Putting players in a position to do what they do well and succeed is one of the biggest jobs as a coach. Look at the best — Gregg Popovich, Phil Jackson — and you find systems designed to get guys to do what they do well and not play to their weaknesses.
Conversely, there is whatever the Brooklyn Nets are doing under Jason Kidd.
Kevin Garnett is having a career-worst season — 6.5 points a game, a true shooting percentage of 39.8 percent, a PER of 10.7, all career lows.
He’s frustrated and told Newsday the Nets system, such as it is, has thrown off his shooting rhythm.“The most frustrating thing about me is I could see if I wasn’t hitting shots and I wasn’t in here working or taking —- days off,” Garnett said Wednesday before the Nets flew to Oklahoma City to meet the Thunder tonight. “I put time into my craft for it to come out, but then that’s rhythm on offense. And I don’t have that right now.”
“Honestly, I have no rhythm,” Garnett said. “I’m trying to establish some confidence and figure this whole where I fit into the offense thing. Right now I’m just not even a priority.”
Part of this is KG is losing his footrace with Father Time — he is a step slow this season, which particularly shows on the defensive end.
Most players thrive better in a structure and the Nets offense seems not to have a consistent one. Injuries and guys like Deron Williams and Brook Lopez being in and out of the lineup (in Lopez’s case now out for the year) has not helped. Still, it’s hard to find an overall structure. It’s hard to see a system that just works.
And it shows in KG’s game — he wasn’t due for this kind of step back. He’s still a better player than he has shown.
