I have noticed that JT is getting a lot more love these days, and I'm a glad to see him player more consistently and at a higher level of play. A part of me has to wonder how much of this is due to coaching and how much from his own hard work.
I do think coaching has a little to do with it. Knowing what your role is on a team is very important IMO (especially for a role-player like JT). I always felt like Westphal was jerking him around too much. He would play center one night, PF the next, and SF the next. He also would find himself starting a couple of games, then not play for a game only to be moved to the bench (all with no rhyme or reason).
IMO, JT is one of those players who can do a little bit of everything, but doesn't seem to be great at any one thing (with rebounding being his best ability). I think sometimes coaches try too hard to use all those abilities in a player like JT, instead of helping them to hone those abilities that they are a little better at.
I also think you have to give JT a lot of credit for his own individual improvements. He is doing a much better job moving without the ball to open spaces on the floor (many times resulting in dunks). I remember when he was drafted, a glaring weakness of his game was that he had NO left hand whatsoever. Now it seems like he uses his left hand around the basket more than his right. He has obiously put in a lot of work to make that kind of improvent. He has also made a lot of progress in the fouling department. I can't remember him being in foul trouble too many times this season, and that is largely the result of cutting out the stupid fouls.
I hope that he continues to improve, because he can really help this team as they better (and hopefully start making a run at the playoffs in the next few years).
I do think coaching has a little to do with it. Knowing what your role is on a team is very important IMO (especially for a role-player like JT). I always felt like Westphal was jerking him around too much. He would play center one night, PF the next, and SF the next. He also would find himself starting a couple of games, then not play for a game only to be moved to the bench (all with no rhyme or reason).
IMO, JT is one of those players who can do a little bit of everything, but doesn't seem to be great at any one thing (with rebounding being his best ability). I think sometimes coaches try too hard to use all those abilities in a player like JT, instead of helping them to hone those abilities that they are a little better at.
I also think you have to give JT a lot of credit for his own individual improvements. He is doing a much better job moving without the ball to open spaces on the floor (many times resulting in dunks). I remember when he was drafted, a glaring weakness of his game was that he had NO left hand whatsoever. Now it seems like he uses his left hand around the basket more than his right. He has obiously put in a lot of work to make that kind of improvent. He has also made a lot of progress in the fouling department. I can't remember him being in foul trouble too many times this season, and that is largely the result of cutting out the stupid fouls.
I hope that he continues to improve, because he can really help this team as they better (and hopefully start making a run at the playoffs in the next few years).