HoopsFan01 wrote:Outlaw_Wales wrote: Kalkbrenner has looked pretty mid, frankly, on both ends of the court for most of the season outside of a little stretch where he actually looks interested in each game.
Couldn't agree more. He has looked exactly as you described it, not interested in the game, for the majority of the games this year. Hopefully that changes soon!
Hmm...I'm going to come at you hard on this opinion, which you are certainly entitled to have. But...
We must be watching different games. Kalk is consistently beating the opposing team down the floor. If you record any Creighton games, go back and watch. Pay particular attention to what he does when the opposing team gets off a shot. He is a clinic on how to effectively box out. Those are energy/effort plays that don't always pay off with glory or a counting stat. Youth coaches should teach it to their players. Kalk clears the lane. While it's tough to quantify with precision, I'd guesstimate that at least 30% of Trey and Baylor rebounds were made uncontested because of Kalk doing the grunt work around them. In no world is that disinterest.
His block numbers are outpacing last year in fewer minutes. And if there was a "disruption" category, he'd be all-world. It's because he is a great help defender, knows his role, plays to his strengths and is always active.
When his teammates are thriving around him, he's as energetic of a supporter and hype guy as anyone. When Fred has been doing his thing, Kalk was the first one to greet him coming off the floor, emphatically. Again, not disinterest.
Much of the above is intangible, but certainly relevant to any criticism that he is disinterested. I don't see it at all. Even if you jump into the tangibles, he's shooting 71%. Averaging 2.3 blocks. 13 points on only 25 minutes per game, because the Jays have been blowing everyone out and Fred is playing so well. Despite playing 22% fewer minutes per game than last season, his counting stats are completely in line (or better) than last year, on a per minute basis. And this is with Trey taking a colossal leap and better overall support around him.
So, I respectfully disagree.
FTs could be better though. He'll fix that.