Jason Thompson

[VF21]

Getting lost in the midst of all the other stuff going on, both good and bad, Jason Thompson is quietly putting up good numbers and showing a lot of solid skill. It can honestly be said that Clifford Ray has made a definitive difference in JT's game and quite possibly his entire NBA career.

 

[KingMilz]

Getting lost in the midst of all the other stuff going on, both good and bad, Jason Thompson is quietly putting up good numbers and showing a lot of solid skill. It can honestly be said that Clifford Ray has made a definitive difference in JT's game and quite possibly his entire NBA career.

About a week ago I said he was outside the top 30 PF's in the L I take that back hes 20-25 (eating crow)

 

[Gary]

Getting lost in the midst of all the other stuff going on, both good and bad, Jason Thompson is quietly putting up good numbers and showing a lot of solid skill. It can honestly be said that Clifford Ray has made a definitive difference in JT's game and quite possibly his entire NBA career.

He's becoming my favorite Kings player because of his steadiness. We know what we are going to get from him (which is a good thing) unlike a few years back when we could count on him missing easy put backs and layups. I would like him to work a bit more on his defensive positioning in regards to hitting the D-boards though. I think he could do better than he is right now. He's not bad on the D-boards but I would like to see more.

 

[The_Jamal]

You know you have a great player when he would be a key rotational player at the very least on every single player in the NBA. Jerry tends to exaggerate on most things, but he wasn't kidding when he said JT is one of the best role players in the NBA. The numbers, his improved defense, and his willingness to defer shots to the stars makes him an incredibly valuable asset. You can certainly bet other teams are kicking themselves for not getting in on JT for a measly $5.2 million

 

[Bibbilicious]

I agree, he is really coming into his own. Now I'm not saying that he is putting up star quality numbers all the time but who knows? A few years down the line he could be a lot better with his work ethic, and thats a very good thing considering he is already very valuable to us.

 

[Bricklayer]

I agree, he is really coming into his own. Now I'm not saying that he is putting up star quality numbers all the time but who knows? A few years down the line he could be a lot better with his work ethic, and thats a very good thing considering he is already very valuable to us.

Oh, I don't think he's headed to anything like that, but he doesn't have to be. And he's not looking to be. That's precisely why roleplayers like JT are so valuable. To willingly step back and do the little things and play team first and not worry about your numebrs is all too rare at the highest level.

 

[Prince_XY]

I wouldn't be surprized if JT reaches the level of Aldridge in a few years time. Our guy is such a hardworker and there is no way for him but UP.

 

[Bricklayer]

I wouldn't be surprized if JT reaches the level of Aldridge in a few years time. Our guy is such a hardworker and there is no way for him but UP.

Stop stop.

Sigh...guys. That is over. I think in some ways at the very moment when JT is beginning to be well thought of as a player, people are doing it for the wrong reason. Or thinking they have to. He is NOT a star, or on the star track. He never will be. But that's GREAT. We didn't get a steal for our money, but that's GREAT too. He's not that young anymore. GREAT.

JT is a veteran roleplayer. A good one. And what that means is he will never be a star. And he'll never carry the team. And he'll never have the glory. And he'll never demand the big bucks. And all of that is GREAT. That's the whole point with guys like him. He's on the roleplayer track. He's a helper, but he knows it. And that's the grease that makes good teams go. If you think Miami would be better off with Haslem trying to be Aldridge in a few years, or OKC would be better off with Collison or Perkins trying to prove they were max money guys every game or whatever you are nutty. Roleplayers are great assets, if you have stars for them to decorate, precisely because they don't think like that, and they don't act like that. Roleplayers concentrate on being efficient, on doing the little things, on waiting for the ball rather than demanding it, on playing in the shadows. All things JT is doing very well. He has become quite valuable precisely because what he is has nothing to do with being a star.

 

[Prince_XY]

Stop stop.

Sigh...guys. That is over. I think in some ways at the very moment when JT is beginning to be well thought of as a player, people are doing it for the wrong reason. Or thinking they have to. He is NOT a star, or on the star track. He never will be. But that's GREAT. We didn't get a steal for our money, but that's GREAT too. He's not that young anymore. GREAT.

JT is a veteran roleplayer. A good one. And what that means is he will never be a star. And he'll never carry the team. And he'll never have the glory. And he'll never demand the big bucks. And all of that is GREAT. That's the whole point with guys like him. He's on the roleplayer track. He's a helper, but he knows it. And that's the grease that makes good teams go. If you think Miami would be better off with Haslem trying to be Aldridge in a few years, or OKC would be better off with Collison or Perkins trying to prove they were max money guys every game or whatever you are nutty. Roleplayers are great assets, if you have stars for them to decorate, precisely because they don't think like that, and they don't act like that. Roleplayers concentrate on being efficient, on doing the little things, on waiting for the ball rather than demanding it, on playing in the shadows. All things JT is doing very well. He has become quite valuable precisely because what he is has nothing to do with being a star.

Stop stop.

Sigh...guys. Aldridge is not a Superstar talent-wise. He is nowhere near the Olajuwons, Webbs, Duncans, and the Shaqs. His talent level is reachable.

You just don't put ceiling on a young hardworking player like JT who certainly is still evolving.

 

[mac]

Just has to step up his effort on the defensive boards and set better screens. Oh and control his emotions a little better, he still gets annoyed (or shows it at least) too easily. Other than that he's an extremely valuable player for us and hopefully will continue to be. His midrange spot up jumpers are money, and he's finishing a lot stronger around the rim, going up for dunks instead of weak layups.

 

[Bricklayer]

Stop stop.

Sigh...guys. Aldridge is not a Superstar talent-wise. He is nowhere near the Olajuwons, Webbs, Duncans, and the Shaqs. His talent level is reachable.

You just don't put ceiling on a young hardworking player like JT who certainly is still evolving.

A put it in the bank 21pt 8reb player every year is still so far out of JTs zone that it might as well be Shaq. And JT is 26 now, in his 5th year. He's not turning into an All Star anytime soon.

And as mentioned, that's great. Let him be the best roleplayer he can be. If a number of our other lesser lights came to the same realization the team would be far better off.

 

[nebs]

Yeah, JT has turned into a solid NBA player. Really am glad to see it from him. Almost any playoff team would love to have JT coming in off the bench.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

we need a few more of him on this team. (a kawhi leonard or thabo sefolosha wing defender).. ironically, we could have had leonard and drummond instead of trob and jimmer

 

[LWP777]

we need a few more of him on this team. (a kawhi leonard or thabo sefolosha wing defender).. ironically, we could have had leonard and drummond instead of trob and jimmer

Every time this gets pointed out I want to throw up!

 

[rainmaker]

JT should be an example/lesson to those who keep wanting to trade our young players at 22/23. Youngsters takes time to develop. Was only a couple years ago JT was the goofy, out of control PF who couldn't get out of his own way half the time. Now he's a steadying veteran presence who's doing a pretty good job filling his role and is a key part of what makes us click when we're successful.

 

[SCKingsfan]

JT is everything Chuck Hayes was promised to be but isn't

 

[bajaden]

I was one of the few that wanted the Kings to draft JT. He's wasn't my only choice, but he was up there high on my list. I pointed out at the time that JT had grown around 6 inches between his sophmore and senior years at Rider. He went from playing SG to playing Center in the blink of an eye. Trust me, you don't grow that quickly and then adjust to your new body effortlessly. Not only did he have to adjust to his new found height, he also had to relearn the game to a large extent. Of course in our instant gratification society, no one cares about the details, they only want results, and when the results weren't what they wanted, they wanted JT gone. He was a bust, he was garbage, he was trash, we never should have drafted him, and far worse things were said about him.

I preached patience! These things take time. The Akeem's and Birds are the exception to the rule. They're the special players. You can it see the first time they set foot on a court. But even they, aren't the player their going to be 4 years later. They just have a different starting point. Will JT get better than he his right now? Of course he will. Even the bad players get better. But he'll never be Aldridge. He'll have his moments when you can ride him for a while during a game, but he's not the guy that can carry you for an entire season. JT is not the kind of player that will make his teammates better, but he is the kind of player that can be made better by that kind of player, whether it be Cousins, or a Steve Nash clone.

On our team, think of it this way. Cousins is our bomber, and JT is the fighter plane thats covering his a$$. Both are very important, but if you don't have the bomber, there's no need for the fighter plane.

 

[UK_King]

JT is everything Chuck Hayes was promised to be but isn't

To be fair to Chuck he can still bring that lockdown defense, bet when you pair him with T-rob and a small front court his deficiencies are just highlighted to the extreme. The last two games the lack of rebounding presence in that second unit has killed us.

 

[Kingster]

Well, it's taken 4 years for JT to arrive. I don't know whether to yell, "It's about time!" or "Congratulations, you are now a legit NBA starting power forward"! In any case, it sure is nice to see. He's been the rock on this team this year.