter if Perk puts up a 6/6 or an 8/8 this season, because the Cs can win with him just doing what he did this past season.    Stats don't tell the story of this guy's value to the team, and probably will never define him.  He's a unique player in that his best attributes-  backboning a great defense, setting picks and throwing his big body around, making outlet passes, and defending the rim, don't show up in the stat books. 

As a basketball purist, I love Perk. He's shown a ton of character ever since putting on the green jersey, first by working his butt off to get on the court, and then by putting out great effort and really caring about the team while they went through tough times.  This past year, when the Cs needed him the most, against the Pistons, he stepped up big time.  In my opinion, anyone who can't appreciate what this guy brings to this team doesn't truly understand team sports.  Any guy who shows the willingness to throw his body around every single game, without the need for individual glory, gets my respect and gratitude.  And Perk has done that on a 66 win championship team, as well as a 24 win team.

Unfortunately, we can't have $15m+ players at every position.  The still 23 year old Perkins will never be a volume scorer, but that's OK with me.  Just keep doing what you do, big guy, and improve a bit every year.       

[nickagneta]

Perk has improved every single year in the league, first by remaking his body in his first few years, and lately by learning how to be effective.   The jump he made on the defensive end this past season was remarkable, to where he's considered one of the best defensive centers int he entire league.  He can do both things one needs to be a good defensive center - guard the post and hedge and recover on the pick/roll on the perimeter.  His protection of the rim, through shot blocking and hard fouls, is also very helpful.

I expect Perk to get a bit more respect from the refs in the future, which should help him continue to keep his fouls down.  On the offensive end, e just set the single season Celtics FG% record.  I don't see him as a volume scorer ever, but as long as they dump the ball to him a couple of times a half, his scoring should uptick a bit as he matures. 

It really doesn't matter if Perk puts up a 6/6 or an 8/8 this season, because the Cs can win with him just doing what he did this past season.    Stats don't tell the story of this guy's value to the team, and probably will never define him.  He's a unique player in that his best attributes-  backboning a great defense, setting picks and throwing his big body around, making outlet passes, and defending the rim, don't show up in the stat books. 

As a basketball purist, I love Perk. He's shown a ton of character ever since putting on the green jersey, first by working his butt off to get on the court, and then by putting out great effort and really caring about the team while they went through tough times.  This past year, when the Cs needed him the most, against the Pistons, he stepped up big time.  In my opinion, anyone who can't appreciate what this guy brings to this team doesn't truly understand team sports.  Any guy who shows the willingness to throw his body around every single game, without the need for individual glory, gets my respect and gratitude.  And Perk has done that on a 66 win championship team, as well as a 24 win team.

Unfortunately, we can't have $15m+ players at every position.  The still 23 year old Perkins will never be a volume scorer, but that's OK with me.  Just keep doing what you do, big guy, and improve a bit every year.      

Big time TP4U for the last couple of paragraghs. As well put as it can be.

[Chris]

Perk has improved every single year in the league, first by remaking his body in his first few years, and lately by learning how to be effective.   The jump he made on the defensive end this past season was remarkable, to where he's considered one of the best defensive centers int he entire league.  He can do both things one needs to be a good defensive center - guard the post and hedge and recover on the pick/roll on the perimeter.  His protection of the rim, through shot blocking and hard fouls, is also very helpful.

I expect Perk to get a bit more respect from the refs in the future, which should help him continue to keep his fouls down.  On the offensive end, e just set the single season Celtics FG% record.  I don't see him as a volume scorer ever, but as long as they dump the ball to him a couple of times a half, his scoring should uptick a bit as he matures. 

It really doesn't matter if Perk puts up a 6/6 or an 8/8 this season, because the Cs can win with him just doing what he did this past season.    Stats don't tell the story of this guy's value to the team, and probably will never define him.  He's a unique player in that his best attributes-  backboning a great defense, setting picks and throwing his big body around, making outlet passes, and defending the rim, don't show up in the stat books. 

As a basketball purist, I love Perk. He's shown a ton of character ever since putting on the green jersey, first by working his butt off to get on the court, and then by putting out great effort and really caring about the team while they went through tough times.  This past year, when the Cs needed him the most, against the Pistons, he stepped up big time.  In my opinion, anyone who can't appreciate what this guy brings to this team doesn't truly understand team sports.  Any guy who shows the willingness to throw his body around every single game, without the need for individual glory, gets my respect and gratitude.  And Perk has done that on a 66 win championship team, as well as a 24 win team.

Unfortunately, we can't have $15m+ players at every position.  The still 23 year old Perkins will never be a volume scorer, but that's OK with me.  Just keep doing what you do, big guy, and improve a bit every year.       

Great post, I couldn't say it better myself.  I really think Perkins is one of those guys that you can only really appreciate by watching him night in and night out, and that will probably prevent him from ever getting the attention he deserves.  But I will argue that he has become one of the top 4-5 defensive big men in the league...and the only reason I am not saying top 2-3 is because I do not watch enough of the other guys in the league close enough. 

All I want to see from him now is to stay healthy, continue to work on not making dumb fouls, and (this may be dreaming) add a 10-12 foot jumper to his repertoire.  If he adds that, he will be able to stay on the floor at the end of games, without taking anything off the table.

[wdleehi]

Perks minutes will increase.  His rebounding will approach 10 a game.  And with his shooting touch improving, I could see him dropping 8 a game. 

[CLeht11]

I'm really hoping we can see a little bit more out of Perk.  We obviously saw what he CAN do throughout the playoffs, now lets see what he can do with consistency. 

As previously stated, an 8 and 6 type of average out of Perk would be great, but I'm not sure we will see that.  You never know though, he could come out with a chip on his shoulder with the 'this is my house' mentality now that he has a ring.  After all, it's just another year with the same starting 4 along side him and with Rondo improving it's only going to help.

He did away with the 'powering up' style under the net, so lets see what he can do next year.  He sort of developed a nice little hook - which mind you, isn't really pretty, but it works.  And we saw a little KG turn around in him, but I really don't think we'll see much of that, at least I hope not, unless he can knock em down!

I'm certainly satisfied with Perk after the playoffs, but there is always room for improvement.

[cmburrill]

Anyways Kendrick Perkins will become a smarter defender and I hope he can limit his fouls more.

  I gave u a point because you  really pin pointed Perks problem. Reducing fouls without compromising his D. His numbers per 36 minutes are great.
  If he played 36 minutes his rookie and soph year, he would  dq every game. His 3rd season at 36 mins would give him 5.4 fouls a game and 2.9 blocks. Last year per 36 mins he would have scored 10.2 pts a game, 8.9 rebs and 2.1 blocks. He still has 4.6 fouls per 36 minutes and his Blocks have been reduced proballyy from him needing to be careful. Keeping him on the court is the key to this guys success. Perk was the second best center in his class. If he gave us 36 minutes and was a dbl dbl guy on this team. Hes the 5th option on offense and people still hate his game.

[TrueGreen]

Quote from: Shaqzilla on Yesterday at 12:41:42 PM

Anyways Kendrick Perkins will become a smarter defender and I hope he can limit his fouls more.

I think Perk has improved on this and you can see from his reactions he is working on it. Don't forget alot of these early fouls are "bull" calls and some are because someone else messed up.

[wdleehi]

Quote from: Shaqzilla on Yesterday at 12:41:42 PM

Anyways Kendrick Perkins will become a smarter defender and I hope he can limit his fouls more.

I think Perk has improved on this and you can see from his reactions he is working on it. Don't forget alot of these early fouls are "bull" calls and some are because someone else messed up.

He needs to get more respect from officials so the weak calls against him goes away.   And no more setting picks.  He moves to often.   It is to the point, even when he doesn't move, they call him for offensive fouls. 

[Bankshot]

as you said throughout the playoffs he expanded his post game, and that really opened my eyes to what he could become. before july i thought perkins would never be anything more than a solid  center that could play good D and rebound but score only score 10 on his best nights. i hope more than anything that he proves me wrong but i almost feel that o'bryant could take care of his 2nd chance and grab the starting spot. PROVE ME WRONG PERK.

So does this mean that after July 1 you now believe Perk can  be much better?  Because not sure you remember, but Perk had a monster game against Detroit in the ECF.  Didn't he put up over 20 pts in that game?

All Perk needs to do to improve greatly is play like he did in that Detroit game (catch passes cleanly, go up with the ball without bringing it down, and stay out of foul trouble).  IMO, that's all Perk needs to do now to be a top notch center.  He's already an excellent defender.

he showed me things that he could become an offensive threat outside of garbage buckets, but i just can't see him regularly putting up 20 points, i think they should go to him more often because when they had good games it looked like they were making a point to get it to him early and overpower guys inside (this also could get some of the smaller PF's and C's in the league in foul trouble) but why would you make a point to get perk points when you have KG Ray Paul. i really hope he gets nasty.

Because the shots he gets are much easier (didn't he have the highest shooting % on the team?), almost 100% sure thing if they are just dunks and putbacks and shots 5' and in.  And if Perk can become a consistent scoring threat, it makes PGA that much more dangerous.

[jdub1660]

I said it previously on another post, but KG makes everyone around him better. Perk is a great complimentary player, especially at the C spot. He has enough inside game to be great next to KG, as KG absorbs all of the double/triple teams on the inside, leaving Perk wide open. You can only expect him to be better each year as he matures. I'm waiting  on him to learn a jump shot, b/c his shooting form looks smooth.

[BillfromBoston]

...I've said this consistently...Perkins needs 4-5 more touches a game on the inside...he often gets one-on-one coverage in the post against a smaller player he can abuse, but the team doesn't feed him enough...

I think this season we'll see a lot more dynamic offensive attack from this team, including more post touches for Perk/Powe and more plays for Ray Allen...

IMO, Perkins is a 12-14ppg guy in his prime with 8-10 rebounds while playing 34-36 mpg...when that happens is dependant on the team, but Perkins has shown that he can be reliable in the post, he has started using his face-up jumper, and he is starting to manage his fouling...once he's a full-time player he'll look much more impressive statistically...

[ScoobyDoo]

I think the key thing is for Perkins to stay healthy. If he can stay healthy, I think he is just scratching the surface.

The one poster said it best, everyone talks about his offense or lack thereof. However, it is his defense, rebounding and toughness that makes him very valuable to this team. Ainge has assembled "a Team" which is why we won. Perkins and Rondo compliment the big three very well.

Russell was never considered a great offensive player, but he won 9 titles because of his defense. Perkins isn't Russell obviously but the analogy holds. Perkins helps us win with his defense.

This being said, he showed some good offense, some developing offense throughout the playoffs.

As he gains confidence, this should improve.

I said a while ago, it would'nt suprise me to see Perkins finally settle in at:

12-15 points
8-12 boards
2-3 blocks
+ intimidating presence and good team defense.

I think if he stays healthy, he's just starting to come into his own. Health is the key thing for him.