How do you feel about KG?

[kenmaine]

 I don't even want to think of the possibility of KG not being at least 85-90% come playoff time.

[drza44]

I've seen some definite progress, but also see he has a long way to go if he's going to get back to where he was.

Progress
1) His shooting consistency/accuracy is going up.  Early on he could be accurate for a few jumpers then he'd be off for a game or two.  But in the last week he's been hitting the jumper consistently without the long dry spells.

2) His one-leap vertical is getting higher.  In the preseason a lot of his dunk attempts were ending up below the rim and he wasn't exploding up at all.  As the weeks have passed, though, on any one jump he is getting up pretty high now as evidenced by that alley-oop between 2 players in Utah.

3) Offensive timing.  Again seen most easily with the alley-oops, he's no longer back-rimming the misses and instead if he catches it above the rim it's a dunk.

Ways to go
1) Quick leaping: This one worries me a bit, because it also goes with age so there's no telling how much he'll get back.  KG can get up high on a single leap, but when he has to get up quickly to grab a board or challenge a shot or win a jump ball he can't do it.  Whether this comes back or not will tell whether or not he goes back to being a DPoY beast or remains just a very good defender.

2) Stamina: He still visibly wears down as the game goes along.  In his last 2 games he is shooting something like 13-for-20 for 29 points in the first 3 quarters but 0-for-1 for 0 points in the 4th.  Also, as others have pointed out he doesn't have the energy to operate out of the post as the game goes along...he does it a bit early now (wasn't much at all in the first week or 2), but Bibby the other night was a perfect example of him just not seeming to have the energy to finish in the paint late.  The good thing is the stamina is getting better and should continue to do so.

In summary, I think he's worked a good bit of the initial rust off his game and is starting to get some athleticism back.  But the lack of quick jumping worries me a bit, though one would naturally expect that to be the last to return so we'll see.  Hopefully by the All Star Break he's closer to his normal self and these early worries seem silly.

[ManUp]

I've seen some definite progress, but also see he has a long way to go if he's going to get back to where he was.

Progress
1) His shooting consistency/accuracy is going up.  Early on he could be accurate for a few jumpers then he'd be off for a game or two.  But in the last week he's been hitting the jumper consistently without the long dry spells.

2) His one-leap vertical is getting higher.  In the preseason a lot of his dunk attempts were ending up below the rim and he wasn't exploding up at all.  As the weeks have passed, though, on any one jump he is getting up pretty high now as evidenced by that alley-oop between 2 players in Utah.

3) Offensive timing.  Again seen most easily with the alley-oops, he's no longer back-rimming the misses and instead if he catches it above the rim it's a dunk.

Ways to go
1) Quick leaping: This one worries me a bit, because it also goes with age so there's no telling how much he'll get back.  KG can get up high on a single leap, but when he has to get up quickly to grab a board or challenge a shot or win a jump ball he can't do it.  Whether this comes back or not will tell whether or not he goes back to being a DPoY beast or remains just a very good defender.

2) Stamina: He still visibly wears down as the game goes along.  In his last 2 games he is shooting something like 13-for-20 for 29 points in the first 3 quarters but 0-for-1 for 0 points in the 4th.  Also, as others have pointed out he doesn't have the energy to operate out of the post as the game goes along...he does it a bit early now (wasn't much at all in the first week or 2), but Bibby the other night was a perfect example of him just not seeming to have the energy to finish in the paint late.  The good thing is the stamina is getting better and should continue to do so.

In summary, I think he's worked a good bit of the initial rust off his game and is starting to get some athleticism back.  But the lack of quick jumping worries me a bit, though one would naturally expect that to be the last to return so we'll see.  Hopefully by the All Star Break he's closer to his normal self and these early worries seem silly.

TP, I agree on almost all points. I hadn't heard about KG not being able to take advantage of Bibby in the post before(I was working that game), hearing that makes me worry a bit more. With the exception of his offensive rebounding, and leaping ability I think everything comes down to his stamina. Right now he's starting strong finishing weak. If he can get his conditioning up to par, the production will probably follow.

[Fan from VT]

Worried. Looks like an average PF now, offensively and defensively.

I agree offensively, for sure. but If what he's doing on defense right now passed for average, teams would score 10 points less a game.

He's not rebounding well but his pick and roll and post defense have been fine.

Maybe it's just the atlanta game stuck in my head, but it seems like he's getting worked by younger, athletic PFs right now.

[liam]

I think KG is a step slow and is only around 70% of what he will be towards the end of the season. It's a long season, and I think the Celtics as a whole and KG specifically have a ways to go.

[Roy Hobbs]

I don't think he's been as bad as suggested in this thread.  He's still shooting over 50%, and his points and rebounds are only down very slightly from last year.  He hasn't been quite as good as the past two years, but I don't think he's been a huge problem, either.

[jambr380]

Bring back the 'KG for Bosh' threads.

In all reality, he should continue to improve and get back to 90% of what he was last year, which is 'good enough' with this team to win a championship, but if he doesn't show consistent improvement, then it may be time to wory a bit. I agree with Roy that he hasn't been that bad, but he hasn't been all that great either. We all know KG is full of intangibles, so it's not all about stats, but adding Rasheed may be more beneficial than we ever knew...

[fairweatherfan]

Cautiously optimistic.  He's still struggling with stamina, so it's best to judge him right now by the earlier parts of the game.  It looks to me like his lateral quickness is mostly back, and his vertical is slowly returning, though I don't think he'll ever get all the way back to pre-injury.  He's really doing well with his jumpshot right now and I've seen him make some good post moves though he's still reluctant to go down there. 

[ManUp]

I don't think he's been as bad as suggested in this thread.  He's still shooting over 50%, and his points and rebounds are only down very slightly from last year.  He hasn't been quite as good as the past two years, but I don't think he's been a huge problem, either.

True, but even last year people were wondering what was wrong with KG. Some posters were saying he wasn't scoring and rebounding as much because he didn't have to, while others thought he seemed a bit off his game. This was before we knew about the knee. This year we know the slippage was due to the knee injury. I personally expect him to look better than he did last year at some point this season.

[Celtics17]

I think everyone would be content if he just looked good enough for us to win a title. The problem is, is he looking like that now? Obviously the answer is no. Some of it is probably just age but until he gets back to where we can answer the first question with a definite yes then we should be concerned.

[CelticG1]

I personally expect him to look better than he did last year at some point this season.

If this happens I would be absolutely thrilled because that would most likely mean that he would look as good as his first year. Is this what you are basically saying? If this happens than I think we will roll through teams and roll through the post season as I think KG is the only one out of the starting 5 who's play has decreased since that year. Pierce and Ray have been the same and Rondo and Perk have gotten dramatically better along with our bench.

I'm not as optimistic as this but it is refreshing to see someone believe this and makes me feel a bit more comfortable if they think there is a chance of him returning to that form

[footey]

Put me down as worried, TBH, he seems to be regressing to me.  He looked fantastic in the first three games, but I've got a feeling he'll be catching a few DNPs coming up 

Just one man's opinion...

I feel the opposite. I think he has gotten better the last 2-3 games on a personal level, moving to the hoop more, getting off his shot with greater success, etc. than he was earlier.  I think he is going to be fine. I am less worried, frankly, about KG, and more concerned about our overall age in the starting lineup.

[JBcat]

His minutes are slightly down which is also partly why his numbers are a little down.  It's nice that we have Wallace that can slide over to the 4 spot and have not 1 but 3 more reinforcements at PF in Williams, Davis, and even Scal. 

I had thought his scoring would go down slightly anyway with increased scoring from Perk, Rondo, and newcomers Wallace and Daniels.  His rebounding has disappointed me a little. 

[Tai]

Bring back the 'KG for Bosh' threads.

Hehe you funny.

[GreenFaith1819]

I think his numbers are down pts/rebs/blks-wise. Part of that is conditioning due to the recovery.

He is getting an offensive rythym back, though..which is good.

Another consideration is his advancing age. I believe we would have still seen some minimal regression in KG's stats even without the injury. This is his 15th season.

I feel he will take next several months to get his conditioning and legs back. Even at this stage he is enough for us to win title 18, IMO.

Continue to improve his conditioning, the natural healing process over summer of 2010, and we have enough for Title 19 nexy year, IMO.

Roy Hobbs posted an interesting comment a week or so ago in a different thread about KG's injury taking nearly two yrs to heal completely.

I personally am pleased he is back..yes he could hit boards more, and block shots, but he is still getting legs back.